tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33577045470136116762024-03-05T08:16:55.732-08:00Appear In Glory TimelineNext In God's Timeline of Events
The Day of Christ Not the Day of the Lord's WrathAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-24217806447628537502016-07-14T06:20:00.002-07:002016-07-14T06:24:36.840-07:00Finally I See<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: 17pt; word-break: break-word;">Day one.....</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: 17pt; word-break: break-word;">July 14, 2016</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: 17pt; word-break: break-word;">It is not until one looks over the next hill</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: 17pt; word-break: break-word;">and sees a looming shadow of death, </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: 17pt; word-break: break-word;">that one can evermore begin to know what it is like to really greave over something. Grieving the potential temporary loss of your dearest loved ones, the many thousands of blessings you received from the fact you have loved and been loved by those you deeply revered. You can then begin to .....</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: 17pt; word-break: break-word;">(Contemplate) how your LORD must have felt all the multitude of times I have grieved His Spirit. I only have a small taste ....</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: 17pt; word-break: break-word;">of what He must have felt when I caused Him to greave when I fell short, oh so many times.... But I thank Him for helping me realize this and for His Saving Grace. Oh, </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: 17pt; word-break: break-word;">"If it wasn't for the Lighthouse... Where would I be."</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-59070323358296835502016-06-26T17:04:00.003-07:002016-06-26T17:04:54.123-07:00Think On Things Above Not Earth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Be Disposed to Things Above
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Colossians 3
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King James Version 1. If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
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The Resultant Version 1. If then you are raised together with the Christ, that which is above be seeking, where Christ is, sitting on the rights of God.
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In verse 20 of chapter 2, Paul told us something that is true if we died together with Christ. Here, he tells us something that is true if we are raised together with Him. As I said in chapter 2, we both died with Christ and were raised with Him if we have believed in Him. When we believe the message God gives of His Son, then we are identified with Him. That message is that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the One chosen and marked out by God to be the Savior of the world; and that Jesus is the Son of God, God in human form. John 20:31. The message also tells us of His work on our behalf: that He died for our sins on the cross in harmony with the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose from the dead the third day, as the Scriptures tell us. I Corinthians 15:3-4. If we believe these things, then God identifies us with Christ. When He died, we died, and the penalty for our sins is once and forever paid. When He rose, we rose, and we will someday live together with Him. When He was exalted, we were exalted, and someday we will enjoy an exalted position with Him. These truths are based on the fact that we believed, and when we believed we were identified with Him, both in His death and in His resurrection.
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So if we are believers and therefore are raised together with the Messiah, then we should be seeking that which is above. What exactly is “that which is above”? For we must know what it is before we can be seeking it. This ultimately is difficult to say. We know very little about that which is above. Galatians 4:26 speaks of “Jerusalem above,” but other than this, the Bible does not really tell us what things are above. Some jump right in with their religion and traditions and claim that this is telling us to seek a home in heaven where we are going to go when we die. Yet this is never stated in the Bible, and is the merest fancy. We must seek to be Biblical, not fanciful, in attempting to discover what is above.
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The fact is that what is above is that which is where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. I believe, then, that the things which are above that Paul is referring to are the things that come from Jesus Christ as their source. What kinds of things are these? This is not always easy to say. Yet I do know one thing: that every time I open my Bible and try to discover what a verse, phrase, or passage means, then I am seeking a truth that came from Christ and therefore has its source in that which is above. Therefore, I am seeking an above thing.
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The word for “above” here, the Greek word
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, can, in some contexts, have to do with the future as well. Therefore, it could be telling us to seek the things which are yet future and are going to be on the earth in the future, not the things which are currently on the earth now. In other words, we should seek the things of the kingdom of God to come. We should attempt to live more like people will live in the kingdom, not as so many live now who are ungodly and who have not God in all their thoughts. We should seek to please God as people will seek to please God then, not halfheartedly, but with all our might. We should seek these future things.
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New King James Version 2. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
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The Resultant Version 2. Be disposed of those things which are above, not those things on the earth.
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This verse tells us on what we should set our minds, or, as the
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Resultant Version
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puts it, we should be disposed. This is a translation of the Greek word
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phroneo
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. As Otis Sellers put it in his study on Philippians, “The Greek
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…occurs often in Philippians. This Greek word, among all the Greek words that have to do with thinking and minding, takes on the character of disposition. The disposition is the predominating bent or the constitutional habit of one’s mind or spirit. What the apostle Paul was dealing with here was not so much character or personality, but disposition.” So we are commanded here to be disposed towards those things which are above, not those things which are on the earth.
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Now this is a statement that is very characteristic of this dispensation of grace, and would not have been characteristic of the Acts period. In Acts, there were many things of God on the earth. God’s kingdom had started in its early, blade stage after the resurrection of Christ, as is evidenced by the pouring out of God’s governmental power on certain men on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. These men then became God’s representatives and God’s apostles, and it would have been right to set your minds on them. There were powerful miracles that accompanied their work upon which one could set his mind. There were many God-given leaders speaking God-inspired words and imposing God-approved rules and regulations on the people who submitted to them through faith in Christ. All these things one could have rightfully set his mind on then, and he would have been setting his mind on the things of God. These were the things believers were supposed to be disposed toward, and if they had not been disposed toward them, they would not have been doing the will of God.
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Yet at the great dispensational dividing line of Acts 28:28, these things changed. The kingdom, which had been on earth and growing towards its full manifestation was suddenly interrupted and postponed. The things of God that had been manifesting themselves more and more on earth all started to come to an end. By the time Paul put down his pen from writing II Timothy, all God-given inspiration, leadership, guidance, miraculous gifts, and so forth had been withdrawn from the earth altogether. Since that time, these things exist above with God, but no longer are present on earth.
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Therefore, what is the believer of today to do? Is he to set his mind on some human organization, like the church, as a substitute for the kingdom of God? Is he to set his mind on pastors and priests, on denominations and sects, on the rules and regulations of such groups, or on the ministries and organizations of Christianity? Should he look to them for guidance and light? No, this is not what he should do. Instead, he should set his mind on Christ above, and on all the glorious riches He possesses. These riches may not be given to the believer until the next life, the resurrection, the kingdom to come, and yet these are the things worth contemplating. These are the things worth being disposed toward. These are the things worth bending all your mind, thought, and effort toward. These are the things that will last, after all the churches and denominations, the missions and charitable organizations, the so-called pastors and priests, and the rules and regulations of men have passed away.
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New King James Version 3. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
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The Resultant Version 3. For you are dead, and your life has been hid together with Christ in God.
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Now God gives us two reasons why we should be disposed towards the things above, and not towards the things on the earth. The first reason is that we are dead. This goes back to what was said in verse 20 of chapter 2: that we died with Christ from the elemental principles of this world. We must realize that the kingdom Christ started and which was growing during the Acts period was a new world, a new system, a new order or arrangement of things. It was not a part of this world, though it existed at the same time and in competition with it. It had different leaders, a different government, different rules, and different principles on which it operated. Yet that government withdrew from the earth back to Christ, and it exists here no longer.
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Since this is true, the only world left on earth is that wicked world caused by Satan’s temptation and the fall of Adam into sin and away from God. That world has elementary principles which are completely contrary to those of Christ. These principles include its religious principles. When we believed in Christ and were identified with Him, we died to that world and became a part of the world above, a world which has no manifestation on the earth. We are dead to this world, then, even though we are living in it. Though we might be caught along in its flow at times, we are really no longer a part of it. That is why we are dead as far as this world and its principles are concerned.
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Now the reality is that we are alive, far more alive than the people around us. And yet this is not at all obvious. A photograph of one who is alive in Christ taken in the same location will not appear any different from a photograph of one who is not alive in Christ. Our life may appear to other believers because they recognize the same work of Christ in us as is taking place in them, but to the world this life is totally hidden. The world may find us odd. It will not understand us. It certainly will not recognize the life that characterizes us in God’s sight. And we can do nothing to prove that life to the world. In the Acts period, the manifest miracles that followed them that believed were the most positive proof that those who believed were part of a different order of things than everyone else. Yet no such signs prove that we have life in Christ today. The governments we live in count us as citizens as much as anyone else, and we can prove nothing about our life in Christ.
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So the fact that we are alive together with Christ is hidden from this world. Yet we are alive, and the difference between us and those around us is huge in God’s sight. This life that we enjoy is hidden with Christ, hidden from the world. And the reality is that we are not the only ones who are hidden from them. Who and what Christ is are facts also hidden from the world. They may view Him as the originator of the Christian religion, like Mohammad or Joseph Smith or the Buddha or any other author of religions. They may view Christ as a good man, or a miracle worker, or a great teacher. They may view Him as any number of other things. But they do not view Him as God views Him. They do not view Him as Jehovah Himself. They do not view Him as the Creator of all, the Sustainer of all, the Truth, the Life, the reason for everything to exist. They do not view Him as the Greatest Being there is or ever has been. They do not view Him as God. And yet that is Who He is. And for the most part, this truth is completely hidden from the world.
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So the fact that the world does not know who and what the believer in Christ is matches with the fact that Christ Himself, the One in Whom we rest, is also hidden. The world can understand being “in a church.” They can understand being someone in the church, like a pastor, a priest, an elder, or even a Sunday school teacher. Yet they cannot understand just being a believer who is “in Christ.” This makes no sense to them. They cannot imagine being anything apart from some organization or religion of men. They do not understand finding everything you are in Christ. Yet their lack of understanding of the believer matches their lack of understanding of Christ. The reality of both is hidden from them. The believer “in Christ” is hidden in Christ, just as He is hidden in secrecy in this dispensation of the secret.
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New King James Version 4. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
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The Resultant Version 4. When the Christ, Who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall you also be manifested together with Him in glory.
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Christ is not always to be hidden, however. Someday, the very Christ Who now is hidden will be manifested. This word does not mean “appears.” The word is
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phaneroo
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in Greek, pronounced “fah-neh-RO’-oh.” It means to shine forth or to make clear or plain. It is the same word used in Colossians 1:26, which tells us that the mystery or secret has now been made plain to the set-apart ones. This verse in Colossians 3 reveals to us another great truth: that someday Christ is going to shine forth and be made plain to the same world from which He is hidden now. This is a great hope for the world: that someday, God shall make Christ plain to them.
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When shall this great shining forth of Christ take place? Certainly it cannot take place as long as this current dispensation lasts, for the rule today is that Christ is hidden from the world, as we saw in verse 3; God only works in secret, as we see in Ephesians 3:9; and God’s riches to the world are unsearchable, as we see in Ephesians 3:8. Yet someday God’s current work will be finished, and one of the first things He will do then is announce Himself to the world, making them know Who and what Jesus Christ is in His sight. This is what the psalmist speaks of in Psalm 22:27, when he writes:
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27. All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You.
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The word for “remember” here means to have something impressed upon your mind that was not there before. I believe this thing will be the manifestation of Jesus Christ, and this will cause all to turn toward the LORD and pay attention to what He is doing. This will be done through the Holy Spirit, as the Lord Jesus Himself reveals in John 16:7-11.
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7. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9. of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10. of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11. of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
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Surely the Holy Spirit has never before worked to convict the world of such sweeping things as these. But when Jesus Christ is manifested to the world, the Spirit will at the same time work to convict the world of these great truths. When will this great work of the Spirit in revealing the truth regarding Christ to the world take place? We learn the answer to this question in II Timothy 4:1.
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1. I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
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The word “appearing” here is a translation of the Greek word
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epiphaneia
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.
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Phanei
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a is the noun form of the verb
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phaino
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, which is just a simpler form of
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phaneroo
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. The “
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epi
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” in front is an accelerative contribution, making it from a “shining forth” to a “super shining forth” or a “blazing forth.” This word was used by the Greeks for a favorable intervention of the gods, and this will indeed be a favorable intervention by God. For we learn that God, even the Lord Jesus Christ, will judge (or determine what is right and then set things right) both the living and the dead at His blazing forth in a divine intervention. For God to set things right is indeed what this world needs most! And we learn here when this will take place: at His kingdom. When He takes control of the world and its governments, then He will set all things right in this world, not just for the living, but also for the dead.
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Now the word
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epiphaneia
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, though it has the accelerative “
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epi
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” in front, nevertheless speaks of the same event as the
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phaneroo
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of Jesus Christ at His kingdom. Surely, when Christ is manifested to the world and the believer in Christ today is manifested along with Him, this could not be a less than a favorable intervention for the world, even though the word is not accelerated in Colossians 3:4. Moreover, I firmly believe that this is the next event on God’s calendar, the very event we look forward to today. Paul expresses this as our hope in places like Titus 2:13 and II Timothy 4:8.
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Titus 2:13. looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
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Here, the glorious
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epiphaneia
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of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ is set forth as the “blessed hope” that believers today are to look for.
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II Timothy 4:8. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
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Here, Paul expects to receive a reward of a crown of righteousness. However, this is not his alone, he reveals, but also belongs to all who have loved his
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epiphaneia
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. Who are those who love this? Surely anyone who looks at this dark world and all the many people in it who do not know or understand the truth about their Savior Jesus Christ, and who likewise long for everyone to know and understand Who and what He is in the sight of God, is longing for His appearing. Though many have no idea that the Bible sets forth that someday these truths will be revealed to the world, yet they have in their hearts a longing for such a thing, and would love this day if they knew enough of the Bible to know that it is coming. Yet for those of us who do know it is coming, let us love that day, for it is a great day indeed. What a blessing it will be for this dark world when the light regarding Jesus Christ is finally turned on for all time!
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However, Colossians 3:4 does not just set forth that Jesus Christ will someday be revealed to the world. It also sets forth that we whose lives are hidden with Christ in God, we who today are believers “in Christ,” will also shine forth or be made plain to the world at the same time. God will not just reveal to all mankind Who Christ is. He will also reveal to them the esteem in which He holds those who have, without seeing, believed the record He gave of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in His Word. As John 20:29 puts it, we are blessed, or “spoken-well-of.” Ephesians 1-3 sets forth all the glorious things God declares of us who are “in Christ.” The world does not perceive this, but when Christ is manifested to them, then those “in Christ” will be manifested as well. This will result in great glorification for all who are in Christ. Suddenly, all will start to hold us in esteem, much as God does. This will ultimately be not just to glorify us, though it will, but will be to glorify Jesus Christ, with Whom we then will be identified in the eyes of all. What a great day that will be!
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New King James Version 5. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
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The Resultant Version 5. Put to death then your members which are on the earth: sexual vice, uncleanness, sensual passion, evil desire, and greed that is idolatry.
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In light of the fact that we will someday be manifested with Jesus Christ resulting in our glorification, Paul now urges us to put to death our members which are on the earth. Of course, we do not really have members anywhere else, so our members certainly are on the earth. Yet Paul says this to emphasize the fact that our members are still on the earth, even though the things we seek are above, where Christ sits on the rights of God.
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The word “members” here is the Greek word
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melos
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. It can have to do with the literal limbs of a person, but also can speak of parts or participants. Here, our members have to do then with the sins that can flow out of the fallen and corrupt nature of our bodies and their desires.
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The first thing we are to put to death is sexual vice. The word is the Greek
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porneia
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, from which we get our English word “pornography.” It is kind of a catch-all term for any sexually deviant behavior, ranging from sex outside of wedlock to much more perverse forms of sexual corruption. Some would attempt to limit it to prostitution, but really it cannot be so limited. The fact is that many people do prostitute themselves when they sin sexually, but not just for money. For many, they sell their bodies for a feeling of closeness or belonging, or for emotional satisfaction, or simply for physical pleasure. Yet this is in itself a kind of prostitution, for you are selling your body for what you hope to get out of it. This is contrasted with sex within the context of marriage as God intended it. In this case, you do not sell yourself, but give yourself into an equal and committed partnership, wherein sex is an expression of your love for and devotion to each other. Only in this case is sex really as God intended, and not selling yourself for whatever you hope to get out of it. So this word
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porneia
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must be applied to any sexual behavior outside of wedlock, not just prostitution for money.
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Next, we are warned against uncleanness. This is the word
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akatharsia
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, and often occurs after fornication or
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porneia
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in the Bible. It is never clearly used of what we would call “ceremonial uncleanness” according to the law, but rather of unclean, sensual, or self-indulgent living.
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Then we are warned of sensual passion. The word is the Greek
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pathos
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, and is a word we have brought straight over into English to mean something that has the power (like music or literature) to invoke feelings of pity or compassion. The Greeks used the word, however, for any strong feeling or passion one might experience, both in a good and bad sense. The Bible uses the word only three times, and always in a bad sense. We can certainly understand the concept of improper passion, though there also can be passion regarding good things. The translation of “sensual passion” from
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The Resultant Version
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is a good one.
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The fourth thing related to our members on the earth that we are to put to death is evil desire. The word “evil” is
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kakos
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in Greek, and means simply “bad.” The word for “desire” is
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epithumia
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. As we can see from the “
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epi
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” in front, this is an accelerated word. It speaks of a strong desire or a craving. It is used in both a positive and a negative sense in the Scriptures, and even Christ says He “craved” to eat His last Passover with His disciples before His death in Luke 22:15. However, with the word
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kakos
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, this clearly speaks of bad cravings which arise out of the sinful desires of our members.
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The final warning is against covetousness. This in the Old Testament is defined as a desire for something that belongs to someone else that you have no right to have, like his house, his servant, or his animals. However, this word in the New Testament is not clearly connected with that Old Testament word, and seems to have more to do with greedy desire for more than you already have. It is the Greek word
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pleonexia
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, related to the words for “having” and “more.” In our materialistic society, this is certainly a common fault that we all can fall into. Yet God here urges us to put greed to death, for He actually equates such greed with idolatry. He probably means that greed leads to a devotion to the acquiring of material things, a devotion which should instead be reserved for God alone. Therefore, though the things one is greedy for one does not worship as a god, yet still, since these things take on a devotion that should belong to God, this is in reality a form of idolatry or putting something else first before God. This is a very bad thing, then, and we must all be careful to put to death the greed that arises out of our members.
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New King James Version 6. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,
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The Resultant Version 6. It is on account of these very things that God’s own indignation is coming on the sons of stubbornness,
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In urging us to put to death our members that are related to these things, the Lord reminds us that it is on account of these very things that God’s own indignation is coming on the sons of stubbornness. Of course, we are in Christ, and therefore are delivered from the wrath to come. And yet, if these are the very things that will cause God’s indignation to come on the sons of stubbornness, then why should we who are in Christ indulge in these things? Is it appropriate for us who are in Christ to act in ways that, in others, would actually bring the indignation of God upon them? Is it right for us who have died to these things to act like those in stubborn rebellion against God? Of course not! These then become a negative example to us. We should be ashamed to be found acting like those who for these very same actions will someday be condemned by God. This should motivate us to put to death all such things in our lives.
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The idea of “sons” here is clearly of those who show the character of stubbornness. The Hebrew idea of a “son” was of one who represented his father. This could be in various ways, including in his character. Therefore, this word “sons” is often used in Scripture of those who show forth the character of a thing. In this case, it speaks of those who show forth the character of stubbornness against God.
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New King James Version 7. in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
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The Resultant Version 7. Among whom you also walked at one time when you lived in these things.
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At one time, Paul reminds the Colossians, they too had walked among the sons of stubbornness. This refers back to the time before they believed the good message of God and came to be “in Christ.” The word “walked” here has to do with how they lived. In our lives, we walk everywhere. Yes, we do drive many places, but we have to walk to get to our cars, and walk from our cars to where we are going. We walk when we get out of bed in the morning, we walk out of the house, we walk to our place of work and around our place of work, we walk from room to room, and in just about everything we do in life we are walking. Therefore, the word “walk” takes on the meaning of living our everyday lives, or our lifestyle. What Paul means here is that at one time before we believed we lived the same lifestyle that those who are still sons of stubbornness are currently living. We lived in these things, and they defined us. Now that we are in Christ however, praise God, we no longer walk this way.
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-86161433305685263952015-12-26T17:43:00.001-08:002015-12-26T17:43:08.993-08:00Difference in Appearing/Manifestation And The Gathering In The Air<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Appearing and Manifestation<br />
Manifestation?...<br />
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In the Appearing and the manifestation, Christ will emerge from the Shekinah glory to be manifested (seen) in the heaven of heavens and it is promised that when He is manifested, then His Church which is His body will be manifested with Him. The members, both living and dead, are there in purpose and potential as their lives are hid with Christ in God and will continue there till their resurrection and manifestation in that place (Col. 3:1-4). Nowhere do we find any of these will be resurrected here on the earth and then have to be transported to heaven for they are seated in Christ Jesus in the heaven of heavens now.<br />
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At this time, Christ begins active rule on earth from His throne in heaven.<br />
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These are the hopes respectively of the dispensation of promise and also of<br />
the Appearing/Manifestation.<br />
The gathering together (some say rapture) concerns an earth people, who here on the earth expect the coming (Parousia) of the King, immediately after the Great Tribulation. Among those who go out to meet Him at His coming are the five wise virgins; the foolish ones not being ready, miss it.<br />
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The manifestation concerns those whose citizenship is in the heavens, who are seated with Christ at the right hand of God. The manifestation is to be in the heaven of the heavens and to the principalities and powers there. Those who take part in it are those who are there, those whose life is hid with Christ in God.<br />
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So the gathering together is for earth-dwellers;<br />
and the manifestation is for heaven-dwellers.<br />
The gathering together was not a secret hid in God from ages and generations. This resurrection and the change that is a part of it are revealed from the Book of Genesis and throughout the Scriptures. Hebrews 11:10 clearly tells us that Abraham looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. On that day, when the Lord comes to meet them in the air, the dead in Christ will be resurrected and the faithful ones who are alive will live forever, that is, be changed (1 Cor. 15:52).<br />
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But the Truth that there would be a people that should have a resurrection in glory and be manifested with Christ the Head was not known to other ages and generations till revealed by the Apostle Paul after Acts 28:28 (see Eph. 3:4-5) .<br />
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In the gathering, the believers are caught up (1 Thes. 4:16-17) to the air (not heaven) to meet the Lord as He comes in His 1000 year Parousia, to be present on earth, and rule on the throne of His father David.<br />
When Satan is cast out and his angels with him, then the steadfast Tribulation believers will meet Christ in the air, and they will rule and reign with Him on earth, as their reward for their faithful stand. Scripture says this coming Parousia will be immediately after the Tribulation. All, the guests and the virgins will then return with Him to the earth where a marriage supper will be observed and the King will officially come and be present for 1000 years as King of kings and Lord of lords. He will then rule on the earth from David's throne. At this time of His Parousia, He will have made all His enemies subdued. Scripture says that He must remain in heaven until this was accomplished. He first ruled from His throne in heaven until that time. Then, at His Parousia, He comes in power and Glory to the earth to be officially present, when all has been made ready and restored in restoration, for His official presence/1000 year Parousia.<br />
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At one time the people of Israel were invited to a marriage, but they refused the invitation and even killed some of the servants who gave it. But a day is coming, on earth and during the Parousia, when Christ Jesus will officially be present on earth for that supper. These are the nation, a nation born in a day, who will bring forth the fruits of the kingdom, taking the place of those rejected. These are earth-dwellers.<br />
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Appearing Day of Christ....p2<br />
THE APPEARING<br />
Colossians 3:4<br />
When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.<br />
http://www.bibleunderstanding.com/comingandappearing3.htm<br />
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The Son of God in Glory....Must rule in heaven till all enemies are subdued..... 44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool......with the last enemy death.....<br />
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God will judge the quick and the dead.............<br />
It will be a time of resurrections, every man in his own order (1 Corinthians 15:23).<br />
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“Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.<br />
My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass” (Deuteronomy 32:1-2).<br />
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It should, also, be noted that throughout the Kingdom of God, He will speak, audibly, from Heaven. His doctrine (principles of governing) shall drop down “as the rain,” and His speech “shall distil as the dew.” The earth’s inhabitants are likened to the tender herb upon whom “the small rain” shall fall. This distilling is like “showers upon the grass.” This is majestic language which describes the gentle effect God’s Words will have upon men all through the Day of Christ. He will not be speaking in wrath, as He will, in the later, Day of The Lord.<br />
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I believe that at the time of this Glorious Appearing of Christ and His body in Glory, being made manifest, this is the vision Stephen saw as he saw heavens roll back like a scroll and saw Christ standing and Appearing in Glory.<br />
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I believes in Acts 7:55, this is the vision Stephen saw just before he died.<br />
He saw Christ Jesus at the right hand of a God the Father standing, ready To act, to begin to put all the enemies of God to an end.<br />
Acts 7:55<br />
55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.<br />
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This is a Resurrection of those judged to live in the next age, in the flesh on earth, such as Job, who said he would stand on earth in the flesh and behold the Lord's image, (at the Appearance of The Lord) just like the vision Stephan saw in Acts 7. The 12 Apostles will rise at this resurrection to rule in Jerusalem ..Luke 22:30 sit on throne judging 12 tribes of Israel...<br />
( KJV(i) 28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, (0n His throne ruling from heaven) ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.) included would be believers in God such as Righteous Abel. Mal 4:5-6 the Elijah sent back before the Day of The Lord...<br />
Matthew 19:28<br />
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1. It is a time of the first resurrection for the body which Christ is the head. Also, resurrected would be.... all other believers - Christendom/denominations and other ages and believers in God.<br />
Christendom, for the most part, .....suffers great loss, ashamed, but they themselves are saved, left on earth in flesh....<br />
The Kingdom begins...ruled by God in heaven from his throne of Glory. He must remain their until the time of the restitution of all things......<br />
How long did you say? ........ Long enough for God to level the playing field. We were all born in Satan's world that was already deceived, living as slaves to sin and Satan in bondage. It is an up hill battle to ever learn truth. Many, never ever even hear the name of Jesus Christ before they die. Most of Christendom is in mass confusion as to God's truth, hopelessly in darkness and remaining in Replacement Theology to this very day.<br />
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God will crush all enemies before Christ Jesus ever sets foot on the Mount of Olives to rule on earth in the Kingdom. The Kingdom must be made ready for Him.<br />
How on earth will this happen, you might say?<br />
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Then, a new dispensation will begin when God intervenes in the affairs of man. It will be an age of the exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ. “The lofty looks shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, AND THE LORD SHALL BE EXALTED IN THAT DAY …” (Isaiah 2:12). The rule and misrule of man will end.<br />
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“O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for Thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth” (Psalm 67:4).<br />
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History records instance-after-instance where one nation invaded another, occupied its territory, assumed sovereignty over the people, and established its own order in the conquered land. Today, it is done with sophisticated high- tech weaponry: planes, tanks, highly trained troops, and shear “shock and awe.” However, when God invades the earth, it is not going to be done in this manner. He will not send His Son, accompanied by the armies of heaven, to wreak carnage and destruction upon the earth’s inhabitants. It will be done by His Word spoken in heaven and His Spirit invading the earth. By His Spirit, He will invade the earth, occupy every square foot of it, assume sovereignty over it, establish His order upon it, and govern it as it should be governed. When God, thus ........acts, His long display of grace will come to an end, and a dispensation of divine government will begin. The Apostle Paul refers to it as …<br />
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THE DAY OF CHRIST<br />
By Tom Ballinger<br />
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The Appearing.....<br />
Colossians 3:4<br />
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When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.<br />
...<br />
Here the verb phaneroo is used twice. And here we find plainly stated the hope of the members of the body of Christ, the church. It means to shine forth, to make manifest. From this verb comes the noun epiphaneia, the appearing or manifestation. Only once is this latter used in the pre-Acts 28 epistles of Paul. And there it is used to describe the parousia, hence the brightness of His presence or coming. On the other hand, bema, the judgment seat, does not appear after Acts 28:28. But is there any judgment for members of the body?<br />
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It is for this reason that we write this article. Some folks, not knowing the secret too well, have gotten the idea that members of the body of Christ are so perfect that they cannot sin, hence no need for a judgment.<br />
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But if that be so, then why all the warnings, such as beware, let no man beguile you, and the like? This is just another version of the sinless perfection error so common today.<br />
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2 Timothy 4:1, I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom. For those who rely on words for their theology, rather than the intent, this verse is a puzzle. But it is clear that at the appearing of Colossians 3:4, some will still be living. Others sleep. And there will be a judgment (of rewards) as in the past dispensation. But this judgment will be where they are resurrected, in heaven, not the clouds.<br />
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And the word kingdom has stumped a lot of folks, thinking that the millennial kingdom is all the kingdom there is. Note in Colossians 1:13 members of the body have been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of His dear Son. Surely something must be wrong here too. But looking back after the divorce of Israel in Acts 28, in the 31st verse, Paul preaches (proclaims) the kingdom of God. In looking all thru for this expression, we must come to the conclusion that it may mean anything from the kingdom of heaven in Matthew, to all that is under the sovereignty of God, in earth, in heaven, and in the heavenlies.<br />
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So do not be surprised if you find that the church of the mystery is also a part of the kingdom of God, and specifically the kingdom of His dear Son.<br />
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You would do well to search and see other usages of kingdom in the post-Acts epistles of Paul. You might be surprised. Just look at Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 4:11; 2 Timothy 4:18. Now you can better appreciate what was being said in Acts 28:31.<br />
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Not only do we have the judgment of the quick and the dead in 2 Timothy 4:1, but we have a judgment mentioned in 1 Timothy 5:24. So there is a judgment for us today. And that is where Paul expects to receive the prize of the high calling.<br />
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When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.<br />
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We repeat our text, as it must be remembered and kept in mind as the great hope of the church which is the body of Christ. This is in glory, not here on the earth. It is where Christ sitteth. It is where heavenly beings are.<br />
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After this appearing will then be realized the mystery of God's will, that all things in heaven and earth be brought under one Head, even Christ. And these all things are the new creation which includes the church on earth and the powers in the heavenlies (see Ephesians 1:9,10).<br />
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The new creation is spoken of again in Colossians 1:16-20 and consists of things on earth (the body of Christ, the church) and things in heaven (thrones, dominions, principalities and powers). They meet there in heavenly places for they have a reconciliation, an introduction to each other for mutual living together in high places. And this after the appearing.<br />
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In Colossians 1:2'7 it is evident that the saints then were to know, what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ among you, the hope of glory. Note what the hope of glory, the heavenly places, is. This takes us right to the appearing.<br />
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And this all prepares us for the admonition in Titus 2:11-14. We must repeat it in full here for the reader to ponder. Here is practical living with a living hope. Read it slowly and with feeling. Do not miss any words.<br />
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For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.<br />
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Now pick out the skeleton of this quote. Live looking for that blessed hope. What hope? The glorious appearing (epiphaneia). This is not the rapture. This is not the revelation. And this is not Israel's hope. It is the hope of the Gentiles with their heavenly calling.<br />
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Where will we be when we really look for that blessed hope? Philippians 3:20 tells us that it will be where our citizenship is, and that is not here on the earth, but in heaven.<br />
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There is an inheritance in the holy of holies (Ephesians 1:18). And it is in this most holy place that the household of God is, of which those who are looking will have a part (Ephesians 2:19). Members are made meet to partake of this inheritance in the holy of holies in the light, the Shekinah glow (Colossians 1:12). The inheritance will be awarded after the manifestation. A glorious hope. Not many are interested in it. But it is to be a great event for the Lord, and His....<br />
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2.<br />
Paul uses this designation in his Acts and post -Acts epistles:<br />
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“Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:8).<br />
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“To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 5:5).<br />
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“As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus” (2 Corinthians 1:14).<br />
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“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).<br />
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“That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10).<br />
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“Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain” (Philippians 2:16).<br />
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These are the six references to “The Day of Christ” in the AKJV. Most Bible expositors, whether they are Acts 2, Mid-Acts, or Acts 28 believers, ignore the Day of Christ. Is it because they can find no place in their theology for it? We believe so.<br />
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What most of the Bible “authorities” do is simply state that the day of Christ is really the “Day of the Lord,” under another name, and let it go at that. Shame on them! If the Day of Christ is the Day of the Lord, then, one-plus-one equals one. Let it be said that, “Yes, Christ is the Lord and the Lord is Christ.” But, the Spirit of God designated one period of time as The Day of Christ and another period of time as The Day of the Lord. An honest seeker of truth must endeavor to rightly divide the two days. An open heart and an unbiased approach to the two days will reveal that they are totally different, and they are replete with profound differences.<br />
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While some expositors and students of the Bible ignore the Day of Christ, others may “not see it.” But, Abraham saw it and was glad.<br />
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The Lord Jesus Christ was rebuking the Pharisees and said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad” (John 8:56).<br />
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The Day of Christ was not a Secret hid in the Heart of God and not made known to men. It was the subject, the theme, and the plot woven throughout the Bible. It just so happens that the “high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14) will find its rewards and service in the Day of Christ, not the Day of the Lord.<br />
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When will every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11)? This speaks of mankind’s submission to Christ in His Day. This will be a universal acknowledgment that Christ Jesus is Lord.<br />
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It will be when God speaks and highly exalts the Name of Jesus from heaven. Then, the whole world will hear and understand Who Jesus Christ is and the high esteem which God the Father has for Him. This begins the Day of Christ and His long, benevolent reign over all of mankind.<br />
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This takes place while Christ remains in the heavens where His seat of Government is. Paul tells us, in 1Timothy 6:14-15, that at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: which in His times (His Day) He shall show who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.<br />
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To say that Christ’s Day is the same as the Lord’s Day is to rob Him of His Day, in our thinking.<br />
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It will be the time of His preeminence, of His government, of His justice, and of His righteousness reigning in the affairs of men. He will bring all of His resources to bear as He establishes the divine government. Lincoln, in the “Gettysburg Address,” declared that this government “of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the face of the earth.” But, the Day of Christ will bring an end to a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Here, dawns a Government that gives instead of taking. The Day of Christ sees a Government of Christ, by Christ, and for all mankind.<br />
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Whereas, the distinguishing feature of man’s day is death, the distinguishing feature of the Day of Christ will be life. The time of resurrections—“every man in his own order” (1 Corinthians 15:23).<br />
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“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).<br />
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It has been declared of Him and His Day, “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10). “Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high” (Isaiah 52:13).<br />
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The Day of Christ is the day when the GLORY of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh will see it together and at the same time (Isaiah 40:5). We who make up His Fullness will be privileged to praise the glory of His grace.<br />
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THE DAY OF CHRIST (Continued)<br />
More needs to be said regarding the Day of Christ. For this study, we will only scratch the surface of all the events associated with Christ’s Day. It will be the time when the Kingdom of God is manifested in the earth. Christ Jesus assumes sovereignty over the nations and rules from heaven.<br />
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The Day of Christ is the time when there is a divine intervention and another Advent of the Holy Spirit. The first Advent was on the Day of Pentecost and continued throughout the Acts period, and it was limited to those to whom the Gospel of the Kingdom of God was delivered. This Second Advent of the Spirit will be all<br />
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3.<br />
Our Hope Today ....<br />
His and our Appearing Manifestation...<br />
In Ephesians we read of the wonderful new hope set before us believers today;<br />
And He has made you alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins, But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us (even when we were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), and has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Eph 2:1, 4-7<br />
God has declared that we have been quickened (made alive) in Christ, we have been raised together, and seated together in the heavenlies in Christ, exactly the same place where Christ has been raised and seated at the Father’s right hand (see Ephesians 1:19-21). There, where Christ is seated above all of the heavenly rulers and authorities, is our glorious inheritance in front of God’s face. There our blessings are located and there we are the heirs of God. It is not<br />
surprising that Paul brings this wonderful section to a close with these verses; For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Eph 2:8-9<br />
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When will our faith be realized? When will God’s Word regarding us come to pass? When will we be seated there in our wonderful new bodies “fashioned like His glorious body”? What is the timing of our hope?<br />
The answer to this is found in Colossians 3:1-4 which flows wonderfully onwards from Ephesians 2;<br />
If then (or since, if does not always mean doubt) you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Be mindful of things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God. { When Christ our Life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory*****Col 3:1-4<br />
Here we are clearly told that “WHEN” our Lord, The Head is revealed, “THEN” we, the Church which is His Body, will also be revealed “WITH HIM”. That is the timing of our hope; the revealing of our Lord. Here are one or two other versions:<br />
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (KJV) Col 3:1-4<br />
And<br />
If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth. For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory. (RV) Col 3:1-4<br />
These three versions use “revealed” “appear” and “manifested” to translate the Greek word “phaneroo”. Here are some helpful definitions of “phaneroo”: Strong’s.<br />
phaneroo; from G5318; to render apparent (literally or figuratively): - appear, manifestly declare, (make) manifest (forth), shew (self).<br />
Word Study (E-Sword).<br />
phaneroo; manifest, visible, conspicuous. To make apparent, manifest, known, show openly.<br />
Dr Strong says that the word “phaneroo” comes from another word, G5318 which is “phaneros”. Phaneros means “shining” and itself comes from a word which means “light, to give light”.<br />
When our Lord appears it is a moment of revelation involving great light, a shining forth. Where is this shining forth; this appearing of our Lord? The location is very clearly identified; it is “where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God”. Our Lord will be seated at God’s right hand when He is manifested. We shall look more closely at this in later chapters but for now we recognize this is not in the air of 1 Thess.4, where the clouds are located.<br />
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We can see a contrast in this Colossians passage. Notice, our life is “hidden with Christ in God” and while these things are hidden now, there is a time coming when they will be manifested or revealed. This moment will be a very bright one, a blazing forth as some have described it. It will be a glorious moment when our Lord and Head is manifested, but you and I and the rest of the Church which is His Body will be manifested there, in the heavenly places with Him at that same time.<br />
What will this appearing be like? Imagine you are sitting on a chair on top of a hill which, if there was light, would be clearly visible to the city below. The hill and the city are in darkness but there comes a time when the top of the hill is illuminated with a bright light. Then you, sitting on top of the hill, will be clearly visible to all those in the city below. You have been “manifested”, you have been “revealed”, you have “appeared” to all. In a similar but far more extensive way the Lord will appear to all in a blazing forth of light. He will be manifested at the right hand of the Father. He will be seen by those in the heavenly places and by those on the earth beneath. At that same time we will also be seen in the same place seated together with Christ.<br />
Please consider the following verses as an anticipation of future chapters;<br />
For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man. Mat 24:27<br />
And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man shall appear (phaino- the same family of words giving phaneroo of Colossians 3) in the heavens. Mat 24:29-30 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious (epiphanes-the same family of words giving phaneroo of Colossians 3) Day of the Lord. Act 2:20<br />
And<br />
Jesus said to him, You said it. I tell you more. From this time you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of the heavens. Mat 26:64 And he (Stephen) said, Behold, I see Heaven opened and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. Act 7:56<br />
And this passage;<br />
And when He had opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake. And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs when she is shaken by a mighty wind. And the heaven departed like a scroll when it is rolled together. And every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him sitting on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; Rev 6:12-15<br />
When the Lord is manifested in the heavenly places, the world will be morally, spiritually and physically dark and in that darkened day a light will blaze forth, our Lord shall be visible and “every eye shall see Him”. The heavens will be peeled back and they will see Him sitting on the right hand of God.<br />
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This “appearing” of our Lord and Head is far above the clouds and the air of 1 Thess.4. This is before He begins His descent to the earth. In the day; in the moment our Lord is manifested on the right hand of God, we shall be there in our seats manifested with Him. What an honor, what a moment of unimaginable joy. Let each one of us set our affection “where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God”, for there, in front of God’s face we have been raised and seated to “appear with Him”.<br />
That moment of His appearing is when our hope will be realized.<br />
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http://www.acts28.net/eAppearing-Free%20Edition.pdf<br />
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Therefore I solemnly witness before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is going to judge the living and the dead according to His appearance and His kingdom, 2Ti 4:14.<br />
4.<br />
Our real hope not Second Coming<br />
Part I –It’s Time to Fish or Cut Bait: Part II- Roman Treatise & The Parousia: Part III – The Hope of Israel – The Pre-Millennial Kingdom.<br />
Posted in: 2007<br />
By Tom L. Ballinger<br />
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September 19, 2007<br />
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PLAINER WORDS …IT’S TIME TO FISH OR CUT BAIT<br />
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Part I<br />
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“Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word” (I Kings 18:21).<br />
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“How long halt ye between two opinions?” This is an illustration of a Southern expression for “It’s time to fish or cut bait.” In plainer words, it is time for Christians to make a decision between two opinions, “Is the Hope of the Church which is His body” the Parousia [the Coming] of Christ, or is it the Epiphaneia [His Appearing]? How long halt ye between two opinions? Perhaps, today, as when Elijah asked the question, it will be said, “And the people answered not a word.”<br />
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The Kingdom of God is a pre-millennial Kingdom. The Millennium is a period of time in which the Lord Jesus Christ is present on the earth for one-thousand-years. This is the one-thousand-year Parousia of Christ. This includes His arrival and His presence upon the earth. He rules and reigns for one-thousand-years. Prior to His Parousia, He will have ruled the heavens and the earth from Heaven’s Throne (Ps. 103:19) but with His Parousia, He will rule the heavens and the earth from the Earth’s Throne in Jerusalem.<br />
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Christ will rule and reign over all of the nations from Heaven’s Throne for hundreds of years. Towards the end of the pre-millennial Kingdom of God, He relaxes His restraints of evil, thus allowing some nations to rise in rebellion against His Divine Government. (Psalm Two describes this). This rebellion will be instigated by Satan energizing the “man of sin,” the anti-christ.<br />
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The Gospel of the Kingdom of God/Heaven announced that the Kingdom was “at hand.” That is to say, during the time Christ “was a Minister of the circumcision for the truth of God,” confirming the promises made to the fathers of Israel (Rom. 14:8), the long awaited-promised Kingdom was about to make its Epiphaneia [Appearance] upon the world-scene. John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ, both, announced that it was nigh—“at hand.”<br />
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Sometime after Acts 28:31, Paul, the prisoner, received the revelation of the Mystery. God made known to him the Holy Secret [the Mystery] which had been hid from ages and generations (Col. 1:26) “which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men” (Eph. 3:5). This new and fresh revelation from God ushered in a new dispensation; thereby, taking the world by surprise. Yes, this event even staggered the living saints with its revelation. What a “bombshell” it was to have it announced that the Jew no longer had any dispensational privileges over the Gentiles. In fact, the truth that Christ was now among the Gentiles and was their “hope of Glory” (Col. 1:27) perplexed many believers who lived through the Acts Period and emerged into the post-Acts Period of the Mystery.<br />
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This took “the wind out of the sails” of many believers. Many, in that day, could not accept this new revelation. They were more comfortable with the way things “used to be.” The revelation of the Mystery left no room for their tradition, pomp, privilege, or ceremony. Of course, many didn’t like the fact that Paul claimed this Truth was made known, exclusively, to him by the Lord Jesus Christ.<br />
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With all of the above set forth, we now come to a Truth with which most of our brethren are not very comfortable with. They are uncomfortable when faced with the fact that the believer’s primary hope, during the period covered by the Acts of the Apostles, was not that of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The phrase, “the Second Coming,” is not found in the Bible. Christians coined this phrase from the Biblical Greek word, Parousia. Parousia means, according to Thayer, “NT:3952, parousia, (1). presence: 1 Cor 16:17 (2). the presence of one coming, hence, the coming, arrival, advent, 2 Cor 7:6. ”<br />
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It is not until Matthew 24:3 that we read of the first mention of the word, “parousia,” in the New Testament.<br />
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“And 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 [Parousia], and of the end of the world?”<br />
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The Companion Bible states, in its note on Matthew 24:3, that “parousia” is a word “which can be traced in the East as a technical expression for the arrival or the visit of a king or emperor, also of other persons in authority, or of troops.”<br />
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Christians use the expression, “the Second Coming” of Christ, as the meaning of the Greek word, “Parousia.” The Bible facts do not support the idea that the Parousia of Jesus Christ was the primary hope of the Church of God during the Book of Acts. If it had been, we could certainly have expected that, with the announcement by John the Baptist and Christ Himself, the Kingdom was “at hand,” it would have included the message that the glorious Parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ would usher in the Kingdom of God. When the Parousia is finally mentioned, it is done so, “privately.”<br />
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The John Darby and C. I. Scofield school of theology brought to the forefront the idea of the pre-millennial Parousia of Christ. Most fundamental Christians bought into this erroneous interpretation in the mid-to-late 1800’s and the early 1900’s.<br />
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It is important to point out that, not once, in the Book of Acts is the “Parousia” of Christ mentioned. But, orthodox Bible exegesis makes it to be the principle event hoped for by all Christians in the New Testament writings. THE PAROUSIA WAS NOT THE PRINCIPAL EXPECTATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT! If it was, we would expect it to have a prominent place in the four Gospels, the Book of Acts and the Epistles written during the Acts Period. But, it hardly has no place at all!<br />
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Consider the following:<br />
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The Gospel of Matthew—has 1071 verses, and Parousia is only mentioned in four verses. Each instance is in Chapter 24. The context of its usage clearly gives the future time-frame for its occurrences. The Parousia is to take place at the “consummation of the (Kingdom) age” (Matt. 24:3). The other three references, Matthew 24:27, 37, and 39, are likewise, intimately associated with the time of the great Tribulation [part of the consummation].<br />
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The Gospel of Mark—in the 677 verses, no mention, at all, is made to the Parousia.<br />
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The Gospel of Luke—in the 1151 verses of Luke, no mention, whatsoever, is made of the Parousia.<br />
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The Gospel of John—in this magnificent book, where Christ is presented as the Son of God, there is a total silence in all of the 879 verses on the subject of the Parousia.<br />
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The Acts of the Apostles—in not one verse, of its 1007 verses, can a reference to the Parousia be found! The Gospel of the Kingdom of God, the theme of The Acts of the Apostles from beginning to end, makes no mention, whatsoever, that the expectation was the Parousia. If the Second Coming (the Parousia) was to have been the primary hope announced by the ministry of John the Baptist and Christ, as well as, that of the apostles, why was it suppressed and, even, spoken of only in private (Matt. 24:3)?<br />
Pre-millennial dispensationalists have promoted the doctrinal error that the next move God makes is that of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This significant blunder leads many to unscriptural and undispensational distortions concerning the prominence which The Parousia has in God’s prophetic program.<br />
A glaring mistake, concerning the throne of David, is commonly made in the interpretation of the following verse:<br />
“Therefore being a prophet [i.e., David], and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;” (Acts 2:30).<br />
A correct understanding of this verse would be enhanced if we, properly, capitalized the “H” in “his throne.” Failure to mentally supply the capital letter, or failure to actually capitalize it reinforces the distortion. The ingrained error of understanding the pronouns in Acts 2:30 is the root cause of this monumental blunder. We will give the proper explanation, thus, identifying the pronouns.<br />
“Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him [David], that of the fruit of his [David’s] loins, according to the flesh, He [God] would raise up Christ to sit on His [God’s] Throne;” (Acts 2:30).<br />
The blunder is to think that “his throne” refers to David’s throne in Jerusalem. This error is prevalent in standard orthodox teaching, as well as, in much of the teaching of those who acknowledge the Dispensational dividing line of Acts 28. The context bears out that the throne in question is God’s Throne, which is in Heaven, not David’s throne on earth. See Acts 2:33-34:<br />
“Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He [Holy Ghost] hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD [Yahweh] said unto my Lord [Christ], Sit Thou [Christ] on My [Yahweh’s] Right Hand …”<br />
You see, the context is that of Christ sitting on God’s Throne—not Christ sitting on David’s throne.<br />
While the Lord Jesus Christ is seated on God’s Throne in the Heavens—that is, “being by the Right Hand of God exalted,” He will speak, and the world will be restored to its pre-flood pristine glory. The “times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord (Jesus Christ)” (Acts 3:19). Christ remains in heaven until the restitution (restoration) of all things is accomplished which God spoke about through the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began (Acts 3:21). This was the Hope of the Acts Period believers, as well as, all of the Old Testament saints. A single sentence equivalent to the Hope of man is; Christ is to replace Satan—who assumed the dominion which the Creator gave Adam who lost it when he sinned in the Garden. Only our Lord Jesus Christ has the right to the universal dominion which Adam lost. He will take to Himself this Dominion at His Appearing [Epiphaneia] and Kingdom (2 Tim. 4:1).<br />
The magnificent Divine work of the universal regeneration of Acts 3:19-21 is accomplished without Jesus Christ making one move toward leaving heaven. The hope, that is, the glorious expectation of the New Testament believers was the coming of the Kingdom!!! This will be accomplished while Christ remains [i.e., retained] in heaven (Acts 3:21). The Coming (The Parousia) of the Lord Jesus Christ does not establish the Kingdom of God in the earth; it consummates it (Matt. 24:3).<br />
If the Parousia of Jesus Christ was the New Testament hope, why is it not mentioned, except in private, in Matthew, and not at all in Mark, Luke, John, and The Acts of the Apostles?<br />
The honest answer is because the Parousia was not the believer’s hope at that time. After the Kingdom is established in the earth, those who are privileged enough to live during the “Golden Age” of the pre-millennial Kingdom of God will have a legitimate right to anticipate the Coming [Parousia]. A tragic case in the mis-application of Christ’s Parousia results in stealing the hope of another Dispensation and appropriating it to “ourselves.” The hope of the Church over which Christ Jesus is the Head is clearly delineated in I Timothy 6:14, II Timothy 1:10, 4:1, 4:8, and Titus 2:13. Our hope is that of a higher and more noble calling than that of the Parousia of Jesus Christ.<br />
“How long halt ye between two opinions?” The Parousia or the Epiphaneia?<br />
Friends and Mountaineers, “It is time to fish or cut bait!”<br />
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PLAINER WORDS …THE ROMAN TREATISE AND THE PAROUSIA<br />
<br />
Part II<br />
<br />
The Apostle Paul’s Treatise of the Roman Epistle is the biblical repository for essential New Testament Truths. The New (Covenant) Testament is a covenant between God and Israel. He never made any covenants with the Gentiles. Therefore, as members of the Church over which Christ Jesus is the Head and, as such, we are strangers from the covenants of promise (Eph. 2:12). Therefore, we are not to look at New Testament Truth to get “our marching orders.” By saying this, we don’t in any way, suggest that we cannot learn and be edified by such Truth. But, we are to distinguish between New Covenant Truth and Truth for today.<br />
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The New Testament will be the Jews’ “ticket” into the long-awaited Kingdom of God. Their “ticket” into the Kingdom is not the Coming and Presence, i.e., the Parousia, of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their Kingdom “ticket” will be punched when “the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord [Jesus Christ], …Whom the heaven, must receive [or retain] until the times of restitution of all things which was spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began [to wit, from ancient times]” (Acts 3:19 & 21).<br />
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In the last issue of Plainer Words Online, “It’s Time to Fish or Cut Bait,” it was pointed out that the 2nd Coming of Christ, to wit, His Parousia, had no prominent place in the first 4,785 verses of the New Testament. In fact, in only four verses was it even mentioned, and each one was in Matthew 24. Each reference occurred within the context of the consummation of the coming Kingdom age.<br />
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The Pre-millennial Kingdom of God becomes a reality when the event of 2 Timothy 4:1 occurs.<br />
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“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at [to wit, by] His appearing and His kingdom;” (2 Tim. 4:1).<br />
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The lengthy duration of the Kingdom of God winds-down with a Divine coup de grace—which is highlighted by the Return of Jesus Christ. This event is the consummation of His Reign from Heaven. Christ Jesus administers the coup de grace to the anti-christ and his followers at His Parousia and His Kingdom. This spectacular event brings about the catastrophic destruction of the Satanic, counterfeit Kingdom and the end of the Great Tribulation. Christ’s Arrival from Heaven and His Presence on earth initiates His One-Thousand-Year Parousia on the earth.<br />
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If the word, “parousia,” is used only four times in the first five books of the New Testament, we would certainly think that it would be covered in much detail in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. After all, Romans is the most doctrinally profound writing of all of the New Testament writings. (Every advanced student of Scripture understands that the New Testament does not include those epistles by Paul which are referred to as his “Prison Epistles”). As The Companion Bible states, “Romans … contains the A B C of the believers education. Until its lesson is learned, we know and can know nothing. The Holy Spirit has placed it first in Canonical order because it lies at the threshold of all ‘church’ teaching , and if we are wrong here we shall be wrong altogether.”<br />
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The book of Romans has an important role in the scope of the New Testament literature. The theological content of this writing is of great importance to the Christian community, both ancient and contemporary. One Commentator has said of Romans, “As the most systematic and complete exposition of the gospel that the NT contains, it has naturally seemed to have a very special place in the Bible.” Paul’s treatise has caught the attention of many commentators over the centuries. There is no syllable of the Greek text of Romans which has gone unscrutinized, no verb unconjugated, no noun undeclined, no extract unexegeted, and no chapter unoutlined. This is the favorite book in the Bible for most “Grace Believers.” One would think that surely a section of verses would be set aside to reveal the widely held view that the “hope of the New Testament Church” is the 2nd Coming (The Parousia).<br />
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On the contrary, not one single verse even mentions the Parousia of Christ. Not only that, but the word, itself, does not find a place in all of the Book of Romans. Paul’s New Testament Treatise to the Romans is silent concerning the 2nd Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wow! “How ‘bout them apples?”<br />
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The first eight chapters of Romans are almost pure doctrine. They cover all of the important New Testament tenets. They range from the “gospel of God” (Rom. 1:1) to the “all things work together for good” (Rom. 8:28). With all of this said, it must be affirmed that not one word concerning the Parousia of Jesus Christ is mentioned. Is this fact significant? We think it is extremely significant.<br />
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The Epistle to the Romans has 16 chapters, 433 verses, and 9,477 words. Yet, it remains loudly silent on the subject of the 2nd Coming (Parousia) of Christ. If Romans is the “threshold of all church teaching,” as stated in the Companion Bible, why wouldn’t this popular doctrine be mentioned in Romans? After all, as most Christians believe, the 2nd Coming of Christ is the hope of the New Testament believers and, most certainly, the hope of the church. Sadly, we must point out that many believers who embrace Mystery Truth think the Church over which Christ Jesus is the Head will realize its hope in some fashion associated with the 2nd Coming. To believe the New Testament hope was, and is, the Parousia is to believe error. And, likewise, to believe that the hope of our calling is somehow connected to Christ’s Parousia is, also, error.<br />
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The “hope” of the Church which is His Body is irrevocably linked to Christ’s Appearing (Epiphaneia) and His Coming Kingdom (2 Timothy 4:1). It is strange how so many folks won’t “touch 2 Timothy 4:1 with a ten-foot pole.” I understand. I avoided it for years. Admittedly, I was spiritually blind to its monumental significance. Yes, “once I was blind, but now I see.” When this event takes place, our faith will give way to sight and the glorious Epiphaneia of the great God will flood the universe. Our “blessed hope” becomes authenticated.<br />
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“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing [Epiphaneia] of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13)<br />
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It should be noted that we are not told to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; looking for the Coming (Parousia) of Christ. We must not be guilty of mixing the Parousia with the Epiphaneia, or vice versa. If we do, we may lead others astray and will, in that day, stand as ashamed workmen for having wrongly divided the Word of Truth.<br />
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The Hope Romans Presents<br />
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The Apostle Paul begins the fifth chapter with the following words:<br />
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“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1-2).<br />
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He speaks of standing and rejoicing in the HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD. The magnificent display of God’s Glory was visible to the naked eye before the Flood came in Genesis Seven. With the catastrophe of Noah’s Flood, the visible Glory of God was snuffed-out. It will not be seen, again, until the “restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21) takes place. The LORD predicted, once again, that the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD (Num. 14:21).<br />
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“And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen” (Ps. 72:18).<br />
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“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:9).<br />
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“And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it” (Isa. 40:5).<br />
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The manifestation, or revealing of God’s Glory will be a key ingredient when the Hope of the Roman believers is realized. This is indicated by Paul in Romans Eight.<br />
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Romans 8:18-25<br />
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18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.<br />
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19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. (This speaks of Kingdom resurrections; “every man in his own order” 1 Cor. 15:23).<br />
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20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,<br />
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21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Literally, “into the liberty of the glory of the children of God”).<br />
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22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.<br />
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23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (redemption of the body, i.e., resurrection, not that of 1 Cor. 15:51-55, or 1 Thess. 4:16-17 ).<br />
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24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?<br />
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25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.<br />
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These verses speak of the hope of the glory of God being manifested when the “times of refreshing comes from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19), and He ushers in the Kingdom of God—not the One-Thousand-Year presence of Christ on the earth.<br />
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“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light” (Rom. 13:11-12).<br />
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The Apostle Paul reiterates an expression used by John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ by writing, “the day is at hand.” Yes, the Kingdom was still “at hand” when Paul wrote Romans.<br />
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There was no instruction with the “at hand” message to be prepared for the sudden Parousia of Christ. We should not be guilty of reading into the context of this part of the New Covenant, something which is not there—the Parousia of Jesus Christ.<br />
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The Parousia of Christ does not become a major-factor in “Kingdom Truth” until the last days when the Divine restraints of evil are gradually lifted. The Parousia is the event in which all of those who have believed Satan’s lie and partook in his rebellion will be destroyed by Christ’s Coming. Then, He will be Personally Present on the earth for One-Thousand-Years.<br />
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December 31, 2007<br />
<br />
PLAINER WORDS …THE HOPE OF ISRAEL—THE KINGDOM<br />
<br />
Part III<br />
<br />
This Plainer Words should be read in the light of two previous studies, “Time to Fish or Cut Bait,” and “The Treatise of Romans and The Parousia.” These two studies presented misunderstood truths concerning the Parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ. The AKJV of the Bible translated the Greek word, parousia, as “coming.” In New Testament times, the Greek-speaking-world used the word, parousia, to describe the “arrival and presence” of a dignitary. The arrival and the subsequent presence of a king, or emperor were referred to as a parousia. If, for example, King Croesus of Lydia were to visit another nation, his journey to and his arrival and presence in the other nation would be called the parousia of King Croesus. A parousia was associated with an official visit and presence of an individual of stature. If an ordinary citizen was required, by Law, to be present at a certain proceeding, then, his presence would have been considered a parousia.<br />
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Most certainly, the decent of the Lord Jesus Christ from Heaven, His arrival, and His presence in Jerusalem for one-thousand-years would constitute a grand and glorious Parousia. The translators always translated parousia as “coming.” By doing this, it gave rise to a non-biblical phrase adopted by Christendom—the Second Coming of Christ. The English language has no word equivalent to the Greek word, parousia. Therefore, we have no quarrel with the translation.<br />
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The arrival and presence of Him as a babe in the manger was no parousia. Nor, was his presence on earth as a twelve-year- old, nor as a teenager, nor even as a grown man, a parousia. His earthly ministry was that of a servant, a person of no outward stature, or reputation. He was even said to have been born of fornication (John 8:41).<br />
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“But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:7-8).<br />
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We said in The Treatise of Romans and The Parousia, “The book of Romans has an important role in the scope of the New Testament literature. The theological content of this writing is of great importance to the Christian community, both ancient and contemporary. One Commentator has said of Romans, ‘As the most systematic and complete exposition of the gospel that the NT contains, it has naturally seemed to have a very special place in the Bible.’” There is absolutely no reference to the 2nd Coming of Christ, to wit, His Parousia, in the beloved book of “Romans.”<br />
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Keep this in mind. “The Epistle to the Romans” was Paul’s last epistle written during “The Acts of the Apostles.” This means that he wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Hebrews before he penned Romans. If the Parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ was the definitive hope of the Acts Period believers, why on earth didn’t Paul mention it in the most authoritative Scripture in all of the New Testament?<br />
<br />
The epistles written during “The Acts of the Apostles” were in harmony with the period, itself. The Acts Epistles did not introduce something that was not part of the revelation of its time. Not only that, but a prophetic Truth, like the Parousia of Christ which didn’t have a major impact on the believer’s hope during the Acts time-frame, was not given a great deal of print in the Scriptures of the time.<br />
<br />
The Book of Acts opened with a question concerning the primary hope of the Apostles:<br />
<br />
“When they [the Apostles] therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).<br />
<br />
The Kingdom was the “hope of Israel” throughout the Acts period. Notice, the Apostle Paul, as late as Acts 28, mentioned his hope during the Acts Period as that of “the hope of Israel.”<br />
<br />
“For this cause therefore have I [Paul] called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain” (Acts 28:20).<br />
<br />
It must be concluded that everything preached and written between Acts 1 and Acts 28 carried with it the underlying hope of Israel. Its realization was not dependent on the 2nd Coming, i.e., the Parousia of Christ. The hope of Present Truth, the Appearing, that is, the Epiphaniea, cannot be found in any of the Acts period Scriptures.<br />
<br />
Israel’s hope was also expressed by the Apostle Peter in Acts 3, and it was not associated in any way, shape, form, or fashion with the 2nd Coming (Parousia) of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, Acts 3:19-21 clearly stated the Apostolic Expectation:<br />
<br />
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”<br />
<br />
Peter’s message, in Acts 3, validated what the Lord Jesus had told the Twelve Apostles in Matthew 19:28:<br />
<br />
“And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration [palingenesia = re-creation] when the Son of man shall sit in the Throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”<br />
<br />
The Throne of His glory will be in heaven. Christ Jesus will rule the earth from His Throne in heaven, while the Twelve sit upon their earthly thrones, during His Kingdom. Jesus Christ and the Twelve will govern for hundreds of years before Christ comes in His Parousia.<br />
<br />
“Heaven is My Throne, and earth is My footstool: what house will ye build Me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of My rest?” (Acts 7:49). See also, Ps. 11:4, 103:19, and<br />
Isa. 66:1.<br />
<br />
The blue-print for the Church of God, which was made up of Jews and Gentiles, was thoroughly spelled out in the Roman Epistle. And, as it has been pointed out, the Parousia of Christ was not to be found as part of the inspiration of the Romans Treatise.<br />
<br />
Paul only mentioned it once in sixteen chapters in 1 Corinthians, and that was in<br />
1 Corinthians 15:23. He did not mention it, at all, in any of the thirteen chapters in 2 Corinthians, nor did he mention it in Galatians. He did use the word, Parousia, when referring to the arrival and presence of Christ, four times in 1 Thessalonians. Each time, it was used in the context of the end of the Great Tribulation. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul made reference to the Parousia (i.e, the 2nd Coming) of Christ only twice. Once, it is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:1, and then, in 2:8.<br />
<br />
If the 2nd Coming of Christ was the HOPE of the Apostles, as well as the members of the Church of God during the Acts Period, one would suppose that this event would warrant more than the seven times Paul made reference to it in his Acts Epistles. I would think that the thorough student of Scripture would be curious as to why Paul made reference to it so sparingly. If the 2nd Coming is considered, by today’s Christians, to be the most prominent expectation of believers, why is it only mentioned seven times by the Apostle Paul in his Acts Epistles?<br />
<br />
These things are pointed out, not to diminish the importance of the Parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ, but to point out that it is not the next event on God’s Prophetic Clock. Church-going Christians have been taught that Christ could come at any moment, and with His Coming, it would usher in His Millennial Reign which they, also, call the Kingdom. By failing to rightly divide the Word of Truth, they confuse the 1000 year reign with the Pre-Parousia Kingdom of God, believing them to be the same thing.<br />
<br />
It is important to point out that, not once, in the Book of Acts is the “Parousia” of Christ mentioned. But, orthodox Bible exegesis makes it out to be the principal event hoped for by all Christians in the New Testament writings. THE PAROUSIA WAS NOT THE PRINCIPAL EXPECTATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT! If it was, we would expect it to have a prominent place in the four Gospels, the Book of Acts, and the Epistles written during the Acts Period. But, it hardly has a place at all!<br />
<br />
It should be noted that the Parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ is found only sixteen times in all of the twenty-seven books of what is commonly referred to as the New Testament.<br />
<br />
Listed, below, is a concordance of the sixteen usages of the word, Parousia, as it is used in reference to the Parousia of Jesus Christ. Each reference of the Parousia is associated with the destruction of the anti-christ, thus, ending the Great Tribulation which is the consummation (sunteleia) of the Kingdom Era.<br />
<br />
The Gospel of Matthew – 24:3, 27, 37, 39.<br />
I Corinthians – 15:23.<br />
I Thessalonians – 2:19. 3:13. 4:15. 5:23.<br />
II Thessalonians – 2:1. 2:8.<br />
James – 5:7-8.<br />
2 Peter – 1:16. 3:4.<br />
I John – 2:23.<br />
<br />
The 2nd Coming of Christ, to wit, the Parousia of Christ, takes place hundreds of years after the “Hope of Israel” becomes a reality. Therefore, it was not the great expectation of the Apostles, or the Church of God. Note this, carefully, and mark it well. The “Hope of Israel” does not come with the Lord descending, His Voice shouting, angels accompanying, trumpets blasting-forth, and saints ascending as most Christians are saying today. If it does, then it will come with an outward show, and the Lord Jesus’ words will be found to be false.<br />
<br />
Of course, all of these things do take place in connection with Him coming in His Parousia. He does not come back to earth to govern because He has been doing so from His Throne in Heaven. He comes back to be Personally Present on earth.<br />
<br />
The Apostolic Expectation must be in harmony with the promises made in the Old Testament, and all the more so, since Paul declared in Romans 15:8, “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:” Among these promises which He will validate is the one found in Psalm 46:6-10 where it is revealed that at a time when the nations are in turmoil, and the governments are shaken, “… He uttered His voice, the earth melted.” Those living during the Kingdom Era will observe this and will, then, be invited to Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations He has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” NIV.<br />
<br />
This was, in fact, what the Apostles fully expected to take place when their hope materialized, and Christ Jesus began to Reign over the nations. Their hope, as well as the Church of God, was in agreement with the promises of God that He would cause judgment to be heard from heaven (Ps. 76:8); that He would bring forth judgment to the nations (Isa. 42:1); of a time to come when His judgments would be in all the earth<br />
(Ps. 105:7). Matthew set forth the Hope of Israel when he quoted Isaiah in Matthew 12:18-21, closing with the words, “And in His Name shall the Gentiles trust.”<br />
<br />
Paul repeated this Truth in Romans 15:12, “And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and He that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in Him shall the Gentiles trust.” This will not be connected, at all, with His Parousia.<br />
<br />
The unashamed workman can rightly divide the Word of Truth. He does not confuse the Kingdom of God with the 1000 year Parousia of Christ. A true spiritual differentiator is enabled to do so.<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-7799235995368733072015-12-25T06:44:00.001-08:002015-12-25T06:44:14.077-08:00Some Mostly Unknown Facts About KJV<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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7 things you may not know about the King James Bible</h1>
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<img alt="7 things you may not know about the King James Bible" class="aligncenter wp-image-14674" height="273" sizes="(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px" src="http://i2.wp.com/newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/KJV-Text-decoration-for-1611-KJV.png?resize=650%2C299" srcset="http://i2.wp.com/newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/KJV-Text-decoration-for-1611-KJV.png?resize=300%2C138 300x, http://i2.wp.com/newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/KJV-Text-decoration-for-1611-KJV.png?w=799 799x" style="background-attachment: inherit; background-clip: inherit; background-image: inherit; background-origin: inherit; background-size: inherit; border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100% !important; min-height: 0px; padding: 4px;" title="KJV text decoration for 1611 KJV" width="593" /><span style="border: 0px; color: #888888; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">[Printable pdf : <a href="http://newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/7-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-King-James-Bible.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">7 things you may not know about the King James Bible</a>.]</span></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">For Anne’s friend.</em></div>
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The King James Version of the Bible is a great translation and has helped countless thousands of people to find and know God, to receive his gift of salvation, and to effectively serve him and his people. The Bible was beautifully written by some of the best scholars of the day, and its reputation as fine literature is deserved.</div>
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Some Christians today maintain that the KJV is the superior English translation. Some Christians and churches are so enamoured with the KJV that they refuse to use, or give credit to, any other translation. The stance of these Christians has been referred to as King-James-Onlyism .</div>
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The KJV is an excellent English Bible and if you can easily understand it there is no real reason to change to another English translation. However, one of the biggest shortcomings for most people is its dated language.</div>
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The KJV uses many archaic words: words such as “jangling”, “subtil”, “privily”, and “holpen”, etc. And it uses archaic expressions that are unfamiliar to modern readers and audiences. For instance, how many people readily understand “Charity vaunteth not itself” (<a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="1 Cor. 13.4c" data-version="nasb95" href="http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Cor.%2013.4c" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">1 Cor. 13:4c</a>)? The earlier editions of the KJV also used spelling that is outdated, such as <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">sunne</em> for “sun”.</div>
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Furthermore, the edition of the KJV that is still commonly used contains several words which have changed in meaning over time. Words such as “flowers”, “suffer”, “vile”, “conversation” and “quit” convey a <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">very</em> different meaning to modern readers than was intended by the translators. (See <a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Lev. 15.24" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Lev.%2015.24" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Lev. 15:24KJV</a>; <a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Matt. 19.14" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Matt.%2019.14" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Matt. 19:14KJV</a>; <a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Phil. 3.20-21" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Phil.%203.20-21" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Phil. 3:20-21KJV</a>; <a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="1 Cor. 16.13" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/1%20Cor.%2016.13" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">1 Cor. 16:13KJV</a>, etc.)</div>
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The fact that the KJV uses the word “unicorn” nine times (see <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=unicorn&qs_version=KJV" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=unicorns&qs_version=KJV" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">here</a>), and “satyr” twice (<a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Isa. 13.21" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Isa.%2013.21" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Isa. 13:21KJV</a>; <a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Isa. 34.14" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Isa.%2034.14" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Isa. 34:14KJV</a>), is also problematic, as unicorns and satyrs are regarded as a mythological creatures rather than the real animals which are mentioned in the original Hebrew Scriptures and in more contemporary translations.</div>
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Apart from its dated language, there are a few other shortcomings of the KJV. KJV-only people seem unaware of these shortcomings. Moreover, many accept incorrect statements that are frequently made about the KJV. The following paragraphs contain seven pieces of information that some KJV-only Christians may not be aware of.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(1) The KJV was not the first English translation. </strong></h2>
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A few King-James-Only Christians believe that the King James Bible was the first English translation of the Scriptures. This belief is incorrect. John Wycliffe’s Bible was translated from Latin into English and hand copied in the 1400s. In 1526, almost 100 years before the KJV was first published, William Tyndale’s English translation of the Greek New Testament was published. “After Tyndale’s, a number of other versions were produced. Among them were the Coverdale Bible, the Matthews Bible, the Great Bible [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Bible" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">authorised by Henry VIII</a>], the Geneva Bible, and the Bishops’ Bible.”[1] In fact much of the KJV borrows heavily from earlier English translations, especially the Bishop’s Bible.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(2) The KJV has been through several editions.</strong></h2>
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Some King-James-Only Christians believe that the King James Bible perfectly preserved the Scriptures for all time. If this is the case there would have been no need for further edits. The current edition of the KJV is different from the original 1611 translation and several other early editions. “The KJV Bible we use today is actually based primarily on the major revision completed in 1769 – 158 years after the first edition.”[2]</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(3) All early editions of the KJV contained the apocryphal books.</strong></h2>
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The 1611 version, and all other editions of the KJV that were published for the next fifty years, contained the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_apocrypha" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Apocrypha</a>. Protestant Christians do not regard the apocryphal books as uniquely inspired and authoritative. The 1666 edition was the first edition of the KJV that did <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">not</em> include these extra books.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(4) King James authorised the new Bible translation for political reasons.</strong></h2>
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King James believed that a single ‘authorized version’ was a political and social necessity. He hoped this book would hold together the warring factions of the Church of England and the Puritans which threatened to tear apart both church and country. Most of the translators,however, were clergymen belonging to the Church of England, but at least some had Puritan sympathies.[3]</div>
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King James issued over a dozen rules that the translators had to follow. King James disliked the Geneva Bible, the Bible used by the Puritans, because he believed that some of the commentary in the margin notes did not show enough respect for kings.[4] James’ new translation was to have no commentary in the margins.</div>
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King James favoured the hierarchical structure of the Church of England and wanted the new translation to keep words that supported a bishop led hierarchy. In keeping with James’ preferred views on church government, he specified, “The old ecclesiastical words [are] to be kept; as the word <i>church </i>[is] not to be translated <i>congregation.”</i> (I personally believe that <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">congregation</em> is a better translation in some instances.) King James also ruled that only his new Bible could be read in England’s churches. The translation rules of King James can be found<a href="http://www.kjvonly.org/other/kj_instructs.htm" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"> here</a>. The political motives of King James had a direct influence on the translation of the KJV.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(5) The translators of the KJV 1611 were untrained in Koine Greek. </strong></h2>
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Koine (“common”) Greek is the original language of the New Testament. Koine Greek had been a dead language for over a thousand years when the KJV was published for the first time in 1611. The translators of the KJV didn’t even know what Koine Greek was. Some people believed that the Greek language of the NT was a unique, Spirit-inspired dialect.[5] It was not until the late 1800s and during the 1900s, when tens of thousands of papyri documents were discovered – many written in Koine, that we could begin to understand the language more fully.[6] Unlike the translators of the KJV, modern translators of the New Testament are scholars of Koine Greek.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(6) The KJV translation of the NT is based on relatively recent Greek manuscripts.</strong></h2>
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As well as relying on previous English translations, the 1611 edition of the KJV relied on a critically edited Greek text that was “for the most part based on about half a dozen very late manuscripts (none earlier than the 12th century AD).”[7] These late manuscripts include editions of the Greek New Testament by Erasmus[8], as well as Robert Estienne’s (a.k.a. ‘Stephanus’) edition (1550) and Theodore Beza’s edition (1598). Unfortunately, one of the manuscripts Estienne and Beza used for their Greek editions contained a few “corrections” that downplayed the importance of women in the church.[9]</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(7) The early editions of the KJV are not based on the Received Text.</strong></h2>
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Most KJV advocates claim that the KJV was translated from a Greek text known as the Textus Receptus (TR) and that the TR is especially accurate and inspired. However the TR did not exist in 1611 when the first King James Bible was published. The first TR was written in the 1633. “The TR used today is normally the one created by Scrivener in 1894, which took as its basis the English translation of the KJV, giving the reader the Greek textual choices made by the KJV translators.”[10] Conversely, most modern translations of the New Testament are based on critical texts which take into account much more ancient, and much less handled, Greek manuscripts. A few of these Greek manuscripts date from as early as the third century.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Other Criticisms and Considerations</strong></h2>
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One of the criticisms leveled at some newer English translations is that the New Testament was translated from the Westcott and Hort Greek New Testament. However, the 2011 edition of the New International Version (NIV) is based on the 27th edition of the Nestle-Aland/United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament which is a critical text that takes into consideration all known Greek manuscripts (and ancient lectionary quotes) of the New Testament.[11] Any criticism of the Westcott and Hort text, or the men themselves – and much of the criticism has been misleading and outright slander – has no relevance whatsoever to the latest edition of the NIV and other modern translations.</div>
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Another criticism of newer translations is that some words and phrases, and even a few passages, that are included in the KJV, are absent in newer translations. These are not omissions. Rather, these words and phrases are additions in the KJV. These additions are absent in the more ancient Greek manuscripts. Most modern translations still acknowledge the traditional additions in some way (e.g. in margin notes, in footnotes, or printed in a different font, etc).</div>
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The King James Version is an excellent translation, but I believe that many of the recent English translations to be better. I mostly read the New Testament in Greek, but the English Bibles I use, roughly in order of preference, are: the NIV (2011), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), and the King James Version (KJV). Most of the other, better known English translations are fine too.</div>
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It is most important that we read a Bible that we can understand. The New Testament was originally written in common, everyday Greek – a language that almost everyone in the Roman Empire (the world of the New Testament) could easily understand. We need modern English translations of the Bible that modern audiences can easily understand.</div>
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So much more can be said, and has been said by others, on this topic. More information is <a href="http://www.alwaysbeready.com/kjv-only-controversy" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">here</a>. A video series is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNGa_dRTNMo&list=PLJQsCWoYp02v2jIH9IZ4BFOlXb1k5A6uD" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<img alt="7 things you may not know about the King James Bible" class="aligncenter wp-image-14677" height="79" sizes="(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px" src="http://i2.wp.com/newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/KJV-Page-decoration-of-1611-edition.png?resize=650%2C87" srcset="http://i2.wp.com/newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/KJV-Page-decoration-of-1611-edition.png?resize=300%2C40 300x, http://i2.wp.com/newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/KJV-Page-decoration-of-1611-edition.png?w=800 800x" style="background-attachment: inherit; background-clip: inherit; background-image: inherit; background-origin: inherit; background-size: inherit; border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100% !important; min-height: 0px; padding: 4px;" title="KJV Page decoration of 1611 edition" width="593" /></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Endnotes</strong></div>
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[1] Rick Wade, “The Debate over the King James Version”, Probe Ministries International, 1998 (<a href="http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/kjvdebat.html" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Source</a>)</div>
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[2] Jack P. Lewis, The English Bible From KJV to NIV: A History and Evaluation (Grand Rapids, MI:Baker, 1984), p. 39. Quoted <a href="http://www.jashow.org/wiki/index.php?title=Is_the_King_James_Version_of_the_Bible_the_Only_Bible_Christians_Should_Trust_and_Read/Part_1" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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[3] This paragraph uses information from N.T. Wright, “<span style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Monarchs and the Message: </span><span style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reflections on Bible Translation from the Sixteenth to the Twenty-First Century”, presented at SBL 2011 (<a href="http://ntwrightpage.com/Wright_SBL_Monarchs_Message.htm" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Source</a>)</span></div>
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[4] “For example, a note in the margin beside Exodus 1 said the Hebrew midwives in the time of baby Moses were right to disobey the Egyptian king’s order to kill newborn baby boys. And a note beside 2 Chronicles 15 criticized King Asa for not executing his idol-worshipping mother.” Stephen M. Miller and Robert V. Huber, “The Bible: A History” (Oxford: Lion Hudson, 2003) p.178.</div>
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[5] Greek scholar Bill Mounce writes, “For a long time Koine Greek confused many scholars. It was significantly different from Classical Greek. Some hypothesized that it was a combination of Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Others attempted to explain it as a “Holy Ghost language”, meaning that God created a special language just for the Bible. But studies of Greek papyri found in Egypt over the past one hundred years have shown that this language was the language of the every day people . . .” “The Basics of Biblical Greek” (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993, 2003) p. 1.</div>
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[6] Before the discovery of the papyri documents in Egypt and elsewhere, the only thing available in Koine Greek was the New Testament. But now we have numerous letters, business receipts, census statements, novels, and other writings that were written in the language of the New Testament. We can now compare the language of the New Testament with these other writings to see how words were used in the first century. Among the discoveries were ancient manuscripts of the biblical texts that were older than the manuscripts used by the KJV translators.</div>
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[7] Daniel Wallace, “The Conspiracy Behind New Bible Translations” at <a href="https://bible.org/article/conspiracy-behind-new-bible-translations" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">bible.org</a>.</div>
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[8] Erasmus was a Roman Catholic priest. He dedicated the first edition of his Greek New Testament to the Pope. (I include this bit of information for those who wrongly accuse the new translations of being unduly influenced by Roman Catholicism. See also endnote 11.)</div>
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[9] Robert Estienne, also known as Stephanas, based his text on the works of Erasmus, but he also used a text known as the Codex Bezae. Theodore Beza primarily based his text on the Greek New Testament of Stephanus, but he may well have also used the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Bezae" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Codex Bezae</a> (which was given to him and bears his name. This book is also known as Codex Cantabrigensis as Beza later presented it to the University of Cambridge.)<br />“Several scholars have observed the apparent anti-feminist tendencies of the writer of the Codex Bezae. The reviser represents the western tradition dating back to the second century, and clearly reveals the trend of thought among his contemporaries by rephrasing the received text of <a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Acts 17.12" data-version="nasb95" href="http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Acts%2017.12" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Acts 17:12</a> to read: ‘and many of the Greeks and men and women of high standing believed.’ The smoother reading serves to lessen any importance given women in Luke’s account of the conversion at Berea, and proves to be a typical alteration of Bezae in Acts.” Lesly Massey, “Women and the New Testament: An Analysis of Scripture in the Light of New Testament Era Culture” (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 1989) p. 46-47.</div>
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[10] James R. White, “Is your Modern translation Corrupt? Answering the Allegations of KJV Only Advocates” p.2. (<a href="http://www.alwaysbeready.com/images/stories/alwaysbeready/dk115.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Source</a>) <a href="http://www.alwaysbeready.com/images/stories/alwaysbeready/dk115.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><br /></a></div>
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<img alt="Barbara Aland editor" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-11806" height="120" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" src="http://i2.wp.com/newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/Barbara-Aland-editor-300x120.jpg?resize=300%2C120" srcset="http://i2.wp.com/newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/Barbara-Aland-editor.jpg?resize=300%2C120 300x, http://i2.wp.com/newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/Barbara-Aland-editor.jpg?w=514 514x" style="background-attachment: inherit; background-clip: inherit; background-image: inherit; background-origin: inherit; background-size: inherit; border: 0px; float: right; height: auto; margin: 2px 0px 4px 1em; max-width: 100% !important; min-height: 0px; padding: 4px;" width="300" />[11] The 27th edition of the Nestle-Aland text was edited by eminent scholars <a href="http://newlife.id.au/equality-and-gender-issues/barbara-aland-and-the-nestle-aland-greek-nt/" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Barbara Aland</a> (Protestant), Kurt Aland (Protestant), Ioannes Karavidopoulos (Greek Othordox), Carlo Martini (Roman Catholic), and Bruce Metzger (Protestant).</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: #888888; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Image Credits: Page decorations are copied from the 1611 King James Bible as is the image of the frontispiece below. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)</span></div>
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<img alt="7 things you may not know about the King James Bible" class="aligncenter wp-image-14682" height="859" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" src="http://i2.wp.com/newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/KJV-King-James-Version-Bible-first-edition-title-page-1611.jpg?resize=550%2C859" srcset="http://i2.wp.com/newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/KJV-King-James-Version-Bible-first-edition-title-page-1611.jpg?resize=192%2C300 192x, http://i2.wp.com/newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/KJV-King-James-Version-Bible-first-edition-title-page-1611.jpg?w=491 491x" style="background-attachment: inherit; background-clip: inherit; background-image: inherit; background-origin: inherit; background-size: inherit; border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100% !important; min-height: 0px; padding: 4px;" title="Title page of the first edition of the King James Bible, 1611" width="550" /></div>
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<span class="jp-relatedposts-post-title" style="border: 0px; display: block; margin: 0px; max-width: 90%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><a class="jp-relatedposts-post-a" data-origin="14670" data-position="2" href="http://newlife.id.au/christian-living/wade-burleson-christian-leadership-hebrews-13/" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; color: #417785; font-size: inherit; margin: 0px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Wade Burleson on Christian Leadership (Hebrews 13)
In this video, Wade explains that there is no Greek word for "over" in the verses about church leaders in Hebrews chapter 13. Moreover, the word "rule", used in the King James Version of these verses, is not an adequate translation from the Greek. Christian leaders are not rulers. They…">Wade Burleson on Christian Leadership (Hebrews 13)</a></span><span class="jp-relatedposts-post-date" style="border: 0px; display: block; margin: 0px; max-width: 90%; opacity: 0.6; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis;">July 22, 2013</span><span class="jp-relatedposts-post-context" style="border: 0px; display: block; margin: 0px; max-width: 90%; opacity: 0.6; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis;">In "Christian Living"</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-62891060495626521512015-12-11T17:24:00.002-08:002015-12-11T17:24:39.949-08:00God Presents Us Manifests Us With Jesus In Glory<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><strong>GOD'S PRESENTATION OF CHRIST</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In all languages there are commonplace words that seem to be of no great importance, yet when they are used in certain contexts they take on a great significance and deliver an important message. The Greek word <i>agO </i>is one of these </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">— </span><span style="font-size: small;">a word so simple that it is often used when one is being taught to conjugate the verb forms. It means "to lead forth" or "to bring forth" and is used of such ordinary actions as a shepherd leading or bringing forth his sheep from the sheep-fold in order for them to drink or to graze. It is used of "Elymas the sorcerer" who, when smitten by blindness went about seeking for someone to lead (agO) him by the hand (Acts 13:11).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It can be readily seen how this word takes on a new and enlarged significance, when in Acts 9 the newly converted Saul (Paul) sought to attach himself to the disciples. They wanted nothing to do with him because of his notorious past conduct, and did not believe he was a disciple. They took him to he an infiltrator, seeking to identify the followers of Jesus Christ. However, Barnabas, who knew that Paul had truly become a disciple of the Lord Jesus, took him and brought <i>(agO) </i>him to the apostles and declared the facts of his conversion and subsequent bold proclamation of Christ (Acts 9:27). In other words, Barnabas took him and presented him to the apostles so that they would truly know the facts concerning him. Thus we see that <i>agO </i>when used in certain contexts means not simply to bring forth but to present. This presentation of Paul by Barnabas changed the whole picture, so that he found fellowship with the apostles and labored as a bold proclaimer of Jesus Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In John 19 we find the word <i>agO </i>used in a different context that is highly informative. There is here a presentation of the Lord Jesus Christ, but He is presented in the worst possible light. It was when Pilate went forth before those who were demanding the death of Jesus and said: "Behold I bring Him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in Him." (John 19:4). In this passage "bring forth" is <i>agO, </i>and since Pilate did not physically lead Him forth or bring Him forth (He came forth Himself, 19:5), this was Pilate saying, "I now present Him to you so that you may see for yourself what an abject, helpless, and harmless person He is."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So Jesus came forth, wearing the dreadful crown of thorns, hair matted with blood, clothed in the ridiculous, cast-off, purple robe:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;">"And Pilate said unto them, ‘Behold the man!’"</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This was Pilate’s presentation of Jesus Christ to His enemies, a presentation that should cause every believer to long and pray for that day when God will present Jesus Christ to the world, and every man on this earth will know Who Christ is in the sight of God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This presentation of Jesus Christ by God to every man on earth is a plain truth of Scripture that has been absent from all theologies. Men have emphasized His incarnation, His ascension, His coming, His unveiling, and His manifestation, and rightly so, but they should not have missed altogether the great truth of His presentation. Even now as I write, I wonder if many will understand it. Will they accuse me of teaching that the time will come when God will give Christ to every man on earth? Well, if they do, then: "They say what they say so let them say it."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">We can best advance our knowledge of this great truth by carefully considering Paul’s inspired words in 1 Thess. 4:14: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring <i>(agO) </i>with Him."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Two great facts stand out in the last half of this passage. Jesus Christ is going to be presented, and those who are sleeping in Jesus are going to be presented with Him. This guarantees their resurrection from among the dead; otherwise there could be no presentation of His own to the world. Thus, this passage marks the time of their resurrection, which makes it to be one of great importance in the prophetic program.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Bible students have long struggled with this passage, not knowing just what to do with it.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">As a rule they have added to the confusion by failing to see that this passage speaks of God’s presentation of Christ to all mankind and of our presentation with Him. Once this has taken place it can never again be said: "Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knows Him not" (1 John 3:1). This passage is not dealing with His second coming or with His parousia (personal presence) that follows His coming. We need to clearly understand that there is a time gap between 1 Thess. 4:14 and 4:15, and this gap covers the entire period of the kingdom of God. The kingdom begins with His presentation and it ends with His parousia. We should not confuse these two events. There is a resurrection in 4:14 and another in verse 15 and these are centuries apart. A consideration of the outstanding facts will show this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Paul did not want the Thessalonians "to be ignorant concerning them which are asleep" (1 Thess. 4:13). And to this we reply </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">—</span><span style="font-size: small;">very good. We do not want to be ignorant concerning those who have died and now "sleep in Jesus." Yes, we would like some concrete word from God’s spokesman (1 Thess. 2:13) concerning them. Give us something solid to believe and to tell to others. Otherwise, we too will be sorrowing as those who have no hope.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So, in answer, Paul continues: "If we believe that Jesus died and rose again. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">. ." </span><span style="font-size: small;">Very good, but permit us to interrupt and declare that we do believe, we most certainly do. This is fundamental with us and we cannot walk in fellowship with anyone who denies it. Jesus died, Jesus was buried, and Jesus rose again on the third day in harmony with the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3,4). And this was because God raised Him up (Acts 2:32). He who was dead became alive again (Rev. 2:8). However, speak on, Paul, and tell us about those who have fallen asleep and are now in the state of death. His declaration is brief: "Even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God present <i>(agO) </i>with Him."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">What else can this mean but what it says? There is to be a bringing forth, that is a presentation of Jesus Christ, and all who sleep in Jesus are to be presented with Him. This presentation of Christ and His own is beyond all doubt to mankind as a whole, so that for the first time in the history of the human race the world will know Who Christ is in the sight of God and also what the children of God mean to Him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">God’s presentation of Christ to mankind as set forth by Paul is not a new revelation. The Old Testament declared that this was to be, and reveals it to be the initial act of God when He assumes sovereignty and brings His government upon the earth. In Isaiah 40:5 we are told, "The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken <i>it.</i>"<i> </i>It should be noted here that it is the glory of the LORD (Jehovah) that is to be revealed, and this comes about as a result of the mouth of the LORD declaring that it shall so be. The word glory has to do with <i>esteem, </i>so much so that it would make a better translation in most occurrences. Thus this passage tells us that suddenly, universally, and miraculously the whole of mankind (all flesh) is going to be informed by God of the esteem in which He holds Jesus Christ. Every living man will then know Who Christ is and What Christ is in God’s sight, and all will know it in the same amount and at the same time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">How else can "the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14), unless God makes a universal and official presentation and declaration concerning Jesus Christ?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In 1 Corinthians 1:7 we find that the Corinthian believers were waiting for this grand presentation of the Lord Jesus. The translators of the KJV not knowing what to do with this simple declaration, they having no place in their theology for a future unveiling of Jesus Christ to mankind, used the word "coming" as a translation of <i>apokalupsin, </i>something that it could not possibly mean, as its elements clearly show. The prefix <i>apo </i>means "from," and <i>kalupsin </i>(from <i>kaluptO) </i>means a covering or veil. And yet this egregious error of translation is often cited as proof positive that the first century believers expected Christ to return during their lifetime. This idea is totally false. What they were waiting for was the unveiling of Jesus Christ. This is identical with His presentation, but a different word is used in order to emphasize another aspect of this many-faceted event.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In Titus 2:12, 13 we are exhorted to live: "Awaiting that blessed expectation, even the blazing forth <i>(epiphaneia) </i>of the glory of the great God, even our Savior, Christ Jesus" (TRV). This event is identical with that set forth in Isa. 40:5 and 1 Thess. 4:14.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This same glorious truth is set forth in other words in Colossians 3:4: "When the Christ, Who is our life, shall be manifested <i>(phaneroO) </i>then shall ye also be manifested with Him in glory." This corresponds to 1 Thess 4:14. Thus, whether it is called presentation, unveiling, or manifestation, it is the same event. If we are among the dead when this takes place, we will need to be raised to participate in it. If we are living we will need to be changed. But this presents no problem to the one familiar with the secret revealed in 1 Cor. 15:51,52.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">There has been a struggle by some students to make the words "in glory" in Col. 3:4 refer to a place, a very special and exclusive place, far above all heavens, for those who are now believers. But all one needs to do is to check out all occurrences of the Greek phrase <i>en doxE, </i>and he will find that trying to hold this idea is about the same as trying to carry water in a sieve. It simply will not work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Thank God that when we are presented with Christ, when we are manifested with Him, it will not be in shame, disgrace, or humiliation, but in the esteem in which God holds the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Finally, it needs to be noted that all such events as the divine presentation, the unveiling, the manifestation, the blazing forth of His glory are all aspects of a still greater all-encompassing event, the divine assumption of sovereignty. So we pray, "Thy kingdom come."</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-68966412185065493612015-12-05T07:12:00.005-08:002015-12-05T07:12:39.482-08:00Parousia What It Is And Is Not<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">WHAT DOES </strong><em style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong>parousia</strong></em><strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> MEAN?</strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the study of things to come there is no word that encompasses any greater truth than the word <em>parousia</em>. This is a Greek word that has been brought over into English without any change in its spelling, and it will be found in most dictionaries, even though the definition given is far from accurate. It is a word that should be found in the vocabulary of every diligent Bible student. There is no English word that will accurately express the Greek word <em>parousia</em>; therefore, it should be transliterated and a maximum effort should be made to fix in our minds its meaning as used by the Spirit of God in the New Testament.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This word is found twenty-four times in the Greek New Testament and is used in numerous contexts making it possible for us to discover its true meaning from its usage, the only way that any word in any language should ever be defined. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the <em>King James Version</em> it is translated "coming" twenty-two times and "presence" twice. Other translations as a rule have used the words <em>coming, presence,</em> <em>arrival,</em> and <em>personal presence</em> to represent the word <em>parousia.</em> And at this point it needs to be stated unequivocally that it does not mean coming in any occurrence in the New Testament. To so translate it was an egregious error that is constantly perpetuated by lexicographers and theologians. I do not believe that the definition of "coming" would be given in any lexicon, there being not one shred of evidence to support it, if it had not been for the fact that the <em>King James Version</em> translators arbitrarily rendered it this way so that it would not flatly contradict their creedal position.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The translators of the <em>King James Version</em> were men who held firmly to the theology that arose out of the reformation, and especially to the later ideas developed by John Calvin, a man who studiously avoided ever coming to grips with the great eschatological problems of Scripture. A very simple doctrine of future events was worked out which was a slight refinement of Roman Catholic doctrine. According to this, there was to come what was called "the day of judgement", and this was equated with the second coming of Christ, even though it was not held that He returned in person. On this day of judgement all mankind, living and dead, were to be summoned before God to be judged. A great separation was to be made, with all the righteous finding a place forever in heaven, and all the wicked being consigned to live forever in a place of torment called hell. The earth was then to be destroyed by fire, an event that was supported by mistranslating <em>sunteleias tou aionos</em> "the end of the world".</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In view of beliefs such as these there was no place in the thinking of these men for a time to come when Jesus Christ would be personally present upon the earth. So they eliminated the <em>parousia</em> by translating it "coming" and making it to be a coming universal judgement.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There is no truth to be gained by pointing to 1 Cor. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">16:17</a> (as many do) as proof that <em>parousia</em> means coming, where Paul declares that he was glad for the <em>parousia</em> Stephanas and Fortunatus.. The fact that the word "coming" seems to fit well in this sentence is no proof that this is what it means. The word <em>health</em> or <em>prosperity</em> would fit just as well, but the fact is that <em>parousia</em> does not mean health or prosperity and neither does it mean coming. These men were a deputation from the Corinthian ecclesia to the Apostle Paul. Thus they were there because of who they were and the help they could be to Paul. He was rejoicing in their personal presence, a presence which he exalts and honours by calling it a <em>parousia</em>. The importance of this designation will be seen when we get to the actual technical meaning of this word.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The word <em>parousia</em> does not mean "arrival" as the occurrence in 2 Cor. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">10:10</a> will clearly show. The weakness of Paul's "bodily presence" was not limited to his arrival. It continued through his entire <em>parousia</em> in Corinth. And this word does not mean "presence" or "bodily presence" even though it does contain these two ideas. It means more than "presence" and more than "bodily presence" and to so translate it is to weaken this strong word. It is actually a simple word and should present no problem to the translator as long as he can rise fully above the confusion that was imposed upon it when it was made to mean "coming". It is made up of the word <em>para </em>which means "beside", and the participial form of the word "to be", <em>ousia</em>, which means "being". The compound word <em>parousia</em> means being beside, being with, or being present. However when all occurrences of this word in the New Testament, in Classical Greek, in the Septuagint, and in the papyrus manuscripts are examined it will be found that this word means more than presence and more even than personal presence. It is used of a certain kind of personal presence, and only such a presence can be properly called a <em>parousia</em>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Adolf Deissmann's pertinent comment that <em>parousia</em> is "a technical expression" has been repeated by many commentators, but invariably they leave us without any explanation of the technical (exact) meaning of this word. This is a fault of which I do not wish to be guilty so I will give at once the technical definition of this important term.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Greek word <em>parousia</em> means a personal presence when one is present because of who he is and what he does. Thus, a personal presence may not be a parousia if the one present is not there in relationship to his position or office and the service he performs as such.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The word for "personal presence" in the New Testament is <em>pareimi</em>, not <em>parousia</em>, a fact that is easily established by its many occurrences. (See list on page 594 of the <em>Englishman's Greek Concordance</em>.) These occurrences show that <em>pareimi</em> always means a personal presence when it is used of men, and an actual presence when it is used of things. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">At first glance these two words may seem to be only different inflections of the same word, but usage has established them as two words with distinct meanings. We must not stultify <em>parousia</em> by giving it the same meaning as <em>pareimi</em>. The distinction between the two is of the utmost importance, so I will give several illustrations of these two words.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If I should go to the courthouse and sit in on a trial, my presence there would most certainly be a personal one, and it could be described by the Greek word <em>pareimi,</em> but not by <em>parousia</em>. I am not there because of who I am, any position I hold or service I will perform. However, the judge, the prosecutor, the attorneys, and the witnesses are all there because of who they are and the service they will render in view of this. Thus, their personal presence there can be called a <em>parousia</em>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Consider another illustration. A teacher of a class in New Testament Greek begins by calling the roll to which each member responds, "Pareimi" (present), a word they had learned in the previous lesson. The teacher then says, Your personal presence, that is, your <em>pareimi</em> having been established, I now trust that your <em>pareimi</em> will at once become a <em>parousia</em>, that you will be here because you are students and, therefore, are here to learn.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The definition of a word can be determined only by an analysis of its usage. This is the method by which dictionaries are compiled. In getting the definition of New Testament words we are primarily interested in the usage made by the Holy Spirit in its pages. Nevertheless, consideration needs to be given to occurrences outside of the Bible.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">CLASSICAL GREEK USAGE</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Of special interest is a quotation by Sophocles, cited by Liddell and Scott, where one said, "that we have no friends present (<em>parousia</em>) to assist us. This man desired the presence of friends who would be there because they were friends and who would undertake to do what a friend would do under such circumstances.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Adolf Deissmann cites many of these occurrences, prefacing them by saying, "From the Ptolemaic period down to the second century A.D. (about 500 years) we are able to trace the word in the East as a technical expressional for the arrival or visit of the king or the emperor." (<em>Light from the Ancient East</em>, Pages 368 to 373.) However, all the examples cited by Deissmann are indicative of an official visit rather than a mere arrival. On the occasion of such visits <em>parousia</em> coins were struck and <em>parousia</em> taxes were levied. And it will also be seen in every occurrence that these visits were described as <em>parousias</em> because they were present because of who they were and were there to perform the duties of their position.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The occurrences in the papyrus are most interesting. These are pointed out by Moulton and Milligan (<em>Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament</em>, page 497). In one a man says, "The repair of what has been swept away by the river requires my <em>parousia"</em>. The owner would need to be there because of who he was and what he would direct to be done.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In another occurrence someone says, "It is no use if a person comes too late for what required his <em>parousia</em>." The correctness of the definition that has already been given is evident in this sentence.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Another occurrence is quite intriguing, causing us to wonder about the incident that generated it. A woman declares that her husband, "swore in the <em>parousia</em> of the overseers (<em>episkopon</em>) and of his own brothers, 'Henceforward I will not hide all my keys from her.' " One can only surmise from this that there was serious trouble between a man and his wife and that the overseers and his brothers were called in to arbitrate the matter. Thus they were there because of their positions and relationship, also the services they were to perform.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the pre-recorded history (prophecies) of the benevolent services which the Lord Jesus Christ will yet perform on behalf of mankind the most important service will be accomplished in His <em>parousia</em>. He is to be personally present upon the earth for a thousand years and He will be present because of all that He is and the services to be performed in view of each glory given to Him. The good that will come out of this is beyond comprehension and volumes would not suffice to tell about it. For now, it is enough to say that this thousand year term in God's school of life, when the master teacher is personally present, will produce a people who know God to the fullest extent that He can be known by man.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Since the Lord Jesus Christ is not now upon the earth, a coming will be required in order for Him to be personally present. I believe in the second coming of Christ (Acts <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://2" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:11</a>). His coming will result in His <em>parousia</em>, and we should not confuse the two.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">SEED & BREAD Number 25: <a href="http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb026.htm">NEXT</a></span></div>
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<strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">THE PAROUSIA OF THE LORD JESUS</strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the pre-recorded history (prophecies) of the future benevolent services which the Lord Jesus Christ will yet perform for mankind, one of the most important is that which will be accomplished in His thousand year parousia. Having established in <a href="http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb023.htm">Issue No. 23</a> the meaning of the Greek word <em>parousia</em>, I shall henceforth use it as an English word in the confidence that my readers will understand that by it I mean a personal presence when one is present because of who or what he is and what he does in view of this.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The great truth of the parousia of the Lord Jesus is unknown and unrecognised by most readers of the English Bible since the word is not found there. It is wrongly translated "coming" in twenty-two of its twenty-four occurrences. It is the parousia of Jesus Christ that will prepare and qualify mankind for the place he will have and the services he will perform in the new heaven and new earth. Under that new order the tabernacle of God will be with men and He will dwell with them and they will be His people and He will be their God (Rev. 21:3). Not even that long term of school in the kingdom of God will fully prepare men for this position and service. We will yet need the learning and discipline that comes from Christ being personally present because of Who He is and what He will do.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When we consider that the event which is commonly called "the rapture" is one that is related to the parousia, and which so many are saying is the next event in God's prophetic program, it causes us to realise the need for an objective study of the parousia of the Lord Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is in Matthew 24:3 that we find the first mention of this great event. The Lord's twelve apostles came to Him privately upon the Mount of Olives and asked the question, "What will be the sign of your parousia, even the consummation of the eon?"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The eon here is the kingdom eon, that pre-advent time of divine government that prepares mankind for the parousia of Jesus Christ. The eon consummates in the parousia, and it is the consummation of that eon. In justification of the above translation I would cite the following:</span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There is a rule of Greek grammar which is as follows. When two nouns in the same case are connected by the word <em>kai</em> (and), and the second noun lacks the definite article, then the second noun refers to the same person or thing as the first noun and is a definition of it. An example of this will be found in 1 Cor. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://3" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">15:24</a> where Paul speaks of "God, even the Father" <em>(Theo kai patri)</em>.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This rule applies to the two nouns found in the question asked by the apostles <em>(parousia</em> and <em>sunteleia)</em>. They are asking about one thing, not two things. The parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ is the consummation of the eon -- not this present evil eon, but the glorious eon of the day of Christ, that eon of divine government which is next to come upon the earth.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I am fully convinced that the word <em>sunteleia</em> means a coming together of all that is necessary to produce a desired goal or end, so I have used the word consummation to translate it. The word here is not <em>telos</em> (the actual end) but <em>sunteleia</em>, the act of completing to produce a desired result.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It will help us to fix the meaning of <em>sunteleia</em> in our minds if we will remember that the consummation of a woman's pregnancy is the birth of a living child. A child born dead would be the end of her pregnancy but it would not be the consummation of it. The goal would not have been reached.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There is nothing in this passage about the coming of Christ. How could there be when He was then present with them? The disciples' question concerns His parousia, which they further describe as being "the consummation of the eon". As said before, the eon spoken of here is the eon of the kingdom of God. The consummation of the kingdom eon is the parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, His parousia will not be ushered in without a great struggle of opposition on the part of Satan. The developments and the outcome of this struggle are set forth in the ensuing portion of Matthew 24.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In answer to their question the Lord sets forth certain significant events that will precede His parousia. They asked for the signs of it and this is what He gives to them. These are:</span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Men coming in His character claiming they are the Anointed One,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Battles and reports of battles,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Nation rising up against nation and government against government,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Famines,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Pestilences, and</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Earthquakes.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">And since these things have always been prominent in the earth from the time of the entrance of sin (they were prominent when the Lord spoke these words and have been prominent ever since) the logical mind will wonder how they can possibly be signs of the nearness of His parousia.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The answer is that they cannot be and it is illogical to cry "signs of the times" every time a famine or earthquake or pestilence occurs. However, when we understand the flow of events set forth in the time periods of the New Testament we realise that these things have ceased under God's government which precedes these events and the parousia. The rigid restraints (Isa. 30:31) and the swift punishments that will characterise the government of God will keep all such things from happening. But when these restraints are lifted and the restrainer Himself (the Holy Spirit) is removed, evil men and evil conditions will again appear and be highly significant. It should also be apparent that the great drama that is written out in detail in Matthew 24 can never be acted out until the twelve apostles have been raised from the dead and are in their positions as judges of the twelve tribes of Israel. These words and warnings were spoken to them, and not to us. Nevertheless, all readers are cautioned, "Whoso readeth, let him understand" (Matt. 24:15).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The actual period of time being dealt with here is the seventieth week, a seven year period, of Israel's seventy weeks as revealed in Daniel 9. This seven year period is divided into two parts and it is the last three and one-half years that makes up "the great tribulation". This begins the great struggle for it in the middle of the week that Satan is cast down to earth, raging with great wrath because he knows his time is short (Rev. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://4" x-apple-data-detectors-result="4" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">12:12</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is then that all the governing people in Israel ("them which be in Judea" Matt. 24:16) must flee to the mountains. This will be an orderly migration, a work of faith, and the apostles will be in absolute charge. They are to take nothing, since the same Lord who fed and clothed their murmuring fathers in these same mountains for forty years can certainly supply the needs of this righteous band for forty-two months.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is the presence of Satan, the great deceiver, upon the earth, that makes this to be a time of affliction such as has never been before. But they are safe in their divinely appointed place in the mountains and the forces of antichrist do not dare to go in and bring them out, so they spend their time marching up and down the streets of Jerusalem. This is the time when "Jerusalem shall be trodden of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled". See Eze. 30:2, Luke <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://5" x-apple-data-detectors-result="5" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">21:24</a>, Rev. 11:2. But it seems they begin to look foolish marching up and down the streets of Jerusalem when the ones they seek to capture and destroy are in the mountains. And it is when they assemble at Megiddo in preparation for turning into the mountains that the Lord comes and fights against them. This is the battle of Armageddon, in which not one life is lost except those who are in revolt against Israel and against God's government. Remember that the "man of sin" is destroyed by the blazing forth <em>(epiphaneia)</em> of His parousia (2 Thess. 2:8).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In answering their question concerning the signs of His parousia He warns them to disregard all declarations that He has returned to the earth and is in the desert or hidden away in some secret chamber in the city, thus to avoid all stratagems that would lure them out of their divinely appointed place of safety. He then states with absolute finality:</span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall the parousia of the Son of Man be." (Matt. 24:27.)</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">From this we know that His parousia will be sudden, dramatic, and public. The idea of a secret parousia is unknown in the Word of God.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As the Lord continues His message He declares that it is "immediately after the tribulation of those days" that they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matt. 24: 29, 30). This is the coming that results in His parousia.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One evident fact that will be apparent to all who examine the four occurrences of the word <em>parousia</em> in Matthew 24, is that it is an event that comes after the great tribulation and not before. It cannot be moved around to suit the whims of faulty prophetic schemes. It is also seen to be one definite event. Any attempt to make two parousias will not stand the test of Scripture.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One of the most important references to the parousia of the Lord is found in 1 Thess. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://6" x-apple-data-detectors-result="6" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">4:15-17</a> where Paul prefaces his declaration by saying, "This we say unto you by the word of the Lord," which indicates a new revelation not made by anyone before. He continues by saying that those who are alive and remain unto the parousia of the Lord shall in no wise be a step ahead of those who are asleep. He declares that the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the chief messenger, and with the trump of God. This is His coming, His coming in order to be personally present. As He descends those who are then "dead in Christ", a martyred group who gave up their lives in the great tribulation, will be raised and these with the living shall be caught up with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air. It is wrong to twist this into the idea that He is coming to take these people to heaven. He is coming to be personally present upon the earth and here to accomplish all the great works that His many offices indicate. He is not coming to govern. After the kingdom experience those who still need government have not acquired the maturity that is necessary for a place on earth when He is personally present in view of all that He is and all that He will do.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The words of the scoffers who ask, "Where is the promise of His parousia?" (2 Pet. 3:4) are tantamount to saying, "There is no promise of a parousia in the Bible." The amillennial school of interpretation is doing this today. They are a sign that we are in the closing days of this dispensation. Don't listen to them. <a href="http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb026.htm">NEXT</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-57911043171440600812015-12-05T07:08:00.004-08:002015-12-05T07:08:56.145-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">WHAT DOES </strong><em style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong>parousia</strong></em><strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> MEAN?</strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the study of things to come there is no word that encompasses any greater truth than the word <em>parousia</em>. This is a Greek word that has been brought over into English without any change in its spelling, and it will be found in most dictionaries, even though the definition given is far from accurate. It is a word that should be found in the vocabulary of every diligent Bible student. There is no English word that will accurately express the Greek word <em>parousia</em>; therefore, it should be transliterated and a maximum effort should be made to fix in our minds its meaning as used by the Spirit of God in the New Testament.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This word is found twenty-four times in the Greek New Testament and is used in numerous contexts making it possible for us to discover its true meaning from its usage, the only way that any word in any language should ever be defined. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the <em>King James Version</em> it is translated "coming" twenty-two times and "presence" twice. Other translations as a rule have used the words <em>coming, presence,</em> <em>arrival,</em> and <em>personal presence</em> to represent the word <em>parousia.</em> And at this point it needs to be stated unequivocally that it does not mean coming in any occurrence in the New Testament. To so translate it was an egregious error that is constantly perpetuated by lexicographers and theologians. I do not believe that the definition of "coming" would be given in any lexicon, there being not one shred of evidence to support it, if it had not been for the fact that the <em>King James Version</em> translators arbitrarily rendered it this way so that it would not flatly contradict their creedal position.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The translators of the <em>King James Version</em> were men who held firmly to the theology that arose out of the reformation, and especially to the later ideas developed by John Calvin, a man who studiously avoided ever coming to grips with the great eschatological problems of Scripture. A very simple doctrine of future events was worked out which was a slight refinement of Roman Catholic doctrine. According to this, there was to come what was called "the day of judgement", and this was equated with the second coming of Christ, even though it was not held that He returned in person. On this day of judgement all mankind, living and dead, were to be summoned before God to be judged. A great separation was to be made, with all the righteous finding a place forever in heaven, and all the wicked being consigned to live forever in a place of torment called hell. The earth was then to be destroyed by fire, an event that was supported by mistranslating <em>sunteleias tou aionos</em> "the end of the world".</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In view of beliefs such as these there was no place in the thinking of these men for a time to come when Jesus Christ would be personally present upon the earth. So they eliminated the <em>parousia</em> by translating it "coming" and making it to be a coming universal judgement.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There is no truth to be gained by pointing to 1 Cor. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">16:17</a> (as many do) as proof that <em>parousia</em> means coming, where Paul declares that he was glad for the <em>parousia</em> Stephanas and Fortunatus.. The fact that the word "coming" seems to fit well in this sentence is no proof that this is what it means. The word <em>health</em> or <em>prosperity</em> would fit just as well, but the fact is that <em>parousia</em> does not mean health or prosperity and neither does it mean coming. These men were a deputation from the Corinthian ecclesia to the Apostle Paul. Thus they were there because of who they were and the help they could be to Paul. He was rejoicing in their personal presence, a presence which he exalts and honours by calling it a <em>parousia</em>. The importance of this designation will be seen when we get to the actual technical meaning of this word.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The word <em>parousia</em> does not mean "arrival" as the occurrence in 2 Cor. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">10:10</a> will clearly show. The weakness of Paul's "bodily presence" was not limited to his arrival. It continued through his entire <em>parousia</em> in Corinth. And this word does not mean "presence" or "bodily presence" even though it does contain these two ideas. It means more than "presence" and more than "bodily presence" and to so translate it is to weaken this strong word. It is actually a simple word and should present no problem to the translator as long as he can rise fully above the confusion that was imposed upon it when it was made to mean "coming". It is made up of the word <em>para </em>which means "beside", and the participial form of the word "to be", <em>ousia</em>, which means "being". The compound word <em>parousia</em> means being beside, being with, or being present. However when all occurrences of this word in the New Testament, in Classical Greek, in the Septuagint, and in the papyrus manuscripts are examined it will be found that this word means more than presence and more even than personal presence. It is used of a certain kind of personal presence, and only such a presence can be properly called a <em>parousia</em>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Adolf Deissmann's pertinent comment that <em>parousia</em> is "a technical expression" has been repeated by many commentators, but invariably they leave us without any explanation of the technical (exact) meaning of this word. This is a fault of which I do not wish to be guilty so I will give at once the technical definition of this important term.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Greek word <em>parousia</em> means a personal presence when one is present because of who he is and what he does. Thus, a personal presence may not be a parousia if the one present is not there in relationship to his position or office and the service he performs as such.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The word for "personal presence" in the New Testament is <em>pareimi</em>, not <em>parousia</em>, a fact that is easily established by its many occurrences. (See list on page 594 of the <em>Englishman's Greek Concordance</em>.) These occurrences show that <em>pareimi</em> always means a personal presence when it is used of men, and an actual presence when it is used of things. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">At first glance these two words may seem to be only different inflections of the same word, but usage has established them as two words with distinct meanings. We must not stultify <em>parousia</em> by giving it the same meaning as <em>pareimi</em>. The distinction between the two is of the utmost importance, so I will give several illustrations of these two words.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If I should go to the courthouse and sit in on a trial, my presence there would most certainly be a personal one, and it could be described by the Greek word <em>pareimi,</em> but not by <em>parousia</em>. I am not there because of who I am, any position I hold or service I will perform. However, the judge, the prosecutor, the attorneys, and the witnesses are all there because of who they are and the service they will render in view of this. Thus, their personal presence there can be called a <em>parousia</em>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Consider another illustration. A teacher of a class in New Testament Greek begins by calling the roll to which each member responds, "Pareimi" (present), a word they had learned in the previous lesson. The teacher then says, Your personal presence, that is, your <em>pareimi</em> having been established, I now trust that your <em>pareimi</em> will at once become a <em>parousia</em>, that you will be here because you are students and, therefore, are here to learn.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The definition of a word can be determined only by an analysis of its usage. This is the method by which dictionaries are compiled. In getting the definition of New Testament words we are primarily interested in the usage made by the Holy Spirit in its pages. Nevertheless, consideration needs to be given to occurrences outside of the Bible.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">CLASSICAL GREEK USAGE</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Of special interest is a quotation by Sophocles, cited by Liddell and Scott, where one said, "that we have no friends present (<em>parousia</em>) to assist us. This man desired the presence of friends who would be there because they were friends and who would undertake to do what a friend would do under such circumstances.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Adolf Deissmann cites many of these occurrences, prefacing them by saying, "From the Ptolemaic period down to the second century A.D. (about 500 years) we are able to trace the word in the East as a technical expressional for the arrival or visit of the king or the emperor." (<em>Light from the Ancient East</em>, Pages 368 to 373.) However, all the examples cited by Deissmann are indicative of an official visit rather than a mere arrival. On the occasion of such visits <em>parousia</em> coins were struck and <em>parousia</em> taxes were levied. And it will also be seen in every occurrence that these visits were described as <em>parousias</em> because they were present because of who they were and were there to perform the duties of their position.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The occurrences in the papyrus are most interesting. These are pointed out by Moulton and Milligan (<em>Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament</em>, page 497). In one a man says, "The repair of what has been swept away by the river requires my <em>parousia"</em>. The owner would need to be there because of who he was and what he would direct to be done.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In another occurrence someone says, "It is no use if a person comes too late for what required his <em>parousia</em>." The correctness of the definition that has already been given is evident in this sentence.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Another occurrence is quite intriguing, causing us to wonder about the incident that generated it. A woman declares that her husband, "swore in the <em>parousia</em> of the overseers (<em>episkopon</em>) and of his own brothers, 'Henceforward I will not hide all my keys from her.' " One can only surmise from this that there was serious trouble between a man and his wife and that the overseers and his brothers were called in to arbitrate the matter. Thus they were there because of their positions and relationship, also the services they were to perform.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the pre-recorded history (prophecies) of the benevolent services which the Lord Jesus Christ will yet perform on behalf of mankind the most important service will be accomplished in His <em>parousia</em>. He is to be personally present upon the earth for a thousand years and He will be present because of all that He is and the services to be performed in view of each glory given to Him. The good that will come out of this is beyond comprehension and volumes would not suffice to tell about it. For now, it is enough to say that this thousand year term in God's school of life, when the master teacher is personally present, will produce a people who know God to the fullest extent that He can be known by man.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Since the Lord Jesus Christ is not now upon the earth, a coming will be required in order for Him to be personally present. I believe in the second coming of Christ (Acts <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://2" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:11</a>). His coming will result in His <em>parousia</em>, and we should not confuse the two.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">SEED & BREAD Number 25: <a href="http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb026.htm">NEXT</a></span></div>
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<strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">THE PAROUSIA OF THE LORD JESUS</strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the pre-recorded history (prophecies) of the future benevolent services which the Lord Jesus Christ will yet perform for mankind, one of the most important is that which will be accomplished in His thousand year parousia. Having established in <a href="http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb023.htm">Issue No. 23</a> the meaning of the Greek word <em>parousia</em>, I shall henceforth use it as an English word in the confidence that my readers will understand that by it I mean a personal presence when one is present because of who or what he is and what he does in view of this.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The great truth of the parousia of the Lord Jesus is unknown and unrecognised by most readers of the English Bible since the word is not found there. It is wrongly translated "coming" in twenty-two of its twenty-four occurrences. It is the parousia of Jesus Christ that will prepare and qualify mankind for the place he will have and the services he will perform in the new heaven and new earth. Under that new order the tabernacle of God will be with men and He will dwell with them and they will be His people and He will be their God (Rev. 21:3). Not even that long term of school in the kingdom of God will fully prepare men for this position and service. We will yet need the learning and discipline that comes from Christ being personally present because of Who He is and what He will do.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When we consider that the event which is commonly called "the rapture" is one that is related to the parousia, and which so many are saying is the next event in God's prophetic program, it causes us to realise the need for an objective study of the parousia of the Lord Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is in Matthew 24:3 that we find the first mention of this great event. The Lord's twelve apostles came to Him privately upon the Mount of Olives and asked the question, "What will be the sign of your parousia, even the consummation of the eon?"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The eon here is the kingdom eon, that pre-advent time of divine government that prepares mankind for the parousia of Jesus Christ. The eon consummates in the parousia, and it is the consummation of that eon. In justification of the above translation I would cite the following:</span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There is a rule of Greek grammar which is as follows. When two nouns in the same case are connected by the word <em>kai</em> (and), and the second noun lacks the definite article, then the second noun refers to the same person or thing as the first noun and is a definition of it. An example of this will be found in 1 Cor. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://3" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">15:24</a> where Paul speaks of "God, even the Father" <em>(Theo kai patri)</em>.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This rule applies to the two nouns found in the question asked by the apostles <em>(parousia</em> and <em>sunteleia)</em>. They are asking about one thing, not two things. The parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ is the consummation of the eon -- not this present evil eon, but the glorious eon of the day of Christ, that eon of divine government which is next to come upon the earth.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I am fully convinced that the word <em>sunteleia</em> means a coming together of all that is necessary to produce a desired goal or end, so I have used the word consummation to translate it. The word here is not <em>telos</em> (the actual end) but <em>sunteleia</em>, the act of completing to produce a desired result.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It will help us to fix the meaning of <em>sunteleia</em> in our minds if we will remember that the consummation of a woman's pregnancy is the birth of a living child. A child born dead would be the end of her pregnancy but it would not be the consummation of it. The goal would not have been reached.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There is nothing in this passage about the coming of Christ. How could there be when He was then present with them? The disciples' question concerns His parousia, which they further describe as being "the consummation of the eon". As said before, the eon spoken of here is the eon of the kingdom of God. The consummation of the kingdom eon is the parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, His parousia will not be ushered in without a great struggle of opposition on the part of Satan. The developments and the outcome of this struggle are set forth in the ensuing portion of Matthew 24.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In answer to their question the Lord sets forth certain significant events that will precede His parousia. They asked for the signs of it and this is what He gives to them. These are:</span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Men coming in His character claiming they are the Anointed One,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Battles and reports of battles,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Nation rising up against nation and government against government,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Famines,</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Pestilences, and</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Earthquakes.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">And since these things have always been prominent in the earth from the time of the entrance of sin (they were prominent when the Lord spoke these words and have been prominent ever since) the logical mind will wonder how they can possibly be signs of the nearness of His parousia.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The answer is that they cannot be and it is illogical to cry "signs of the times" every time a famine or earthquake or pestilence occurs. However, when we understand the flow of events set forth in the time periods of the New Testament we realise that these things have ceased under God's government which precedes these events and the parousia. The rigid restraints (Isa. 30:31) and the swift punishments that will characterise the government of God will keep all such things from happening. But when these restraints are lifted and the restrainer Himself (the Holy Spirit) is removed, evil men and evil conditions will again appear and be highly significant. It should also be apparent that the great drama that is written out in detail in Matthew 24 can never be acted out until the twelve apostles have been raised from the dead and are in their positions as judges of the twelve tribes of Israel. These words and warnings were spoken to them, and not to us. Nevertheless, all readers are cautioned, "Whoso readeth, let him understand" (Matt. 24:15).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The actual period of time being dealt with here is the seventieth week, a seven year period, of Israel's seventy weeks as revealed in Daniel 9. This seven year period is divided into two parts and it is the last three and one-half years that makes up "the great tribulation". This begins the great struggle for it in the middle of the week that Satan is cast down to earth, raging with great wrath because he knows his time is short (Rev. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://4" x-apple-data-detectors-result="4" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">12:12</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is then that all the governing people in Israel ("them which be in Judea" Matt. 24:16) must flee to the mountains. This will be an orderly migration, a work of faith, and the apostles will be in absolute charge. They are to take nothing, since the same Lord who fed and clothed their murmuring fathers in these same mountains for forty years can certainly supply the needs of this righteous band for forty-two months.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is the presence of Satan, the great deceiver, upon the earth, that makes this to be a time of affliction such as has never been before. But they are safe in their divinely appointed place in the mountains and the forces of antichrist do not dare to go in and bring them out, so they spend their time marching up and down the streets of Jerusalem. This is the time when "Jerusalem shall be trodden of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled". See Eze. 30:2, Luke <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://5" x-apple-data-detectors-result="5" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">21:24</a>, Rev. 11:2. But it seems they begin to look foolish marching up and down the streets of Jerusalem when the ones they seek to capture and destroy are in the mountains. And it is when they assemble at Megiddo in preparation for turning into the mountains that the Lord comes and fights against them. This is the battle of Armageddon, in which not one life is lost except those who are in revolt against Israel and against God's government. Remember that the "man of sin" is destroyed by the blazing forth <em>(epiphaneia)</em> of His parousia (2 Thess. 2:8).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In answering their question concerning the signs of His parousia He warns them to disregard all declarations that He has returned to the earth and is in the desert or hidden away in some secret chamber in the city, thus to avoid all stratagems that would lure them out of their divinely appointed place of safety. He then states with absolute finality:</span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall the parousia of the Son of Man be." (Matt. 24:27.)</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">From this we know that His parousia will be sudden, dramatic, and public. The idea of a secret parousia is unknown in the Word of God.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As the Lord continues His message He declares that it is "immediately after the tribulation of those days" that they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matt. 24: 29, 30). This is the coming that results in His parousia.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One evident fact that will be apparent to all who examine the four occurrences of the word <em>parousia</em> in Matthew 24, is that it is an event that comes after the great tribulation and not before. It cannot be moved around to suit the whims of faulty prophetic schemes. It is also seen to be one definite event. Any attempt to make two parousias will not stand the test of Scripture.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One of the most important references to the parousia of the Lord is found in 1 Thess. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://6" x-apple-data-detectors-result="6" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">4:15-17</a> where Paul prefaces his declaration by saying, "This we say unto you by the word of the Lord," which indicates a new revelation not made by anyone before. He continues by saying that those who are alive and remain unto the parousia of the Lord shall in no wise be a step ahead of those who are asleep. He declares that the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the chief messenger, and with the trump of God. This is His coming, His coming in order to be personally present. As He descends those who are then "dead in Christ", a martyred group who gave up their lives in the great tribulation, will be raised and these with the living shall be caught up with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air. It is wrong to twist this into the idea that He is coming to take these people to heaven. He is coming to be personally present upon the earth and here to accomplish all the great works that His many offices indicate. He is not coming to govern. After the kingdom experience those who still need government have not acquired the maturity that is necessary for a place on earth when He is personally present in view of all that He is and all that He will do.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The words of the scoffers who ask, "Where is the promise of His parousia?" (2 Pet. 3:4) are tantamount to saying, "There is no promise of a parousia in the Bible." The amillennial school of interpretation is doing this today. They are a sign that we are in the closing days of this dispensation. Don't listen to them. <a href="http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb026.htm">NEXT</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-62416974314693948062015-11-08T04:50:00.001-08:002015-11-08T04:50:48.245-08:00Salvation Bringing Grace<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong>WHAT DOES </strong><em><strong>sOtErion</strong></em><strong> MEAN?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The word <em>sOtErion</em> is the Greek word that is translated "salvation" in Acts 28:28. It is of the utmost importance since it is the subject of the sentence that makes up this passage. If we do not know for sure what it means then we can never be certain as to what Paul was saying in this important announcement. If we do not arrive at a faithful translation of this word, we will be guilty of changing the subject and have Paul saying something that he is not. This word does not mean "salvation", as it is translated in the KJV and most other versions. If Paul had been speaking of salvation here he would have used the noun <em>sOtEria</em>, not the adjective <em>sOtErion</em>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The noun <em>sOtEria</em> is found forty-five times is the New Testament and is translated "salvation" in forty of these occurrences. The adjective <em>sOtErion</em> is found five times as shown in the following concordance:</span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Luke <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:30</a> -- For mine eyes have seen thy <em>salvation</em></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Luke 3:6 -- all flesh shall see the <em>salvation</em> of God</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Acts 28:28 -- the <em>salvation</em> of God is sent to the Gentiles</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Eph. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">6:17</a> -- And take the helmet of <em>salvation</em></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tit. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://2" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:11</a> -- the grace of God <em>that bringeth salvation</em></span></li>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">From this list it will be seen that the translators have treated this divinely-inspired adjective as if it were a noun when it is not. This is not a grammatically correct translation, and it robs the reader of the exact truth that the Spirit of God intend ed to convey by the use of this adjective.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There is no doubt but that this word literally means <em>saving</em>, even as we would use it in speaking of "saving grace" or "the saving work of Christ", and it is also clear that in four of the five occurrences in the New Testament it is substantivised; that is, it is used as if it were a noun. Nevertheless, the fact remains that it is an adjective, and there is one fixed rule about adjectives that cannot be altered; they never stand alone. If they seem to stand alone, as they do in the five passages cited above, then the noun which they qualify must be found in the context. More on this later, but first of all we must define this word more accurately. There is no question but that it has a technical meaning and is so used in the New Testament.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>The King James Version</em> came very near to the true meaning of this word in Titus <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://3" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:11</a> where it was translated by using three words "that bringeth salvation," for the technical meaning of <em>sOtErion</em> is salvation-bringing. The lexicons are practically unanimous in regard to this:</span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Abbott-Smith: "saving, bringing salvation."</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Cremer: "saving, bringing salvation."</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Lidell and Scott: "savings, delivering, bringing safety."</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Thayer: "saving, bringing salvation."</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Bullinger: "saving, delivering, bringing salvation."</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Arndt and Gingrich: "saving, bringing salvation."</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">W. E. Vine: "saving, bringing salvation."</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moulton and Millegan say that in the papyrus this word is used in the neuter as a substantive with reference to what produces <em>sOtEria</em>, e.g., a sacrifice or a gift.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As stated before, this word is an adjective and no adjective ever stands alone in a sentence. In fact this is so true that one meaning of the word <em>adjective</em> is "something that cannot stand alone." In any sentence where it seems to stand alone we must always seek for that which it modifies. In such statements as, "It is beautiful," or "This is good," we have adjectives which appear to stand alone, yet these words say nothing about anything until we find something in the physical context that supplies the subject. If we are gazing at a sunset or eating a meal when these words are spoken they become full of meaning at once.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Adjectives can be used as substantives only when the idea that is being qualified or modified is clear from the context, either written or apparent. Even a sentence like, "The young are impatient," if spoken without context would quickly bring the terse question, "Young what?"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">With these facts before us we can now take up the examination of the five passages in which this adjective is found, keeping in mind that it means salvation-bringing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If this definition is followed out it would mean that Luke <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://4" x-apple-data-detectors-result="4" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:30</a> would read, "For mine eyes have seen thy salvation-bringing." This is evidently not a complete statement and yet it is exactly what Simeon said, as literally as it can be translated. And it is bound to cause the question to be asked, "Salvation-bringing what?" However, this is good, for the question sends us at once to the context to find out what it is that is described as "salvation-bringing."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moffitt recognises the adjective here and renders it "thy saving power," as does also Lenski, translating it "thy saving gift." Both of these are linguistically wrong as there is nothing about "power" or "gift" in the context.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Simeon, the one who spoke these words, was an aged man who had been told that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah, that is, Jehovah (Luke <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://5" x-apple-data-detectors-result="5" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:26</a>). When this man, led by the Spirit of God, came into the temple and saw the infant Jesus he declared to God, the One who before had spoken to him, "Lord now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation-bringing." This is literally what he said, and the context leaves no doubt about the noun that should be supplied. Simeon had seen God's salvation-bringing Messiah (Christ), the world's long awaited Saviour . He had seen what God had told him he would see -- not power, not a gift, but the Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the second occurrence of <em>sOtErion</em> (Luke 3:6) the noun that needs to be supplied is not so readily apparent, yet there can be no mistake as to the intent of the Spirit in this place. Literally this passage would read, "And all flesh shall see the salvation-bringing of God." This is grammatically correct, and it is true to the Greek. Yet some will again respectfully inquire: "Salvation-bringing what?" and again the answer must be found in the context. This makes it plain that this statement is in complete harmony with something written in the prophecy of Isaiah, where it says "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together" (Isa. 40:5). In view of this the noun to be supplied is <em>glory</em>, making the passage under consideration to read, "And all flesh shall see the salvation-bringing glory of God." The reference here is to world salvation.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The occurrence in Eph. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://6" x-apple-data-detectors-result="6" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">6:17</a> belongs to a portion on which so many sermons have been preached that few are now able to distinguish between these and the actual message of God. If this is translated literally it would read, "And receive the helmet of the salvation-bringing, even the sword of the Spirit, which is a declaration of God." Here again we must seek an honest answer to the question, "Salvation-bringing what?"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In this passage "the helmet" equals "the salvation-bringing" for they are appositional -- one defines the other. And then by a further apposition these are defined as "the sword of the Spirit" which in turn is described as being "a declaration from God." In view of this we should read here, "And take the helmet of the salvation-bringing declaration (the gospel)." And let it not be thought strange that the salvation-bringing declaration of God is both the believer's helmet and the Spirit's sword. There is no mixing of metaphors here, but two distinct metaphors setting forth two separate uses of the same thing. It is my firm opinion that the salvation-bringing declaration of God is the gospel according to John, the only book in the Bible that was written so that men might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and believing have life through His name (John <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://7" x-apple-data-detectors-result="7" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">20:31</a>). The one who is not securely grounded upon this message will not be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. We need this helmet.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In Titus <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://8" x-apple-data-detectors-result="8" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:11</a> we do not need to search for the noun which the adjective qualifies as it is in the passage. This passage should read, "For the salvation-bringing grace of God has shone forth in behalf of all humanity."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We will now consider the occurrence in the main passage under consideration, Acts 28:28. If this is translated literally it will read, "Let it then be known to you that the salvation-bringing of God has been authorised (made freely available) to the nations and they will hear it." But again we must ask, "Salvation-bringing what?"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the context this "salvation-bringing of God" is something that the nations will hear; therefore, it is a divine communication. Thus we should read here, "the salvation-bringing message of God." Some may prefer some other term such as <em>word, utterance, declaration</em> or <em>gospel</em>, and there can be no objection to these since they all describe a communication that is intended to be heard. They are somewhat synonymous terms and they can be used for emphasis and variety. Thus it is that we have the subject of Paul's great declaration in Acts 28:28. He is talking about the salvation-bringing message of God.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The words "has been authorised" declare an accomplished fact, the effect of which continues, so the tense here is the second aorist. The words "they will hear it" declare a future result so the tense is future.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The great change that took place at Acts 28:28 is declared in the words "has been authorised to the nations." It is quite evident from Acts <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://9" x-apple-data-detectors-result="9" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">10:36</a> and Acts <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://10" x-apple-data-detectors-result="10" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">13:26</a> that the salvation-bringing message of God was authorised and made freely available to the nation of Israel from the day of Pentecost. At Acts 10 Peter was authorised to proclaim it to one Gentile household, but his commission did not go beyond this. The Apostle Paul was authorised to proclaim it to Gentiles, but it was severely restricted. It had to be to the Jew first in every place that he visited. Thus that which had been freely available only to Israel became freely available to all other nations at Acts 28:28.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the words "they will hear it" we have a pledge and guarantee from God made by His agent and spokesman, Paul. These words actually mean that it will get through to the nations for their benefit. God made good on this pledge when He caused the Gospel of John to be written. The salvation-bringing message is no longer in the hands of men. It is written and it stands written. <a href="http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb009.htm">NEXT</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-7615406687990778672015-11-06T14:30:00.001-08:002015-11-06T14:30:13.947-08:00The Lord Jesus Is Jehovah<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">GOD OUR SAVIOUR</strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Tim. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:15</a>). "The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world" (1 John <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">4:14</a>). These statements are true; they are from the inspired Word of God. However, the question is now whether this joint effort of the Father and the Son has fulfilled its purpose and become effective in my life, in your life. Can we honestly say in the language of Scripture, "God my Saviour"?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There are no words that are more precious that can come from the lips of an individual than these words spoken in truth. They were spoken by Mary the mother of our Lord when she said in her beautiful magnificat: "My soul cloth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour" (Luke 1:46,47). If one can in truth say, "God my Saviour", he can rest assured that he has the ultimate Saviour. There can be none that is better, none more perfect, none that can give better assurance of salvation. If God is our Saviour then we are saved, and we can assert this as a fact that is founded upon the solid rock of God's Word. One can only feel sorry for those unstable souls who glory in His power as the Creator, but doubt His ability as a Saviour.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The words "God our Saviour" can well be said to be the most precious and most important in the Bible. The unsettled state of so many professing Christians is the result of never having fully entered into the meaning of these words. The lack of settled peace and conf idence, so common among God's people, is the outcome of not appreciating and not believing the truth declared in them. We need to know Who the Saviour is and what the Saviour is before we can fully trust Him.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">To fully appreciate the meaning of the words "God our Saviour", we must approach them through the Old Testament. The prophet Isaiah is the one who most fully develops this theme. It was through him that Jehovah declared: </span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ye are My witness, saith the LORD, and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me. I, even I am the LORD (Jehovah); and beside Me there is no Saviour. Isa. 43 :10, 11.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In response to this declaration that there is no God but Jehovah and no Saviour but Jehovah, let all who read these lines say, "It is truth" (Isa. 43:9). Let us remember that one becomes a believer by believing the truth that is at hand, even if it is the first truth that one has heard. There is no profit in disputing, in doubting, in arguing. There is no value in demanding that all truth be in hand before any is believed. God has spoken, and here we have a truth before us to be believed. There is no Saviour but Jehovah, the God who is seen throughout the Old Testament. This great truth is repeated in the words of Jehovah in Isa. 45:21,22:</span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD (Jehovah)? and there is no God else beside Me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside Me. Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. </span></li>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In these words we see God presenting Himself as the Saviour, the one and only Saviour, calling upon men to look to Him and be saved, even those living in the most remote places, which is what the idiomatic phrase "all the ends of the earth" really means. Thus this call is to all mankind, and if mankind as a whole does not respond, then let the individual look to Him and He will not be sent away empty handed.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If the majority rejects and if the minority is slow to believe, then let us break with both of them and believe as individuals in the Saviour, in the salvation He provides, and in the declared way of obtaining both the Saviour and salvation. Let us not follow a multitude to do evil (Ex. 23:2). For while this great offering of Jehovah Himself as the Saviour was primarily to Israel and then to all mankind, it was also to the individual as will be seen in the passage that follows this offer: </span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to Him shall men come; and all that are incensed against Him shall be ashamed. Isa. 45 :24.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the italicised word one in the above passage we have an attempt of the translators to express the singular in number which is what it is in the Hebrew text. But they did not follow through when they supplied the word men in the following clause. This is also singular and should read "shall one come".</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The great truth that Jehovah was the only God and the only Saviour was well known in Israel at that point of time when the New Testament begins. While there is evidence that they neglected most of the Old Testament, having made it void through their traditions, this was not so concerning the prophecy of Isaiah. This was the one scroll that would be found in the synagogue if they could afford only one portion.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When the Messiah was born in Bethlehem it was the specific instructions of the angel of the Lord that His parents should "call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins" (Matt. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://2" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:21</a>). The name "Jesus" is the Greek form of the Hebrew name "Jehoshua" which means "Jehovah the Saviour". From this His supposed father Joseph must have known that He was an unusual person, for this name was not given to Him to proclaim the fact that Jehovah saves, as in the case of others who bore it, but to emphasise the fact that One who bore it was Himself to do the saving. This is seen in the reason declared for giving it to Him. "For He shall save His people from their sins".</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This is in harmony with the message proclaimed by the angels to the shepherds:</span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://3" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:11</a>.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This announcement must have created a dilemma for all who heard it since it announced a Saviour which is Christ the Lord, but it is apparent it did not. The shepherds who first heard it said at once,"Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known to us" (Luke <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://4" x-apple-data-detectors-result="4" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:15</a>). They faced no predicament of two Saviours for these humble men had light and faith which few have today. They knew that Jehovah of old had declared that He alone was the Saviour and that there is no Saviour but Him. Yet they faced no problem in receiving this babe born in Bethlehem as the Saviour, something they could not have done if the one named Jesus was not Jehovah. However, this was the very truth announced by the angel, that this one born in Bethlehem was "Messiah Jehovah", which is what the Greek <em>Christos Kurios</em> actually means.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The people of Israel never had to face the dilemma of two Saviours, one the Jehovah of the Old Testament who declared that He was the only Saviour, and Jesus Christ of the New Testament who is presented by the angels as the Saviour and in turn presented Himself as such. Thus the faithful believed, just as we need to believe, that this One born in Bethlehem was in reality the Jehovah of the Old Testament. If not, then there are two who claim to be the Saviour and one of them must be branded as an impostor. In fact Jesus should be rejected as such if He is not Jehovah. See <a href="http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb002.htm">Issue No. 2</a>for a fuller treatment of this important truth.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As we trace out further the theme of "God our Saviour" through the New Testament we come to the testimony of the Apostle Paul who sets forth beyond all question that the God who is our Saviour is the Lord Jesus Christ. In his epistle to Titus he speaks of "the commandment of God our Saviour" (Titus 1:3) and in the same sentence speaks of "the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour" (Titus 1 :4). Can it be that he is presenting two Saviours here? Certainly not. He would not be guilty of such a thought. God our Saviour and the Lord Jesus Christ are one and the same. Any conception of God that does not recognise this is false and contrary to divine revelation.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is quite evident that the Spirit of God desired to emphasise this truth since it is brought out again in the next chapter of this epistle. In Titus <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://6" x-apple-data-detectors-result="6" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:10</a> he speaks of "God our Saviour" and in the same sentence speaks of "the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (<a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://7" x-apple-data-detectors-result="7" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:13</a>). And as if to establish the truth by three witnesses, in Titus 3:4 he speaks of "the kindness and love of God our Savior" and in the same sentence speaks of "Jesus Christ our Saviour". Truly our God is our Saviour.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There is solid encouragement for every child of God in the realisation of this great truth. The joy of salvation comes from knowing the One who is our Saviour. Think what it means to be able to say that the Great Creator became our Saviour. And if the Creator is not God, then who is God?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In Isaiah 44:24 the great Jehovah declares that He alone is the Creator, that He did it Himself, and no agents were involved. This truth is repeated in Isa. 45:12. Thus it is clear that the One called Jehovah (LORD) in Isaiah is the One called Elohim in Genesis 1:1, where we read, "In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heaven and the earth". Continuing in the Word we come to John 1:1 where one called the Word (Logos) is set before us, and we are told that "the Word (Logos) was God". And as a further means of identification we are told that, "All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:3). Therefore, whether it is Elohim who is presented as the Creator in Genesis 1:1, or Jehovah who is declared to be the only Creator in Isaiah 45:12 or the Logos who is presented as the Creator in John 1:3, it is the same One. Then when we come to John <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://8" x-apple-data-detectors-result="8" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:14</a> we are told that the Word (Logos) was made flesh and became a man upon this earth beheld by others. This is our Lord Christ Jesus, and this is our Saviour. This is the One who fills the pages of God's book.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Look unto Me and be ye saved, for I am God and there is none else" (Isa. 45:22) is the divine invitation. It was Jehovah who issued this bid, and by it He proclaimed that He alone is the Saviour and that He wants men to be saved. "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me", is the declaration of the Lord Jesus. All who ever came to Jesus Christ came to God the Father, and no one has ever come to the Father save by the Son of God. "I and My Father are one", is His word concerning this. "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same has not the Father; but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also" (1 John <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://9" x-apple-data-detectors-result="9" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:23</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I have already said that a man becomes a believer by believing the truth that is at hand. Let every reader of these lines go over the preceding paragraph once again and then ask himself if this is his belief. If so, he may have the right to say, "God my Saviour". <a href="http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb022.htm">NEXT</a></span></div>
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<strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">THE LORD JESUS IS JEHOVAH</strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In order to qualify as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ one must believe the record God has given of His Son. To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is to believe what the Bible says concerning Him. The central and most important feature of divine revelation in regard to Him is that the Jehovah of the Old Testament is the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament. There is no fact concerning the man Christ Jesus that is declared more emphatically or that is set forth in more detail than that He is Jehovah.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In spite of this preponderance of testimony, a denomination that calls itself "Jehovah's Witnesses" is most aggressive in the denial of this great Biblical fact. However, in their house to house canvassing they seldom come upon one who is familiar with all the facts of Scripture bearing on this great truth, and this results in many triumphs for them over these ignorant ones. This situation demands that the facts should be made known, so "To the law and to the testimony: If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://10" x-apple-data-detectors-result="10" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">8:20</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In examining the evidence the student will need to remember that every time he comes upon the name LORD in the King James Version spelled out in capital letters, that this represents the Hebrew word <em>Yahweh</em> which we translate <em>Jehovah</em>. He will also need to note that due to an extreme (but mistaken) reverence for the ineffable name "Yahweh" the ancient custodians of the sacred text, the Massorites, substituted in 134 places the name <em>Adonai</em>. The Companion Bible gives a complete list of these (Appendix 32). They committed no sin in doing this as it was merely the substitution of one name of God <em>(Adonai)</em> for another <em>(Yahweh)</em>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In Genesis 15:2,8 Abraham twice called Jehovah (The One who spoke to him) "Lord GOD", which in the Hebrew reads <em>Adonai Jehovah</em> . This presents a great difficulty for those who try to tell us that Jehovah refers only to "the Father," and Adonai refers only to "the Son." This bit of misinformation is constantly being thrown out by those whose conversation shows that they have never made a personal study of the Hebrew titles given to the Deity. Even a superficial acquaintance with the use of these names in Scripture would show that such an idea is impossible. Can we deduce from the two passages cited above that two distinct beings or personalities dealt with Abraham? Certainly not! The titles Jehovah and Adonai are so inextricably interwoven that no one with knowledge would think of applying them to two separate beings. They are many times used in combination; the prophet Ezekiel alone does so almost two hundred times.</span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In Isaiah 6:1-3 the prophet declares: In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD (Jehovah) of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This vision was so overpowering that it caused Isaiah to cry out: "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD (Jehovah) of hosts. (Isaiah 6:5)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Thus in verse one the prophet says, "I saw the Lord" (Adonai), and in verse five he says, "Mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD (Jehovah) of hosts." This presents an insuperable difficulty to those who would tell us that these two names represent two different beings, since they show that Jehovah and Adonai are one and the same.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In John <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://12" x-apple-data-detectors-result="12" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">12:38</a> to 41 a part of this passage is quoted and it is declared that this was a vision of the glory of Christ; "These things said Esaias (Isaiah), when he saw His glory, and spake of Him." (Jn. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://13" x-apple-data-detectors-result="13" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">12:41</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In Isaiah 40:3 the prophet speaks of the preparation of a path for Jehovah. "Prepare ye the way of the LORD (Jehovah)," are his stirring words. Seven hundred years later John the Baptist adopts this passage, applies it to himself as the forerunner and to the preparation for the public appearance of the Lord Jesus. See Mt. 3:3, and Jn.1:23. Truly the One whom Isaiah spoke about (Jehovah) is the One who John heralded (Jesus).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Again in Isaiah, in a passage that begins with the majestic words, "Thus saith the LORD (Jehovah) that created the heavens, God (Elohim) that formed the earth and made it" (Isa. 45:18), Jehovah the Creator declares that "unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear" (Isa. 45:23). This is a part of His future glory -- the honouring of One who repeatedly declares that "My glory will I not give to another" (Isa. 42:8). Yet in Philippians 2:9-11 it is declared of the one who died "the death of the cross:" </span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. </span></li>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">What else can "Lord" mean in this passage except Jehovah? The universal confession that is yet to be made is that Jesus Christ is Jehovah, a confession that is forced upon men by the unveiling of Jesus Christ. Some of us willingly confess this now. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The "Jehovah Witness" people claim that they find their name in Isaiah 43:10,12, and 44:8. If so one would think that these witnesses would be patently familiar with everything declared in these two chapters, also with those chapters which form the context, chapters 42 and 45. However, in conversation with quite a few of them I have found them to be ignorant of this quartet of chapters as a whole and to have very little interest in what is said in them outside of the three small fragments they use for their name. Yet, these four chapters contain some of the greatest declarations to be found in Scripture. Consider these words:</span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Thus saith God the LORD (Jehovah Elohim), he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I am the LORD (Jehovah): that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. (Isaiah 42:5,8)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD (Jehovah), and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD (Jehovah); and beside me there is no saviour. (Isaiah 43:10-11). </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Thus saith the LORD (Jehovah) the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD (Jehovah) of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. (Isaiah 44:6) Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any. (Isaiah 44:8).</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Thus saith the LORD (Jehovah), thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD (Jehovah) that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; (Isaiah 44:24).</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I am the LORD (Jehovah), and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD (Jehovah), and there is none else. I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. (Isaiah 45:5,6,12). </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD (Jehovah)? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. (Isaiah 45:21-23). </span></li>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The above passages should be read carefully once again noting exactly what Jehovah declares concerning Himself. He declares that He is the Creator of the heavens, the earth, all that comes out of it and man upon it. He declares that He is the maker of all things, that He alone stretched forth the heavens, that He spread abroad the earth by Himself. Words could not be stronger or more explicit in claiming that He acted alone in the creation. Therefore, when we are told by the Spirit of God in John 1:3 that the Word, the very Word who be came flesh, made all things and "without Him was not any thing made that was made," only one conclusion is possible. The one set forth as the Creator in Isaiah is the One set forth as Creator in John. Jehovah is Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Jehovah proclaims that He is the redeemer of Israel, yet in the New Testament redemption is predicated over and over again to the Lord Jesus, the Christ "in whom we have redemption through His blood" (Eph. 1:7). Surely, Jesus is Jehovah.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is the word of Jehovah that He alone is God, that there is none beside Him, that there is none like Him, that before Him there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Him. Yet in spite of these declarations the "Jehovah Witnesses" would explain away the explicit statement found in John 1:1 that "the Word was God" by inserting the indefinite article and saying that Jesus was a God. This cannot be true for it results in a second God who is not Jehovah. Jesus and Jehovah are one and the same God.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Jehovah declares three times that beside Him there is no Saviour: Isa. 43.11, 45:21, and Hos. 13:4. And yet the angels declared at the birth of Jesus that a Saviour had been born which Christ the Lord. These words can mean nothing but "Messiah Jehovah". Jesus cannot be a Saviour unless He is Jehovah.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Jehovah declares that He is the "First and the Last". All must agree that there cannot be two firsts and two lasts. How can it be then that the resurrected Jesus declares in Revelation <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://14" x-apple-data-detectors-result="14" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:11</a>, 17 and 18 that He is "the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last". There is no way this could possible be true unless the speaker Himself is Jehovah.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Jehovah declares that there is none like Him, none to whom He can be likened, none equal to Him, yet the Lord Jesus declared that those who had seen Hi m had seen the Father, that those who knew Him knew the Father, that men should honour Him even as they honoured the Father. John <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://15" x-apple-data-detectors-result="15" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">5:23</a>, <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://16" x-apple-data-detectors-result="16" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">8:19</a>, and 14:7 and 9. Paul declares that Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Not one word of this can be true if Jesus is not Jehovah.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Again, I repeat, there is no fact that is declared more emphatically or that is set forth in more detail than that the Lord Jesus is Jehovah. This is the record God has given. Salvation becomes ours when we believe the record God has given of His Son. </span></div>
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<a href="http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb003.htm"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #454545;">NEXT</span></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-48239753224083719442015-10-31T13:51:00.003-07:002015-10-31T13:51:54.644-07:00They Will Call Him God<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One Savior One God</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">SEED & BREAD Number 159: <a href="http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb160.htm">NEXT</a></span></div>
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<strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST</strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">(Originally published 10 Apr. 83)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One who has written much on any major theme of the Bible cannot avoid going over ground that he has already covered. He needs to make no apology for so doing, especially if it is a truth that needs to be "Shouted from the housetop." One Biblical truth that needs to be declared repeatedly and forcefully with all the authority of the Word of God backing it up is the truth declared in the title of this study, that without compromise, without reserve, Jesus Christ is God.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Of all the teachings in the Bible which I hold and proclaim as truth, none is set forth as conclusively as is the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. That Jesus Christ is God has been declared in so many ways in so many parts that the evidence for it is stupendous. This is so true that it is my conclusion that those who deny this mass of evidence must be regarded as unbelievers. They have rejected the overwhelming record God has given of His Son. It follows that since they are unbelievers, they do not have the Savior; they are living without a Savior and will probably die in this same state unless God may give them submission so that they can come into "a realization of the truth" (2 Tim. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:25</a>). By their doubts, questionings, and reasonings they have separated others from a full belief in the only One Who can save. It logically follows that if God is our Savior (Titus 1:3), and if there is no Savior but God (Isa. 43:11), then if Jesus Christ is not God He cannot qualify as a Savior.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It follows also that those who do not believe the record God has given concerning Jesus Christ do not have the Spirit of God. Possession of a portion of His Spirit is the privilege of every believer (Eph. 1:13,14), and if any man lacks this, no matter how kind, gentle, and winsome he may be, he is not qualified to speak in reference to the nature of the Lord Jesus. No amount of academic training will make it possible for one to do this. The things of God cannot be known to any man but by the Spirit of God (1 Cor. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://2" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:11</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The immense truth of the deity of Jesus Christ actually begins with the first verse of the Bible; that is, Genesis 1:1. However, since most seekers are looking for shortcuts to the truth in the hope of obtaining instant wisdom, very few are willing to go back this far to obtain the pertinent facts. If these are not stored up, we will have no true basis for reasoning and thinking when we come to the supreme revelation concerning Jesus Christ in the New Testament.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Furthermore, before anyone begins such a search, he must submit in advance to the truth declared by Jesus Christ when He said: "No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him" (Matt. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://3" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">11:27</a>). Spiritual awareness concerning Jesus Christ is not attained through education, intellect, or erudition. Philosophic appraisals of Him are worthless. He can be known only by a revelation from God.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is the Old Testament that provides the Biblical conglomerate of facts with which one can reason when he comes to think upon the child that was born in Bethlehem. No one can think if he does not possess certain facts with which to think. It is even as no one can count his money when he has no money to count. If we are going to think, reason, and come to conclusions concerning Jesus Christ, we must be in possession of certain divine facts that are set forth in the thirty-nine oracles from Genesis to Malachi.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When we turn to Genesis 1:1, we are told: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." This is fact number one with which we can begin to reason. A glance at any analytical concordance will show that the Hebrew word for "God" here is <i>Elohim, </i>an important fact to be noted and remembered. And here I must ask: Is there anyone who reads these lines who does not believe in the deity of <i>Elohim </i>who did the creating? Furthermore, if in later revelations we find that the One who did the creating was "made flesh and tabernacled among us" (John 1:3 and 14) then the deity of Christ Jesus is infallibly established.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the Old Testament the descriptive title of <i>Elohim </i>is found 2555 times; but as we move on from its first occurrence we soon find the name "LORD" added to it (Gen. 2:7); and since this name is by the translators written in capitals, we know at once that this is in Hebrew the four-letter name <i>YHWH.</i>Since Biblical Hebrew had no vowels, and these need to be added in order to make this name easily pronounceable, most reverent scholars add the vowels "a" and "e" which give us the name <i>Yahweh, </i>a name that appears in the Old Testament at least 7000 times. There are some who would translate this "Jehovah" (treating the Hebrew letter <i>yod </i>as our letter "J" and adding three vowels); but I prefer <i>Yahweh, </i>and the names "Yahweh" and "Elohim" will be used without italics throughout this study.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It was Yahweh Elohim Who formed man of the soil of the ground (Gen. 2:7); and as we continue our search for facts we will find many truths declared concerning Yahweh Elohim, set forth by direct statements which He makes concerning Himself. An important one of these is found in the words of Moses spoken to Israel in Deuteronomy <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://4" x-apple-data-detectors-result="4" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">4:39</a>: "Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that Yahweh is Elohim in heaven above and upon the earth beneath: there is none else."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">However, it is when we come to the prophecy of Isaiah that we find some of the most important facts concerning Yahweh that pertain to our study.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In Isa. 40:28 the titles Elohim, Yahweh, and Creator <i>(Bara) </i>are brought together, and in 43:10 Yahweh declares that there was no God (El, the Omnipotent One) formed before Him and neither was any such formed afterward. In 43:11 He affirms: "I, even I, am Yahweh; and beside Me there is no Savior." And as if to make it more positive, He further proclaims: "Thus saith Yahweh, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer the Yahweh of hosts; I am the First, and I am the Last; and beside Me there is no Elohim" (Isa. 44:6). He then locks all this in by a question: "Ye are my witnesses. Is there a God (Eloah) beside Me? yea, there is no God (Elohim); I know not any" (44:8).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In Isaiah 44:24 Yahweh declares that He is the Maker of all things; that He stretched forth the heavens by Himself and spread forth the earth alone. He repeats all this in 45:12 saying that He made the earth and created man upon it, that He did it alone and had no assistants. He then sums it all up, declaring: "I am Yahweh, and there is no Elohim else beside Me. Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God (El) and there is none else. I have sworn by Myself, the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear" (Isa. 45:12-23).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">These are the truths that Yahweh has declared concerning Himself, set forth in His Word so that all who fear Him and are seeking Him shall have positive facts to believe as they go forward in the truth concerning "this glorious and awesome name, Yahweh Elohim" (Deut. 28:58). These are the facts we must carry with us as we enter the New Testament and give consideration to the revelation concerning Jesus the Christ. And these facts alone should keep everyone from finding another God in John 1:1 (as some do), from finding an agent or subcontractor who did the work of creating in John 1:3, or from finding another Savior who is not Yahweh in Matt. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://5" x-apple-data-detectors-result="5" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:21</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the New Testament we at once come upon the stupendous truth that the messenger (angel) of God declared to Joseph that the child which Mary should bear was to be "called Jesus," giving as the reason for this name, "He shall save His people from their sins" (Matt. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://6" x-apple-data-detectors-result="6" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:21</a>). To the superficial, all that this means is "a name for the baby"; but the diligent student will know this name declares Him to be Yahweh the Savior. If the English form of this name is traced back its origin will be found in the Hebrew name <i>YHWSHWA, </i>which when the vowels are added becomes <i>Yahowshuwa. </i>The King James translators anglicized this into <i>Jehoshua, </i>then in later occurrences to <i>Joshua. </i>But whether we say <i>Yahowshua, Jehoshua, Iesous, </i>or <i>Jesus, </i>we sare saying <i>Jehovah-Savior. </i>The changes are only in spellings and languages, not in the meaning. (See <a href="http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb123.htm">Issue No. 123</a>). Therefore, it follows that if Yahweh is Israel’s Savior, and if there is no Savior but Yahweh, then the One who saves must be Yahweh.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The second statement made by the divine messenger was that the one born would be "called Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us" (Matt. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://7" x-apple-data-detectors-result="7" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:23</a>). This statement alone is sufficient to establish beyond all question the deity of the One Who was born in Bethlehem. Truly the faithful in Israel could then say: "Lo, this is our Elohim; we have waited for Him and He will save us: this is Yahweh; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation" (Isa. 25:9).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As the truth progresses and we come to John’s majestic gospel, all the pieces of truth begin to fall in place. In the first verse we come upon someone Who is called "the Word." In the Greek this is <i>ho Logos, </i>a descriptive title which means "the Expression," and the seeker for truth immediately desires to know more about this One who is called the Expression of God.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We are then told that the Expression was with God, a translation that has given rise to many foolish and unlearned questions. "How can a person be said to be with a person if he is that person?" they ask with an aplomb that indicates their question cannot be answered. My answer is that the word translated "with" here is the word <i>pros. </i>It is found 101 times in John’s gospel and is translated "with" only two times, a fact that tells one a searching look at this rendering is needed. One meaning of <i>pros </i>is "toward," in the sense of "in relation to," and this is its meaning in John 1:1, 2. See Rom. <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://8" x-apple-data-detectors-result="8" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">15:17</a> where <i>ta pros ton Theon </i>is translated "those things which pertain to God." Thus it is that we learn the Expression of God was in relationship to Him, that He pertained to Him.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Next we are told "And the Word was God." It is nothing more than theological japery on the part of those who insert an indefinite article (a) before "God," making it say, "And the Word was a God." It results in a shocking mistranslation which presents another God, involving all who accept such a translation in polytheism. It flatly contradicts the words of Yahweh who declared: "There is no God else beside Me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside me" (Isa. 45:21).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the next explicit statement we are told that the Logos was the Creator. "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:3). This is a most positive identification. The Logos is the Creator; He is the Elohim of Genesis 1:1. He is Yahweh of Isa. 44:21, 24 and 45:12. This brings us to the next giant step for our faith. The Word (Logos), Who was Elohim, Who was Yahweh, became flesh and tabernacled among us.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The words of Jeremy Collier are pertinent here: "We must not let go of manifest truths because we cannot answer all questions about them." Apropos also are the words of Bishop Butler: "A truth being established, objections are nothing; the one is founded upon our knowledge, the other upon our ignorance."</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-19181735658333485832015-10-28T17:09:00.001-07:002015-10-28T17:09:56.266-07:00The End Of Death And Evil<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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THE LAKE OF FIRE</div>
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“9. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10. The same [even him] shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the PRESENCE of the holy angels, and in the PRESENCE of the Lamb: 11. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name” (Revelation 14:9-11).</div>
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* Do not be too quick to say that some beings will go on eternally being tortured alive in hell fire. The Scriptures do give other facts to the contrary....</div>
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It was pointed out in Part 1 of this study that Bible Scholars are not in agreement as to where the location of the Lake of Fire will be. As you might recall, we wrote on Page 1:</div>
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Some prominent teachers of the Word believed that the “fiery lake must be located far, far away from the earth.” This opinion was enhanced when the idea was expanded by another saying; “that it will probably be on a star, far away from earth (stars are actually vast lakes of fire)” according to one Ph.D. A Bible study web site said the “Lake of Fire will be the Dead Sea.” Yet, another said the Lake of Fire will be in Idumea (Edom) according to Isaiah 34:6-10. A major teacher of the Word concluded that it must be “in Heaven” because of Revelation 14:10.</div>
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Note the expressions: far away from earth, on a star, will be the Dead Sea, will be in Edom, and another word for its future location is—HEAVEN.</div>
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I have, repeatedly, said the location of “Gehenna” was, and will be, South of the City of Jerusalem. Throughout the previous twenty-five pages, Scripture after Scripture has been presented attesting to this fact. And, now we come to Revelation 14:9-11 from which we learn that the “Holy Angels and the Lamb” WILL BE PRESENT IN THE SCENE DESCRIBED IN Revelation 14:9-11. http://www.plainerwords.com/artman2/publish/2011/The_Lake_of_Fire_-_Part_1.shtml</div>
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The Vision which John is shown is of an event that is future. The Vision doesn’t depict the Holy Angels and the Lamb witnessing the incineration of the idolaters. The angel announces “in a loud voice” that those who worship the Beast, his image, and receive his mark will “drink of the wine of the wrath of God” and will do so without a mixture or a chaser—His undiluted wrath.</div>
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Your attention is drawn to the “holy angels” in Verse 10. John informs us that the “holy angels” will be with the Lamb as they both witness, in the instance mentioned, the torment of the worshippers of the Beast. Here is a question for you. Could the angels, mentioned, be the 144,000 men who had the Father’s Name written on their foreheads (Rev. 14:1)? The Scripture, at times, refers to “saints” when angels are meant. If this is true, and it is; it would only stand to reason that, sometimes, “angels” might be named when, actually, the reference is to redeemed men such as the 144,000. And, who will appear with the Lamb on Mount Sion. “Angels” are messengers, envoys, or those who are sent from God. This being true, the 144,000 could qualify as “angels.”</div>
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Check out the following references and you will see that “angels” are, sometimes, called “saints:” Deuteronomy 33:2, Jude 14, Acts 7:53, Galatians 3:19, Hebrews 2:12, Psalm 68:17, Daniel 7:10, Matthew 16:27, 25:31, and Zechariah 14:5.</div>
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* Are angels immortal, in the meaning that they cannot die?</div>
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Please always get the latest version of this document, from the Bible Pages web site, via this address: www.biblepages.net/eda022.htm</div>
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The location of Revelation 14:10 is, without question, a scene in the Vision that will take place ON EARTH. Look at the Context.</div>
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In Revelation 14:1, the Apostle John is given a Vision where he sees the Lamb standing on Mount Sion. The location is on the Earth, not Heaven. John, also, sees the “hundred and forty and four thousand” standing with Christ, the Lamb of God—on Earth.</div>
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Furthermore, we read in the immediate Context of Chapter 14:6-20—The Fifth Vision “On EARTH.” Included in this Fifth Vision is Verse 10 which states that the Lamb and the Holy Angels will be “present” to approve of the torment administered to those who worshipped the Beast and his image, and received his mark (V. 9). In the Vision set forth, here, the Lamb and the Holy Angels are seen on Earth: the locale is what had been “Gehenna,” but now has a new name.</div>
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GEHENNA HAS A NEW NAME</div>
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The setting of the Vision is Mount Sion [Heb. Zion] and the Valley of Gehenna. It will become wider and deeper as a result of the prophetic earthquake and splitting Jerusalem into three parts (Rev. 16:18-19). The Valley will no longer be a narrow ravine where the incorrigibles will be cast, but now, the Valley is a wider and deeper geological depression. The size would accommodate a lake. This will become, not a Lake of Water, but rather, a Lake of Fire! </div>
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The Lake of Fire will be the end, or the fate of “Tribulation Idolaters.” These will be those who worship the Devil by means of worshiping “ …the beast and his image, and receive his mark [a tattoo] in his forehead, or in his hand” (Rev. 14:9). The Bible likens idolatry to that of having adulterous sexual intercourse. The Jews were considered the spouse of the LORD (Yahweh); therefore, the worship of an idol was the act of committing spiritual adultery. The followers of the Beast will be cast alive into the fires of the Lake. The Lake of Fire will consume the “Congregation of Idolaters.”</div>
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The Lake of Fire will not be fueled by burning brimstone (sulfur). According to Isaiah 30:33, a great amount of wood will be piled up on the floor of the Valley, and will be set ablaze by “the breath of the LORD” which will be “like a stream of brimstone.”</div>
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The “fire and brimstone,” mentioned in Verse 10, is a Simile for “the breath of the LORD is like a stream of brimstone.”</div>
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“And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark [tattoo] of his name” (Rev, 14:11).</div>
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The reader should, carefully, note that it is the “smoke” of their torment” that rises up until the end of the eon, i.e., the Great Tribulation. The word for “torment” is “basanizo,” Strong’s Number 928. It is used 12 times in the NT. It is translated, variously, as – torment, tormented, torture, tossed, toiling, vexed, and pained (see Strong’s Concordance, Numbers 929).</div>
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We note that the idolaters will be examined very rigorously in the Presence of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, and the aforementioned angels. His examiners will probably extract from the mouths of the guilty ones, “how and why they allowed themselves to be deceived by the Beast and the False Prophet.” After living for many years under the ideal conditions of the Administration of Divine Government, and a perfect environment, why did they “sell-out?” You can only imagine the answers that will be given as a result of the rigorous examination of being tortured.</div>
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All judgment has been consigned to the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Son. The metaphorical idiom “in fire and brimstone” sets forth the force used to wrest the reasons why they were deceived. “The smoke of their torment” is figurative language for the results of their torment (or torture). The findings will become constant reminders during the remaining time of the age.</div>
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“11 And the smoke of their TORMENT [torture] ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark [tattoo] of his name” (Rev. 14:11).</div>
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We find the words, “torment” and “tormented,” a number of times in the Book of Revelation. You will notice the three NT words below. Two of these, # 928 and # 929, stem from # 931.</div>
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NT: 928 – Basanizo – 1. To test metals by the touchstone. 2. To question by applying torture. 3. To vex with grievous pain. (This word is used 12 times in the NT).</div>
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NT: 929 - Basanismos – 1. A testing by the touchstone or by torture. 2. Torment or torture. (This word is used 6 times in the NT).</div>
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NT: 931 – Basanos – 1. the touchstone by which gold and other metals are tested. 2. the rack or instrument of torture by which one is forced to divulge the truth. (This is used 3 times in the NT).</div>
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The definitions are from Thayer’s New Testament Lexicon. The English words of “torment,” or “tormented” do not really depict what will be taking place in scenes of prophecy as presented, here, in Revelation. The basic meaning of the root word, “basanos,” is that of torture. You noticed that all three words in the NT Greek Language, according to Joseph H. Thayer, centers around the noun—touchstone. What is a touchstone? We had a hazy idea, but had to go to the Dictionary to clear up our vague understanding. Here is the definition:</div>
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“Touchstone: noun. 1. Any means of testing; test; criterion: ‘an era in which success is the only touchstone of merit’ (Anthony Trollope). 2. a smooth fine-grained stone used to test purity of gold or silver by the color of the streak made on the stone by rubbing it with the metal” (World Book Dictionary, 1967).</div>
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Additional references state that a touchstone is a dark-colored stone on which gold is rubbed, leaving a peculiar mark, or color which tells whether or not the metal is pure or full of alloys. The mark of pure gold leaves a distinct mark which assayers can identify as pure. By continued use of the word, “touchstone,” its meaning expanded to reference someone being put to the test, put on trial, or being torturously questioned, or examined. It, also, meant “inquiry by torture.” The Scriptural meaning in most cases, in the Book of Revelation, has been shown to mean “torture.” The underlying meaning of the words in # 928, # 929, and # 931 is to “torture.”</div>
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In Revelation 9:1-2, we read where an angel comes from heaven and will use the “key” and releases horrid creatures from out of the “bottomless pit” called “locusts.” Notice that the creatures are not to kill men, but to “hurt” some of earth’s inhabitants for five months; the five months of hurt is torture! But, those who had the seal of God in their foreheads are not to be bothered.</div>
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“And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented [tortured, # 928] five months: and their torment [torture, # 929] was as the torment [torture, # 929] of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them” (Rev. 9:3-6).</div>
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The torture is to be five months of being stung by “Stinging Scorpions.” Those who are tattooed with “the mark of the Beast” cry for relief, or beg to die, but death flees from them during this five months. But, they will meet their final fate by their “baptism” in the Lake of Fire.</div>
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The “Beast Worshippers” will suffer “Five Months of Touch-Stoning which will be having to drink the Cup of God’s indignation as mentioned in Revelation 14:10-11.</div>
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“10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented [tortured # 928] with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment [torture # 929] ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark [tattoo] of his name” (Rev. 14:10-11).</div>
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With the “touch-stoning” being on-going for five months, we see that the “Beast Worshippers” have no rest, day or night, from the intense interrogation. These who bear the “Mark of the Beast” will be taken before the Lamb of God and the 144,000, and are subjected to the intense sting of the creatures called Locusts. Are the measures of interrogation harsh and stinging, or are the subjects literally stung as if by huge Scorpions? Whatever form of torture, it will be deemed appropriate by the Lord Jesus Christ. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, this is a “hard saying; who can receive it?”</div>
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As members of the Church over which Christ Jesus is the Head, we will probably be privy to these events as observers, not as participants. The participants will be of Jewish heritage. The Divine Torture will be centered in Palestine around Mount Sion, Jerusalem and The Lake of Fire.</div>
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The Lake of Fire - Part 8</div>
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Posted in: 2011 </div>
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By Tom L. Ballinger</div>
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Apr 21, 2011 - 10:23:40 AM</div>
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Plainer Words Online</div>
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By</div>
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Tom L. Ballinger</div>
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Plainer Words since 1968</div>
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April 20, 2011</div>
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PLAINER WORDS ONLINE … THE LAKE OF FIRE</div>
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We have found Isaiah 66:23-24 to be pivotal in our studies of the “Lake of Fire.” Quoting from Part 3, in this series, we read:</div>
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“Gehenna” becomes the New Testament name for the place described by Isaiah in his reference to the City of Jerusalem during the Day of Jesus Christ.</div>
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“And it shall come to pass [during the Day of Christ], that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men [who were cast into Gehenna] that have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh” (Isaiah 66:23-24).</div>
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It was, also, pointed out that the “all flesh” is not every living human in the world, but, rather, it is a figure of speech indicating that representatives from all of the nations will visit this Valley, while in Jerusalem, and will view the carcasses of those Israelites who transgressed the Laws of the Kingdom of Christ (See Part 3). Since they are the political figures who represent “all flesh” of other nations of the world, then, it is appropriate to say “all flesh came to worship” Christ and see the Valley of Gehenna. The whole world saw, through the eyes of their representatives, the fruit of Capital Punishment that the Lord Jesus Christ warned about during His earthly ministry.</div>
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GEHENNA DURING THE DAY OF CHRIST</div>
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The Lord Jesus Christ warned the Jews, as He proclaimed that the Kingdom of God was “at hand,” that it would be better to enter into the life of the Pre-Millennial Kingdom with only one eye; one hand; or one foot than to have two of each and “be cast into Gehenna.” He spoke these “cast into” words of warning over a dozen times.</div>
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In the Land of Palestine, Gehenna, during the Day of Christ, will be the location where it has always been—south of the City of God. However, it will not be the depository of trash, garbage, and dead animals as it had been in previous eras. Gehenna will be reserved for those who transgress the Kingdom Laws, which is to say, the “incorrigibles.” The “Gehenna Fires” (fires of hell) will be “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44). From Gehenna, there will be no resurrection.</div>
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GEHENNA BECOMES THE LAKE OF FIRE</div>
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“The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary” states that, “Gehenna is identical with the Lake of Fire.” This is not true, inasmuch as it is much wider and deeper than it had ever been. The Location is the same as it was when it was the home-site of the national god of the Ammonites. This was where the live cremation of their children took place. Isaiah wrote a prophecy, Circa 713 B.C., about the Lake of Fire─“For Tophet [Gehenna] is ordained of old; yea, for the king [the Devil] it is prepared; He hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it” (Isaiah 30:33).</div>
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In the Apocalyptic Vision, recorded by John in Revelation 19, we see the doom of the Beast and the False Prophet. The Battle of Armageddon ends with the Beast and the False Prophet being cast into the Lake of Fire. The Beast who is seen rising up out of the sea (Revelation 13:1) is the “man of sin, the son of perdition, “that Wicked” who is revealed in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8. He is commonly referred to as the Antichrist.</div>
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“And I saw the Beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the Beast was taken [arrested], and with him the False Prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the Beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both [the Beast and the False Prophet] were cast alive into a Lake of Fire burning with brimstone (Revelation 19:19-20).</div>
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According to many interpreters of the Word, they teach that the Beast and the False Prophet were super-human beings. That is to say, their very nature was above that of normal humans. The Greek word for the “beast” is “therion” which means a dangerous animal. The Greek word for “false prophet” is “pseudoprophetes” which means a spurious prophet, i.e., pretended foreteller, or religious impostor. Prominent teachers of Dispensational Truth, including Dr. E. W. Bullinger and Charles Welch, also taught that the Beast and the False Prophet were super-human. Our studies have shown us that they will not be super-humans. But, rather, they will be mortals and during the Tribulation, they will become supernaturally empowered. They will take on god-like qualities by being Satanically enabled to “… shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24). The following verse was seminal in leading them to believe that they were supernatural beings:</div>
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“And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and brimstone, where the Beast and the False Prophet ARE, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).</div>
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The King James Version of Revelation 20:10 indicate that these two men will have lived in the Lake of Fire for 1000 years. This would require the Beast and the False Prophet to be super-human beings, or supernaturally protected. We reject these two possibilities. The word, “are,” was not in the original manuscript. Here, the translators acknowledged that they inserted the word, “are,” by having it appear in italics. This tells us that the majority of the translators voted that “are” should be inserted and rejected the idea that “were” should be used.</div>
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The Devil will find himself cast into the Lake of Fire at the end of the Millennium, and the KJV reads that the Beast and False Prophet “ARE …” there, also.</div>
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If they died as men in the Lake of Fire, Revelation 20:10 should say, “And the Devil …was cast into the Lake of Fire where the Beast and False Prophet WERE …” To give the proper understanding of what was their fate, the word should be “were,” past tense; not “are,” present tense. The two were cast, “alive,” into the fires. “Alive” is set in contrast to the fact that they died in the Lake of Fire. There will be NO RESURRECTION for them.</div>
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If they will still be alive when the Devil is cast into the Lake of Fire, then, we find a direct contradiction of Scripture. 2 Thessalonians informs us that the two will be destroyed when the Lord Jesus is revealed.</div>
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“And then shall that Wicked [the Beast] be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming [Parousia]: Even him [the False Prophet], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9).</div>
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Not only that, but in the year of 555 B. C., Daniel predicted that “the little horn” (Daniel 7:8), in the NT, aka as the “Antichrist,” would be “slain,” and his body would be destroyed in the burning flame—which we, ultimately, learn is the Lake of Fire.</div>
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“A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment [the Judge] was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the Beast [the Antichrist] was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame” (Daniel 7:10-11).</div>
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This should substantiate the fact that the Beast and the False Prophet will be killed and their human bodies destroyed by the flames of the Lake of Fire. This takes place in the closing days of the Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God—at the 2nd Coming of Christ. One-thousand-years later, the Devil is cast into the Lake of Fire—where the Beast and the False Prophet had been discarded.</div>
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THE GREAT WHITE THRONE/SECOND DEATH </div>
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The first mention of the Second Death is found in Revelation 2:11:</div>
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“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the Second Death.”</div>
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Then, we read Revelation 20:6; “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the Second Death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years”</div>
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This doesn’t inform us of what is the “Second Death.” We must continue.</div>
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John saw, in the vision of Revelation 20:7-10, that Satan was loosed from his one-thousand year imprisonment. He gathered-together the armies of Gog and Magog. The armies surrounded the saints and the “beloved City” of God, getting ready for a fatal assault. But, God intervened and sent fire down from heaven and devoured all of the armies (Revelation 20:9).</div>
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“And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and brimstone, where the Beast and the False Prophet [were], and [the Devil] shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10: Our rendition of the verse).</div>
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It is noticed that the Second Death appears, again, in Verse 14 in the paragraph cited next.</div>
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“11. AND I saw a great White Throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth AND the heaven fled away; AND there was found no place for them. 12. AND I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; AND the books were opened: AND another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: AND the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13. AND the sea gave up the dead which were in it. 14. AND death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: AND they were judged every man according to their works. AND death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the Second Death. 15. AND whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire” (Revelation 20:11-15).</div>
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The twelve “AND’s” are a Figure of Speech, “Polysyndeton,” meaning “MANY-ANDS.” Thus, indicating one event follows the other—one-after-the-other in rapid succession.</div>
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It is significant to point out in Revelation 20:14 that death and hell “was cast into the Lake of Fire. THIS IS THE SECOND DEATH.”</div>
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Chapter 21 begins the Post Millennial Period and tells of John’s vision of the new heaven and the new earth (Vs.1), and of his seeing the New Jerusalem “coming down from God out of heaven” (Vs. 2). And, then, we read in verse 7 of the reward for the “Overcomers:”</div>
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“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” (Revelation 21:7).</div>
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By contrast, it is written:</div>
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“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake [Lake of Fire] which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the Second Death” (Revelation 21:8).</div>
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The words,“this is the Second Death or which is the Second Death—the Lake of Fire,” may be clarified by saying; “Let me show you the ‘Second Death.’ There it is: the Lake of Fire.” The Lake of Fire is the Second Death.” That is to say, the Lake of Fire is the cause of, or the agency which produces the Second Death. “This” represents that. The idea is, the Lake of Fire—by figure of association in which the cause is put for the effect—represents the Second Death. The incorrigibles who are destroyed in the Lake of Fire will have no resurrection. They will never live again!</div>
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The extinction of those who will be cast into the Lake of Fire is contrary to traditional exegesis of some of the “lost.” </div>
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This Eight Part study was our endeavor to share what light we have been given on the subject of “The Lake of Fire.” Many of the readers will condemn this work, others will scoff at it, and some will yawn and mutter a Ho Hum. But, by God’s marvelous grace, we pray that some will rejoice in that they can say, “I see this.” If so, we have not labored in vain.</div>
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THE END</div>
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Tom L. Ballinger Copyright @ 2011</div>
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Visit our Web Site: www.Plainerwords.com</div>
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Devil to end</div>
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Another example is in Jude 6 we read the angels "which kept not their first estate are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." As John L. Bray says, "How long does the word 'everlasting' represent here? Only 'unto' ( or until) the time of their judgment at the great day. They were to be cast ultimately into the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41) which fire is 'everlasting' ('aionios' --pertaining in this case to that age to come). The everlasting chains pertained to one age, while the everlasting fire pertained to another age." Since the wicked in hell will not be immortal and the Scripture says that they will ultimately be destroyed, then their conscious suffering cannot be eternal. Their conscious suffering (which precedes their eternal destruction) is "forever" only in the sense that they will suffer for their individual sins for the entire duration or period of this phase of judgment after which they will suffer eternal destruction (or death) which is the ultimate penalty for sin itself. </div>
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What about where the Bible says in Revelation 20:10 that the devil (or Satan) will be tormented forever and ever? Before answering this question, I wish to point out that Bible definitely teaches the devil will be consumed and destroyed.</div>
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We read a description of Satan's ultimate and eternal destruction in Ezekiel 28:14-19. Although this passage is immediately addressed to the ancient King of Tyre (verse 11), it is clear from the context of the passage that God is speaking to Satan (the evil spirit behind the King of Tyre) because the descriptions given cannot fit that of any human being or human king.</div>
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We read in verses 14 and 15: “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.</div>
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Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”</div>
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This passage is referring to the devil when he was Lucifer (a good angel or cherub) before he sinned against God.</div>
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And, then we read in verses 18 and 19 what God says to the devil: “… therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.”</div>
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Reverend Billy Graham, perhaps the most highly respected Christian evangelist in the world, made the following remarks concerning the human "soul" in his Louisville Kentucky Crusade:</div>
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Your eternal soul is the most valuable thing you possess.</div>
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You have a body, but living inside of you is your spirit or soul. And when a person dies, what happens? The soul goes on.</div>
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(Speaking on the value of the soul.)</div>
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First, it's valuable because it's eternal. It's going to live forever. A million years from now, our soul will be living.</div>
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The body is the house, the soul is the tenant. But when the body dies, the soul lives on.</div>
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The good news is that God offers eternal life to every soul.</div>
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No one in the crowded stadium of awed worshipers seemed to grasp the obvious error in what was just preached as gospel truth. If you are born with an eternal soul which lives forever, why is it necessary for God to offer eternal life to every soul? It is redundant. Why would God offer eternal life to something that already has eternal life? Being the silly person that I am, I emailed the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association asking that question. The following is a direct quote from their response:</div>
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We appreciate your question about the soul and hell. The Bible teaches that you are an immortal soul. Your soul is eternal and will live forever. In other words, the real you -- the part of you that thinks, feels, dreams, aspires; the ego, the personality-- will never die. The Bible teaches that your soul will live forever in one of two places -- heaven or hell. If you are not a Christian and you have never been born again, then the Bible teaches that your soul goes immediately to a place Jesus called hades, where you will await the judgment of God. The moment a Christian dies, he goes immediately into the presence of Christ. There his soul awaits the resurrection, when the soul and body will be rejoined.</div>
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The scriptural doctrine of hell is an awesome one which must be taken very seriously. At the same time, the good news of the gospel is that Jesus Christ, through His triumph over death, has conquered hell. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."</div>
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Notice they did not answer the question which was, "Why is it necessary that God offer eternal life to every soul?" They simply restated their beliefs. In the second and third sentences of their answer they claim:</div>
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The Bible teaches that you are an immortal soul. Your soul is immortal and lives forever. In other words, the real you--the part of you that thinks, feels, dreams, aspires; the ego, the personality -- will never die.</div>
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This is a common belief in every Christian religious denomination of which I am aware. Is this belief in man's immortality supported in the scriptures? It most certainly is:</div>
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And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (Genesis 3:4)</div>
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Satan lied when he informed Eve that she would live forever, "Ye shall not surely die." Mankind has accepted that lie as truth ever since. Mainstream Christian theologians have incorporated the lie into their theologies for nearly two thousand years!</div>
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In the above email the phrase "The Bible teaches..." is used three times. However, no Bible references are given to support their statements. In the second paragraph they quote John 3:16 which contradicts their claims of man's immortality in the first paragraph! According to John 3:16, the Bible actually teaches that only those believing in Jesus will have eternal life. It is not something all men are born with! Likewise, John 3:16 actually teaches that those who do not believe in Jesus will perish, not suffer for eternity in hell!</div>
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Everyone with an elementary school education should recognize that these are contradictory concepts. Why is it necessary for God to offer you eternal life if the real you will never die? God would not have sacrificed His Son if you already had eternal life. Therefore, God knows man is mortal and does not possess eternal life. Who are you going to believe? Man, who claims you are immortal, or the inspired word of God which states otherwise? Historically we have believed other men -- not God! Let's examine that Bible verse which every Christian can quote forwards and backwards:</div>
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For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)</div>
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Do most Christians actually believe this verse? It states that whoever believes in the Son of God will have eternal life. However, the words "but have" imply eternal life is not something we are born with, but something received as a result of believing in Christ. "But have everlasting life," is undeniably future tense. Eternal life is something those who believe in Jesus Christ shall have in the future!</div>
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What happens to those humans who do not believe in the Son of God? Implied in this phrase, "whosoever believeth in him, should not perish," is that those who do not believe in Him will perish. Most theologians do not believe this. There are only two possibilities, either you perish or you do not perish. If mankind is born with eternal life this phrase has no meaning, as they cannot perish. So this phrase indicates one is not born with any aspect of life which lives forever. No one will live in eternal agony in hellfire according to this verse. They will perish! When the words "eternal life" or "everlasting life" are used in the Bible, they are used in phrases such as: inherit eternal life, the gift of eternal life, or the promise of everlasting life. It is never mentioned as something one is born with, but something that Christians shall inherit in the future:</div>
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And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundred-fold, and shall inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:29)</div>
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For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)</div>
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That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:7)</div>
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And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. (I John 2:25)</div>
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When any theologian states that a part of every human will live forever after their physical body dies, they are simply and obviously wrong! Regardless of the number of doctoral degrees they possess, or the number of Presidents who have invited them into the White House, they are utterly wrong! Do you believe the inspired word of God or the confused words of misguided theologians?</div>
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The vast majority of Christian theologians believe and teach that man is born as an immortal, spiritual "soul" housed within a physical body. This creates an obvious problem as spiritual bodies do not feel pain. Only flesh and blood physical bodies experience pain. When the physical body dies, these theologians teach that the soul is released. Since the soul is a spiritual body, when the souls of nonbelievers are cast into hellfire for eternity, they will feel no pain! Nonbelievers are blessed with eternal life and their punishment is totally pain free! Theologians solve this problem by creating another myth, the bodily resurrection.</div>
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Virtually every Christian church admits to a belief in the rejoining of an incorruptible physical body with the eternal soul at the time of the resurrection. This is known as the "resurrection of the body" doctrine and is included in many affirmations of faith. For example, from the "Apostles Creed":</div>
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I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.</div>
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They believe this body to be different from the present earthly body in that it cannot be destroyed or killed. Therefore, when nonbelievers are cast into hellfire, they will suffer the pain of burning alive for eternity. The fire will never kill them. What a wonderful "Christian" concept! If an omnipotent God designed a system whereby all people who are not Christians will burn in the agony of hellfire for eternity, then explain the verse:</div>
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. . . God is love. (I John 4:8)</div>
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Of course, that cannot be explained because these are totally contradictory statements! If God is love, then He did not design a system whereby billions of people will suffer the terror and pain of burning alive for eternity! If God did design such a system, then God is not love! These two concepts are mutually exclusive. Only one can be true! If we can prove that either is true, then the other must be false. Regardless, most Christian theologians accept both of these concepts as truth, and are handicapped by having to defend indefensible "true" statements such as the following:</div>
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God so loved the world that He planned for the majority of mankind to suffer eternally in hell.</div>
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The simple obvious fact is that both of these beliefs cannot be true. One must be rejected! Which one would you choose to accept as truth? I choose to accept the concept that God is love! But I do not reject the other concept simply because it is ridiculous. This book will prove beyond any doubt through the scriptures that no human will suffer for eternity in hell. What would God gain from their suffering? God is not sadistic, God is love!</div>
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The resurrection of the body myth illustrates the problems created when men impose their own private interpretations on the scriptures. We are warned against this activity:</div>
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Knowing this first, that no prophesy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. (II Peter 1:20)</div>
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The ultimate goal of virtually every Christian is to spend eternity with God in heaven. However, no one composed of any flesh and blood can inherit the Kingdom of God:</div>
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And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;... (I Corinthians 15:49-50)</div>
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If Christian "souls" are reunited with their incorruptible flesh and blood bodies at the resurrection they can never enter heaven according to the scripture above since flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the bodily resurrection doctrine directly conflicts with the ultimate goal of today's Christianity! Both cannot be true! If your soul and body are reunited, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God! You cannot have it both ways. Either you believe the scriptures or you believe man.</div>
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In actuality, the truth about what happens upon your death is infinitely better than you have ever heard in any church or from any evangelist, and infinite is a word you cannot comprehend! On a recent Public Broadcasting System television documentary regarding religions in general, one philosopher made a statement concerning Christianity, "Would it not be better if the unsaved simply died?" Guess what? That is exactly what happens as written in the Bible. It is called the "second death." The second death awaits the unsaved. Unsaved humans who are cast into hell die their second death! Here is a philosopher who may have a religion, or may be an atheist, but he sees the flaw in widespread Christian theology. The Bible actually discusses two deaths, the first and the second. The first death is that of our physical bodies as they exist now:</div>
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And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)</div>
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The second death discussed in the book of Revelation must also be the end of a life if it is a true death:</div>
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But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)</div>
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An everlasting life of torment is not a second death! In the traditional Christian concept, man has an immortal soul which neither the first nor second death can kill. Therefore, for these traditional Christian theologians, death must be interpreted to be something other than death! This contradicts the Bible, which states that the unsaved die, perish, and are lost and gone for eternity. That is the end, or death, of them. There is no recovery from the second death. Christians are saved from the second death, when they are born again as immortal spiritual bodies after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ:</div>
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He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. (Revelation 2:11)</div>
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Nonbelievers are not born again as spiritual bodies and may suffer the second death. All men are appointed to die only the first death. The second death is optional based on whether or not one chooses to accept Jesus as his Savior. If man's "soul" has immortality from birth and cannot die, then death does not apply to man, now or ever!</div>
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Incredibly, most Christian theologians have misrepresented the message of the Bible for nearly two thousand years! This myth of the immortal soul can be traced to one five word statement which Satan spoke in the first few pages of the book of Genesis: "Ye shall not surely die." Many Christians and non-Christians still believe Satan's lie! It is inherent in most humans because we cannot understand our own existence! This myth and its associated misinterpretations, as taught by most Christian churches, led Mrs. Yates to murder her children. She murdered them in their innocent years to prevent their souls and attached incorruptible physical bodies from burning eternally in the fires of hell. Virtually all other Christian myths and misinterpretations of the Bible are then created to support this immortal soul myth, the lie of Satan that you will live forever. Not even Satan will live on forever. He has an end like all evil in the future.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-69230450700896197252015-09-08T21:13:00.002-07:002015-09-08T21:24:49.265-07:00Very Perilous Times We Live In<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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http://f49415088805588d155e-2a79daed4d863000acd03c3279c4d41a.r22.cf5.rackcdn.com/TL131,%20Concerning%20%27The%20Last%20Days%27,%20Part%201.mp3</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNaahAOlkMlfGg_BBciks4DF920D5O65lb9MdklGpsotwpYIw5FiQAcsDrT_trWDOR_71D4fCGEyphtbQcUBugDTArFzQLuLCPOPSeZyDbZeKh5LXKzvKhUCfO_j1qnkOjUXLNExOSRw/s1600/FLAMING+SWORD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNaahAOlkMlfGg_BBciks4DF920D5O65lb9MdklGpsotwpYIw5FiQAcsDrT_trWDOR_71D4fCGEyphtbQcUBugDTArFzQLuLCPOPSeZyDbZeKh5LXKzvKhUCfO_j1qnkOjUXLNExOSRw/s640/FLAMING+SWORD.jpg" width="502" /></a></div>
My friends, indeed we are living in very serious and perilous times.<br />
Scripture does mention that about the times we are living in NOW.<br />
Please listen to an audio that I believe straightens out a lot of confusion<br />
and crazy things we are hearing on the web that supposedly is about to happen,<br />
So says the Elite ones...<br />
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We live in very serious and perilous times my friends...<br />
Just copy and paste the link on your computer to listen.<br />
http://f49415088805588d155e-2a79daed4d863000acd03c3279c4d41a.r22.cf5.rackcdn.com/TL131,%20Concerning%20%27The%20Last%20Days%27,%20Part%201.mp3<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-51676647933381171742015-08-23T15:01:00.003-07:002015-08-23T15:01:57.207-07:00In Christ Jesus Do Not Fear 10,000 or More Coming After You<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here is all the crazy internet buzz that has been going around for some time.</div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There is much internet buzz over what is supposed to happen in and around September. Much of it spread by those elites who worship Satan.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I believe the elite that are building underground tunnels for refuge, etc., actually believe they have ancient wisdom, they worship Satan the great lier. Here is a small sample of some of the baloney they believe. How interesting how it fits in unknowingly for them...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"CERN opens up a portal for demonic forces to inundate the land, which the deceived scientists had no idea was the main goal all along. One of these man induced earthquakes destroys the Hoover Dam. This serves as their “breaking of the waters” birthing ritual for the coming evil world ruler.<o:p> "</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When evil comes in like a flood God will put an end to it.</span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In my site here you can read how God will intervene and put an end to the evil that currently </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Suppresses this world controlled by Satan and his elite....</span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The following is a small note from a brother and friend who very much agrees with me.</span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Dear Mark,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I, too, believe these are perilous times in which we live. The “elitists” whose great love is what money can buy (i.e., control of the evil world). They will be stopped “dead in their tracks” when the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Kingdom</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Christ</st1:placename></st1:place> becomes manifest, as it was with Jannes and Jambres.</span></div>
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<u style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">2 Timothy 3:8-9;<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. 9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Please read Phil 4:6 and Psalms 3:6 before reading the following fear mongering of this worlds elite....</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><i>Gino </i>(23 Aug 2015)</b> </span></div>
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<b><i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"The Big List Of 33 Things That Are Going To (supposedly) Happen In September 2015"</i></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Big List Of 33 Things That Are Going To Happen In September 2015<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-big-list-of-33-things-that-are-going-to-happen-in-september-2015">http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-big-list-of-33-things-that-are-going-to-happen-in-september-2015</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Is September 2015 going to be a month that changes history? For months, there has been an unprecedented amount of buzz all over the Internet about what is going to happen in September. And without a doubt, we are going to witness a convergence of events during that month that is quite remarkable. What I have attempted to do in this article is to put together a list of things that we know will happen next month. Some of the lists that I have seen contain things that cannot be proven or that are simply inaccurate. And of course it is very likely that some things will happen in September that we cannot anticipate right now. I am just providing the information that I have at this time, and it is up to you and your family to prepare for what you believe will happen. The following is my big list of 33 things that are going to happen in September 2015…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://4" x-apple-data-detectors-result="4" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 1</a></strong> – This marks the beginning of FEMA’s annual “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Preparedness_Month" target="_blank" title="National Preparedness Month">National Preparedness Month</a>”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://5" x-apple-data-detectors-result="5" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 7</a></strong> – Labor Day<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://6" x-apple-data-detectors-result="6" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 11</a></strong> – The 14th anniversary (7+7) of <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://7" x-apple-data-detectors-result="7" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">9/11</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://8" x-apple-data-detectors-result="8" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 11</a></strong> – The last day of trading on Wall Street before the end of the Shemitah year<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://9" x-apple-data-detectors-result="9" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 12</a></strong> – Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour opens in the United States. The first stop is in Washington D.C. and <a href="http://standeyo.com/Holly_Articles/150808.26.things.html" target="_blank" title="according to Holly Deyo">according to Holly Deyo</a> the “opening theme is Desecration of The Bride and Arrival of Fallen Angels”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://10" x-apple-data-detectors-result="10" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 12</a> and <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://11" x-apple-data-detectors-result="11" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 13</a></strong> – Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, a leading authority in Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, has indicated that the Messiah that the Jewish people are expecting <a href="http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/44534/leading-israeli-rabbi-messiah-imminent-jewish-world/#q0gqzu6ckqR1b3XH.97" target="_blank" title="could come at this time">could come at this time</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://12" x-apple-data-detectors-result="12" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 13</a></strong> – The last day of the Shemitah year. During the last two Shemitah cycles, we witnessed record-breaking stock market crashes on the very last day of the Shemitah year (Elul 29 on the Biblical calendar). For example, if you go back to September 17th, 2001 (which was Elul 29 on the Biblical calendar), we witnessed the greatest one day stock market crash in all of U.S. history up until that time. The Dow plunged <a href="http://moneymorning.com/2014/02/13/stock-market-crash-history-dows-10-biggest-one-day-plunges/" target="_blank" title="684 points">684 points</a>, and it was a record that held <strong>for exactly seven years</strong> until the end of the next Shemitah cycle. On September 29th, 2008 (which was also Elul 29 on the Biblical calendar), the Dow plummeted <a href="http://moneymorning.com/2014/02/13/stock-market-crash-history-dows-10-biggest-one-day-plunges/" target="_blank" title="777 points">777 points</a>, which still today remains the greatest one day stock market crash of all time in the United States. Now we are in another Shemitah year. It began in the fall of 2014, and it ends <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://15" x-apple-data-detectors-result="15" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">on September 13th, 2015</a>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://16" x-apple-data-detectors-result="16" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 13</a></strong> – <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2015-september-13" target="_blank" title="Partial solar eclipse">Partial solar eclipse</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://17" x-apple-data-detectors-result="17" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 14</a></strong> – Rosh Hashanah<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://18" x-apple-data-detectors-result="18" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 14</a></strong> – The first day of trading on Wall Street after the end of the Shemitah year<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://19" x-apple-data-detectors-result="19" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 15</a></strong> – The 70th session of the UN General Assembly begins on this date. It has been widely reported that France plans to introduce a resolution which will give formal UN Security Council recognition <a href="http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/something-else-coming-in-september-a-un-resolution-establishing-a-palestinian-state" title="to a Palestinian state">to a Palestinian state</a> shortly after the new session begins. Up until now, the U.S. has always been the one blocking such a resolution, but Barack Obama has already indicated that things may be different this time around. It would be extremely difficult to overstate the significance of this.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://20" x-apple-data-detectors-result="20" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 15</a></strong> – The Jade Helm military exercises are scheduled to end<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://21" x-apple-data-detectors-result="21" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 17</a></strong> – If there is going to be a rate hike in September, this is <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/business/economy/fed-interest-rates.html?_r=0" target="_blank" title="probably when">probably when</a> the Federal Reserve will do it<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://22" x-apple-data-detectors-result="22" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 17</a></strong> – This is <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/08/16/holdout-arizona-gop-sen-flake-says-hell-vote-against-iran-nuclear-deal/" target="_blank" title="the deadline">the deadline</a> for Congress to vote on Obama’s deal with Iran<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://23" x-apple-data-detectors-result="23" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 17</a></strong> – <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Day_%28United_States%29" target="_blank" title="Constitution Day">Constitution Day</a> – most Americans do not even know that this holiday exists<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://24" x-apple-data-detectors-result="24" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 18</a></strong> – <a href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/the-days-of-awe-conference-sandpoint-september-18th-and-19th" target="_blank" title="The Days of Awe conference in
Sandpoint, Idaho">The Days of Awe conference in Sandpoint, Idaho</a> – Christians from all over the nation will be gathering to call out to God in prayer and to repent for the sins of our country<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://25" x-apple-data-detectors-result="25" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 20 to September 26</a></strong> – The “<a href="http://www.globalministries.org/world_week_for_peace_in_palestine_israel_2015" target="_blank" title="World Week For Peace in Palestine
Israel">World Week For Peace in Palestine Israel</a>” sponsored by the World Council of Churches<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://26" x-apple-data-detectors-result="26" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 21</a></strong> – This is when the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) <a href="http://islam.about.com/od/calendar/fl/When-is-Hajj-2015.htm" target="_blank" title="is projected to begin">is projected to begin</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://27" x-apple-data-detectors-result="27" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 21</a></strong> – <a href="https://www.google.com/#q=internatinal+day+of+peace" target="_blank" title="The UN International Day Of
Peace">The UN International Day Of Peace</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://28" x-apple-data-detectors-result="28" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 22</a></strong> – In Islam, “<a href="http://islam.about.com/od/calendar/fl/When-is-the-Day-of-Arafat-2015.htm" target="_blank" title="the Day of Arafat">the Day of Arafat</a>” falls on this day<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://29" x-apple-data-detectors-result="29" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 23</a></strong> – The last day of the summer<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://30" x-apple-data-detectors-result="30" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 23</a></strong> – Yom Kippur<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://31" x-apple-data-detectors-result="31" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 23</a></strong> – T<span class="text14">he Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, also known as “the Feast of the Sacrifice”, begins</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://32" x-apple-data-detectors-result="32" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 23</a></strong> – Pope Francis arrives at the White House to meet with Barack Obama<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://33" x-apple-data-detectors-result="33" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 23</a></strong> – The 266th Pope will be meeting with the president of the United States on the 266th day of the year. Some have suggested that “<a href="http://www.wnd.com/2015/08/did-isaac-newton-predict-major-turn-in-bible-prophecy/" target="_blank" title="something is being birthed">something is being birthed</a>” on that day since 266 days is the average length of the human gestation period.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://34" x-apple-data-detectors-result="34" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 24</a></strong> – The Pope addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong>September 25</strong> – On May 14th, 2014 French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius famously proclaimed that we had only 500 days to avoid “climate chaos”. His time frame of 500 days ends <a href="http://standeyo.com/Holly_Articles/150808.26.things.html" target="_blank" title="on September 25th">on September 25th</a>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://37" x-apple-data-detectors-result="37" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 25</a></strong> – The Pope will hold mass in Madison Square Garden in New York City<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://38" x-apple-data-detectors-result="38" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 25 to September 27</a></strong> – The United Nations launches a brand new “universal agenda” for humanity known as “<a href="http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/in-september-2015-agenda-21-will-be-transformed-into-the-2030-agenda" title="The 2030 Agenda">the 2030 Agenda</a>”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://39" x-apple-data-detectors-result="39" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 25</a></strong> – The Pope appears at the UN to deliver an address to kick off the conference at which the 2030 Agenda will be unveiled<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://40" x-apple-data-detectors-result="40" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 26</a> and 27</strong> – The Pope will be traveling to Philadelphia for the “<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/behind-the-scenes-pope-francis-visit-to-philadelphia-world-meeting-of-families/" target="_blank" title="2015 World Meeting of Families">2015 World Meeting of Families</a>”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://41" x-apple-data-detectors-result="41" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 28</a></strong> – The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://42" x-apple-data-detectors-result="42" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">September 28</a></strong> – This is the date for the last of <a href="http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/sign-of-judgment-total-solar-eclipse-on-march-20th-falls-in-the-middle-of-the-four-blood-red-moons" title="the four blood moons">the four blood moons</a> that fall on Biblical festival dates during 2014 and 2015. This blood moon will be a “supermoon” and it will be clearly visible from the city of Jerusalem.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Due to the ending of the Shemitah year and numerous other factors, there is rampant speculation that a stock market crash is going to happen in the United States <a href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/why-are-so-many-people-freaking-out-about-a-stock-market-crash-in-the-fall-of-2015" target="_blank" title="during the month of September">during the month of September</a>. Previously, I have expressed my view that a major global financial crisis is imminent, but my warning covers all of the remaining months of 2015. Since I cannot prove that a stock market crash will happen next month, I have left it off the list. But without a doubt, we are entering the danger zone.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There is also lots of speculation about unusual activity at the Large Hadron Collider during the month of September. In my research, I have not yet come across anything that confirms that. If you have solid information concerning this, please send it to me. But certainly, what they are doing with the Large Hadron Collider concerns me greatly. This is something that I covered in a previous article entitled “<a href="http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/will-the-large-hadron-collider-open-up-a-portal-to-another-dimension" title="Will The Large Hadron Collider Open Up A Portal
To Another Dimension?">Will The Large Hadron Collider Open Up A Portal To Another Dimension?</a>”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In addition, I am also aware that there is a tremendous amount of speculation about an asteroid or a meteor that may or may not be heading toward our planet next month. At this time, I have no way of proving this is true, and I have no way of disproving it is true either. I have not come across anything that I can independently verify that indicates that this will or will not happen. In law school I was trained to stick to the facts, and I don’t have any facts. If you do have some solid and verifiable information, please share it with me.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Finally, I would like to acknowledge that there is plenty of speculation about certain natural disasters that may happen in September. They may indeed happen, but I cannot prove anything of that nature right now so I have left those natural disasters off the list.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Needless to say, next month promises to be absolutely crazy, and our time for preparing is running out.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Disaster can strike very suddenly, and when it does, average citizens can be caught totally unprepared. This is a point that Carl Gallups, the author of a new book entitled “<a href="http://amzn.to/1LlnOs2" target="_blank" title="Be
Thou Prepared: Equipping the Church for Persecution and
Times of Trouble">Be Thou Prepared: Equipping the Church for Persecution and Times of Trouble</a>“, recently made during an interview <a href="http://www.wnd.com/2015/08/coast-to-coast-audience-to-be-told-be-thou-prepared/" target="_blank" title="with WND">with WND</a>…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Gallups identifies specific incidents when civil society collapsed, most notably in New Orleans immediately following Hurricane Katrina.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“<strong>You ended up with the worst of both worlds</strong>,” Gallups observed. “<strong>You had widespread criminality, anarchy and disorder, and somehow, at the same time, you had government officials going around enforcing wildly tyrannical guidelines and even confiscating firearms</strong>.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As a result, Americans <strong>may be forced to rely on themselves for protection</strong>, meaning Christians <strong>have to begin planning now</strong>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Even if it doesn’t happen next month, life in America is about to change <a href="http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-last-days-of-normal-life-in-america" title="dramatically">dramatically</a>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The infrastructure and government services that we have all come to take for granted may not be there in the future.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is imperative that we all start to learn how to become more independent of the system, because the system is going to start failing in thousands of different ways.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /><a href="http://jesusiscoming2016.webs.com/The%20Rapture%20Puzzle.pdf" x-apple-data-detectors-result="43" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors="true">http://jesusiscoming2016.webs.com/The%20Rapture%20Puzzle.pdf</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="https://vimeo.com/113687240" x-apple-data-detectors-result="46" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors="true">https://vimeo.com/113687240</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://biblehub.com/text/psalms/3-5.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Psalm 3:5">◄</a> Psalm 3:6 <a href="http://biblehub.com/text/psalms/3-7.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Psalm 3:7">►</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">Text Analysis</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="top" style="font-weight: 700;" width="17%"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">Str</span></span></td><td class="top" style="font-weight: 700;" width="20%"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">Translit</span></span></td><td class="top" style="font-weight: 700;" width="20%"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">Hebrew</span></span></td><td class="top" style="font-weight: 700;" width="25%"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">English</span></span></td><td class="top" style="font-weight: 700;" width="18%"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">Morph</span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="strongsnt" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/3808.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Strong's Hebrew 3808: not">3808</a></span> <span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Englishman's Hebrew: 3808 -- Occurrence 2934 of 5184">[e]</a></span></span></span></td><td class="translit" valign="top"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/lo_3808.htm" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;" title="lō-: not -- Occurrence 1847 of 3269."><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">lō-</span></a></td><td class="hebrew2" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">לֹֽא־</span></span></td><td class="eng" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">not</span></span></td><td class="pos" valign="top"><span class="pos" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrewparse.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Adverb"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Adv</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="strongsnt" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/3372.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Strong's Hebrew 3372: to fear">3372</a></span> <span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_3372.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Englishman's Hebrew: 3372 -- Occurrence 192 of 331">[e]</a></span></span></span></td><td class="translit" valign="top"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/ira_3372.htm" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;" title="’î·rā: will not be afraid -- Occurrence 2 of 9."><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">’î-rā</span></a></td><td class="hebrew2" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">אִ֭ירָא</span></span></td><td class="eng" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">do be afraid</span></span></td><td class="pos" valign="top"><span class="pos" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrewparse.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Verb"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Verb</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="strongsnt" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/7233.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Strong's Hebrew 7233: multitude, myriad, ten thousand">7233</a></span> <span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_7233.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Englishman's Hebrew: 7233 -- Occurrence 12 of 16">[e]</a></span></span></span></td><td class="translit" valign="top"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/merivvot_7233.htm" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;" title="mê·riḇ·ḇō·wṯ: of ten -- Occurrence 2 of 2."><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">mê-riḇ-ḇō-wṯ</span></a></td><td class="hebrew2" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">מֵרִבְב֥וֹת</span></span></td><td class="eng" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">of ten</span></span></td><td class="pos" valign="top"><span class="pos" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrewparse.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Noun"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Noun</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="strongsnt" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/5971.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Strong's Hebrew 5971: people">5971</a></span> <span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_5971.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Englishman's Hebrew: 5971 -- Occurrence 1214 of 1868">[e]</a></span></span></span></td><td class="translit" valign="top"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/am_5971.htm" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;" title="‘ām;: of people -- Occurrence 121 of 210."><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">‘ām;</span></a></td><td class="hebrew2" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">עָ֑ם</span></span></td><td class="eng" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">of people</span></span></td><td class="pos" valign="top"><span class="pos" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrewparse.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Noun"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Noun</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="strongsnt" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/834.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Strong's Hebrew 834: who, which, that">834</a></span> <span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_834.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Englishman's Hebrew: 834 -- Occurrence 4125 of 5502">[e]</a></span></span></span></td><td class="translit" valign="top"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/asher_834.htm" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;" title="’ă·šer: Who -- Occurrence 3603 of 4804."><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">’ă-šer</span></a></td><td class="hebrew2" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">אֲשֶׁ֥ר</span></span></td><td class="eng" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">that</span></span></td><td class="pos" valign="top"><span class="pos" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrewparse.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Particle"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Prt</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="strongsnt" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/5439.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Strong's Hebrew 5439: circuit, round about">5439</a></span> <span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_5439.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Englishman's Hebrew: 5439 -- Occurrence 160 of 335">[e]</a></span></span></span></td><td class="translit" valign="top"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/saviv_5439.htm" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;" title="sā·ḇîḇ,: round -- Occurrence 100 of 207."><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">sā-ḇîḇ,</span></a></td><td class="hebrew2" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">סָ֝בִ֗יב</span></span></td><td class="eng" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">[themselves] me around</span></span></td><td class="pos" valign="top"><span class="pos" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrewparse.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Substantive"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Subst</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="strongsnt" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/7896.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Strong's Hebrew 7896: to put, set">7896</a></span> <span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_7896.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Englishman's Hebrew: 7896 -- Occurrence 35 of 83">[e]</a></span></span></span></td><td class="translit" valign="top"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/shatu_7896.htm" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;" title="šā·ṯū: have set -- Occurrence 2 of 4."><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">šā-ṯū</span></a></td><td class="hebrew2" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">שָׁ֣תוּ</span></span></td><td class="eng" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">have set</span></span></td><td class="pos" valign="top"><span class="pos" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrewparse.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Verb"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Verb</span></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="strongsnt" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/5921.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Strong's Hebrew 5921: upon, above, over">5921</a></span> <span class="strongs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Englishman's Hebrew: 5921 -- Occurrence 3582 of 5778">[e]</a></span></span></span></td><td class="translit" valign="top"><a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/alai_5921.htm" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px; text-decoration: none;" title="‘ā·lāy.: against -- Occurrence 80 of 169."><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">‘ā-lāy.</span></a></td><td class="hebrew2" valign="top"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7019607843137254); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;">עָלָֽי׃</span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SgYZlPAJHv0">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SgYZlPAJHv0</a><br /><div>
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<a href="http://superstore.wnd.com/The-Mystery-of-the-Shemitah-The-3-000-Year-Old-Mystery-That-Holds-the-Secret-of-Americas-Future">http://superstore.wnd.com/The-Mystery-of-the-Shemitah-The-3-000-Year-Old-Mystery-That-Holds-the-Secret-of-Americas-Future</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-9185386953515525942015-08-05T15:27:00.003-07:002015-08-05T15:31:51.706-07:00Before Abraham Was... I AM<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Two Part Study: Jesus Christ Is God - I Am The Lord</h1>
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Posted in: <a href="http://www.plainerwords.com/artman2/publish/2004/index.shtml" style="color: #4f82cb; text-decoration: none;">2004</a><br />
By Tom L. Ballinger<br />
Mar 2, 2008 - 3:40:43 PM</div>
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April 14, 2004<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">PLAINER WORDS … JESUS CHRIST IS GOD</span><br />
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“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8)<br />
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This verse is widely used and quoted by non-dispensationalists as their proof text to prove that Jesus Christ hasn’t changed His method of dealing with mankind. Pentecostals, especially, rely on this verse in defense of their stand on “the gifts of the Spirit” being an integral part of Jesus Christ’s administration today.<br />
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From time-to-time, I’ll watch charismatic, or Pentecostal preachers, on television. When they feel a need to reject the idea of dispensational truth, they invariably quote Hebrews 13:8 to dismiss right division. When they do, it brings loud applause from the congregations. Their logic is faulty. Once upon a time, Jesus Christ was a baby. In this sense, He was not the same yesterday, today, and forever. To use Hebrews 13:8 to invalidate right division of the Word of truth does harm to the profound truth contained in the verse.<br />
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The great truth in Hebrews 13:8 is that Jesus Christ was God yesterday, and is God today, and will be God forever. Hebrews 13:8 should be studied in the light of other verses. The fact that Jesus Christ is God never changes. But, His methods of dealing with mankind have changed over the course of the ages.<br />
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In John, chapter eight, the Pharisees were disputing with Christ about who He was. In the fifty-eighth verse, He said to them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” The “I am” was a dynamite answer. The Pharisees understood full well what Christ had told them, even though many Christians don’t comprehend the profundity of—“I am.”<br />
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What was it the Pharisees understood Christ to mean when He said, Before Abraham was, I AM? The answer lies in Exodus 3:13-14. This was where the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob spoke to Moses, from the burning bush, telling him to go to the Hebrew children and tell them of their impending deliverance from Egypt.<br />
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“And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?” (Exodus 3:13).<br />
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“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, ‘Thus shalt thou say, unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you’” (Exodus 3:14).<br />
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The Pharisees knew the implication of what Jesus said. They understood Him to mean He was the I AM of Exodus 3:13-14—meaning, Jesus Christ asserted that He was, indeed, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.<br />
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The evidence of this fact was that it so enraged the Pharisees that they attempted to stone Him to death, “Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by” (John 8:59).<br />
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The power of “I AM,” spoken by Christ, is further illustrated in the garden when Jesus was betrayed. As Judas and a band of men, along with the officers of the chief priests and Pharisees, marched toward the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus didn’t run; He went to meet them.<br />
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“Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I AM He. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as He had said unto them, I AM He, they went backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked He them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I AM He: if therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way:” (John 18:4-8).<br />
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In order to grasp the real significance of Who Jesus Christ really was, and is, and Who He will be forever, let’s consider The Emphasized Bible, A Literal Translation, by Joseph B. Rotherham:<br />
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Exodus 3:15-16, “And God said yet further unto Moses—Thus shalt thou say unto the sons of Israel, Yahweh, the God of your fathers, Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob hath sent me unto you.”<br />
<br />
Now, notice Rotherham’s version of Exodus 6:1-3: “Then said Yahweh unto Moses, Now shalt thou see, what I will do to Pharaoh—for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand he shall drive them out from his land. Then God spake unto Moses—and said unto him—I am Yahweh: I appeared, therefore, unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty, although by My Name Yahweh was I not made known to them.”<br />
<br />
In the Hebrew Bible (our Old Testament), the name, “Yahweh,” is not spelled out; the vowels were dropped, and they spelled God’s name as YHWH. It has been said that out of reverence for His Name, the Jews did not spell it out. For some reason, the King James translators suppressed God’s Name which I, respectfully, think was wrong. If we knew God’s Name in the Old Testament, the English speaking world could more readily identify Jesus Christ as God Himself. (I am digressing a bit, but it seems essential to cover this).<br />
<br />
The Authorized Version translated “Yahweh” as “LORD.” All letters are capitalized, but the “O-R-Ds” are in smaller upper case than that of the “L”. According to Vines, the word, “Yahweh,” occurs 6,828 times in the Old Testament. 6,824 times, it is translated “LORD,” and only four times, is it translated “JEHOVAH” which is the anglicized spelling of Yahweh.<br />
<br />
“Jehovah Yahweh. One of the most important names for God in the Old Testament is Yahweh, or Jehovah, from the verb ‘to be,’ meaning simply but profoundly, ‘I am who I am,’ and ‘I will be who I will be.’ The four letter Hebrew word YHWH was the name by which God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush <Ex. 3:14>. This bush was a vivid symbol of the inexhaustible dynamism of God who burns like a fire with love and righteousness, yet remains the same and never diminishes. Some English translations of the Bible translate the word as Jehovah, while others use Yahweh.<br />
<br />
“God is the author of life and salvation. His ‘I AM’ expresses the fact that He is the infinite and original personal God who is behind everything and to whom everything must finally be traced. This name, ‘I AM WHO I AM’, signals the truth that nothing else defines who God is but God Himself. What He says and does is who He is. The inspired Scriptures are the infallible guide to understanding who God is by what He says about Himself and what He does. Yahweh is the all powerful and sovereign God who alone defines Himself and establishes truth for His creatures and works for their salvation.”<br />
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary; Copyright 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers).<br />
<br />
In our Bible (KJV), the Name of God is concealed from those who listen to the reading of the Bible. The listener is unable to tell whether the word “LORD,”or “Lord,” is read. It makes a big difference. The reader with an untrained eye finds the truth of “LORD” completely hidden. This is tragic, indeed. “LORD” is different than “Lord.” When the causal reader or listener of Scripture reads or hears the word “LORD,” or “Lord,” he is unable to distinguish between the two. These two words are titles. Whereas, Yahweh is a Name; it is not a title. It is the Name of God. He gave Himself the Name, Yahweh. He used this Name when He revealed Himself to His servants and prophets in the Old Testament.<br />
<br />
When our Lord Jesus Christ said, “Before Abraham was, I AM,” He identified Himself as Yahweh of the Old Testament.<br />
<br />
The Lord Jesus further asserted His deity in the winter during the “feast of dedication” in John Chapter Ten. He told the Pharisees, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). To be one meant they were the same Person. They responded by taking up stones again to stone Him (John 19:31), and, “Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God” (John 10:32-33). Many Christians miss the nuance of “I AM,” but not the Pharisees.<br />
<br />
Dear readers, “still water runs deep:” we are in the “still water” of Scripture. To equate Hebrews 13:8 as a condemnation of the right division of dispensational truth is evidence of shallowness.<br />
<br />
In conclusion, we’ll look at two other passages:<br />
<br />
“John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;” (Revelation 1:4).<br />
<br />
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).<br />
<br />
Hebrews 13:8 is the capstone of divine revelation. It has nothing to do with His methods of dealing with mankind. It has everything to do with Who Jesus Christ is! Interpreting Revelation 1:4 & 8 in the light of Hebrews 13:8 would be as follows:<br />
<br />
The “Him,” which is, is equivalent to Jesus Christ “the same today;” The “Him,” which was, is equivalent to Jesus Christ “yesterday;” and the “Him” which is to come, is equivalent to Jesus Christ forever.<br />
<br />
The Personal Name of God in the Old Testament was Yahweh. His Name in the New Testament and the Prison Epistles is Jesus Christ. His Name in the ages to come will be Jesus Christ.<br />
<br />
The glorious truth we are to learn from Hebrews 13:8 is that Jesus Christ is God.<br />
<br />
<br />
Tom L. Ballinger<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
April 21, 2004<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">PLAINER WORDS … I AM THE LORD</span><br />
<br />
One-hundred-sixty-three times in the King James Version of the Bible, God says, “I am the LORD;” LORD being the translation of Yahweh. One-hundred-sixty-three times, God says of Himself—I AM THE LORD. As it was pointed out in our last study, Joseph Rotherham, in his Emphasized Bible, always translates LORD as “Yahweh.”<br />
<br />
The last of the Old Testament references of “I AM The LORD” is found in Malachi 3:6; “For I am the LORD, I change not: therefore ye sons of Jacob are consumed.” This is the definitive comment on Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”<br />
<br />
Malachi 3:6 could be rendered; “For I Am Yahweh, I change not: …” Hebrews 13:8 would be correct by saying, “Jesus Christ changes not.” Our Lord Jesus Christ named Himself, Yahweh, in the Old Testament. He also selected His name for the New Testament times. He sent His angel to Joseph, who was espoused to Mary, and told him, “…for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21). A superficial reading of this fact would indicate that Jesus is the name of the baby ― “Baby Jesus.” The Name, JESUS, is the English rendering of the Greek, “Iesous,” which comes from “Jehovah,” or “Jehoshua,” and they all are derived from Yahweh. (I’ll not get into that study). But, the Name, JESUS, is the New Testament equivalent of YAHWEH.<br />
<br />
I also noticed in Matthew 1:23 that a messenger (i.e. angel) further informed Joseph that the child is to be born of a virgin, and “they shall call His name Emmanuel which, being interpreted, is God with us.”<br />
<br />
Here is what I’ve learned: (1) One-hundred-sixty-three times, God is identified in the Old Testament as—I AM YAHWEH. (2) Yahweh never changes. He is always God. (3) When the language of the Bible changes from Hebrew to Greek, only the spelling and pronunciation changes; that’s all. Yahweh/Jesus is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” An example of this can be that my Christian name, in English, is Thomas. It’s pronounced as Thomas. In Spanish, my first name is spelled Tomas. It is pronounced Tow-mas. However, I remain the same person, whether it is Thomas or Tomas.<br />
<br />
When I consider the one-hundred-sixty-three references of “I AM YAHWEH,” I am overwhelmed with the significance of the “I AM.” Over-and-over, again, the emphasis is on “I AM Yahweh,” i.e. LORD. Check out the occurrences; you, too, will perceive the significance and import of “I AM.” [ i ]<br />
<br />
In Isaiah 43, notice the “I AMs.”<br />
<br />
“For I AM the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:” (v.3).<br />
<br />
“Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I AM He: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, AM the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I AM God” (vs. 10-12).<br />
<br />
“I AM the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King” (v. 15).<br />
<br />
“I, even I, AM He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (v. 25).<br />
<br />
The “I AM,” in these passages, is instructing us that “I AM” is Yahweh. I AM the LORD. As it was pointed out, previously, in the study “Jesus Christ Is God,” the Pharisees understood exactly what Jesus meant when He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.”<br />
<br />
There is currently a growing movement within a certain sect of Christendom proclaiming that Jesus Christ was a supernatural human being—but He was not God, nor even divine. They claim, “Jesus never once said he was God.” This group is headed up by an ex-Englishman now out of Morrow, Georgia. He calls himself, “Sir Anthony Buzzard.” Two things to notice; in America we do not, by law, have titles such as “Sir,” or “Lord,” or “Duke,” and etc. The man’s last name, Buzzard, isn’t very flattering. You know what buzzards eat? But of course, we cannot choose our family name. The point is, “Sir” Buzzard denies that Jesus Christ is God. [ ii ] It was surprising, and alarming, to learn how broad a range this movement covers within the Christian religion.<br />
<br />
Let’s carry the idea of I AM YAHWEH, or I AM the LORD, over into the Gospel of John and see if we can appreciate the full impact of “I AM.”<br />
<br />
“As long as I AM in the world, I AM the light of the world” (John 9:5).<br />
<br />
“Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I AM the door of the sheep” (John 10:7-8).<br />
<br />
“I AM the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).<br />
<br />
“I AM the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine” (John 10:14).<br />
<br />
“Jesus said unto her, I AM the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live’ (John 11:25).<br />
<br />
“Jesus saith unto him, I AM the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).<br />
<br />
“I AM the true vine” (John 15:1).<br />
<br />
“I AM the vine (John 15:5).<br />
<br />
I want to use a phrase that adequately defines what the Lord Jesus was communicating when He said, “I AM,” but I am at a loss to do so. Therefore, I’ll say the following for wont of a more proper phrase; the subtle nuance of Jesus saying, “I AM,” is that He was stating He was God.<br />
<br />
God is the light of the world; God is the door; God is the good Shepherd; God is the resurrection; God is the way, the truth, and the life; God is the true vine. This is what our Lord and Savior meant when He said, “I AM.”<br />
<br />
The Gospel of John also describes the event in the Garden, as did Matthew, when Judas and the others came for Jesus.<br />
<br />
“Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I AM He. And Judas also, which betrayed Him, stood with them. As soon then as He had said unto them, I AM He, they went backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I AM He: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way” (John 18:4-8).<br />
<br />
Three times in these four verses, He said He was I AM. He was not just saying, “I’m the guy you’re looking for.” Nor was He just saying, “I’m the man you want.” It was His way of identifying Himself as “Jesus of Nazareth,” Who was the Great I AM of the Old Testament.<br />
<br />
When Christ said, “I AM He,” “they went backward, and fell to the ground,” this demonstrated the power in the spoken Name of ― I AM. If you or I were to say, “I am he,” there would be no great significance in it as it was when our Lord Jesus Christ replied, “I AM He.”<br />
<br />
Yahweh (i.e. LORD) of the Old Testament and Jesus Christ of the New “is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever”(Hebrews 13:8). “For I AM the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6).<br />
<br />
Tom L. Ballinger<br />
<br />
Endnotes:<br />
<br />
[ i ] In this study, “I AM” is capitalized in order to emphasize the importance of the phrase which is also His Name.<br />
<br />
[ ii ] Anthony Buzzard heads-up what is called, “The Restoration Fellowship” at the Atlanta Bible College, Morrow, Georgia. He is either affiliated with the Assemblies of God, or the Church of God. This fellowship speaks of themselves as the “Minority Church.”</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-28906647803969998502015-07-29T17:12:00.001-07:002015-07-29T17:12:21.371-07:00Lost Links<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Friends in Christ Jesus,<br />
Sorry, but I accidentally erased many valuable links. Will be adding them back soon.<br />
You can see more info at my FaceBook site.<br />
Lots of grace and love,<br />
Your Brother Mark...<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-37082531242966842452015-07-26T19:48:00.003-07:002015-07-26T19:52:08.506-07:00A Great Big Thanks To Our Savior and You...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
https://www.facebook.com/YourBrotherMark/posts/10206445309227239:2<br />
Just wanted to say thanks for dropping by my blog to grow in grace and knowledge of our<br />
Great Savior Lord and God's plan for the future ages...<br />
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A big Thank you....</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-79786823067986440012015-07-05T19:39:00.003-07:002015-07-05T19:39:52.207-07:00Coming Kingdom Of God Is Government of God<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Thursday, March 10, 2005</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">THE KINGDOM’S NEW CREATION</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Part I</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">When the biblical phrase “the Kingdom of God” is used, many Christians are woefully ignorant as to its’ meaning. It is not a nebulous or ephemeral realm whose meaning is rather vague. It has a very precise meaning, and Bible students should understand it refers to the Government of God, which will be manifest in the earth in the coming dispensation. Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language, which he published in 1828, gives the following as the fourth definition of the word “Kingdom.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> 4. Kingdom, “In Scripture, the government of God, or universal dominion of God”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">American Dictionary of the English Language (Webster, Noah; 1828)</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">When the “blessed hope” becomes a reality, the world, as we know it, will be history. When we consider what the “world-to-come” will be like, it staggers the imagination. As we begin to grasp what our Lord Jesus Christ will do when He assumes sovereignty of the world and rules as a beneficent Monarch, we realize that many who pray for the Kingdom to come, if they knew all that it entailed, probably wouldn’t pray for Its’ coming.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Kingdom of God will be a dispensation of Government—not Grace. The world will be regulated, directed, controlled, and restrained by God Himself. Divine justice will be administered throughout the universe. “Every transgression and disobedience will receive a just recompence of reward” (Heb. 2:2).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">2 Timothy 4:1 tells us how the Dispensation of the Mystery ends. We’ll consider 2 Timothy 4:1, and put it in plainer words—I charge thee, Timothy, before God, yes, even the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is about to be judging the living and the dead at His blazing forth (epiphanea), that is to say His kingdom.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">It is the blazing forth of the glory of our great God and Savior that ushers in the Kingdom of God. It is the foremost event which results in a series of dramatic and dynamic concomitant events.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Isaiah has a great deal to say about the coming Kingdom of God. His description is from both a universal perspective as well as from a Jewish perspective.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Isaiah 65:17 through Isaiah 66:24 is prophetic writing concerning the eon in which Jesus Christ governs the world from heaven which is His Throne.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” (Isa. 65:17).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Isaiah 66:1 identifies where Christ will be during the long duration of His world-wide Reign.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">To further verify that the context of Isaiah 65:17 to Isaiah 66:24 is Christ Rule from heaven, note;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain” (Isa. 66:22).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Almost everyone, when “new heavens and a new earth” are mentioned, jumps to the “knee-jerk” conclusion—that it must automatically refer to the “new heavens and earth” of 2 Peter 3:13 or Revelation 21:1. However, it does not. This is said matter-of-factly because it is a matter-of-fact.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Truth associated with Isaiah 65 and Isaiah 66 do not fit into 1000 year Reign of Christ’s Parousia on earth because, during His 1000 year reign, His Throne will be David’s in Jerusalem. Some have even suggested that it is a post-millennial age which is an absurd suggestion.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">2 Peter 3:13 and Revelation 21:1 are not related to the “Day of the Lord” (i.e. the millennium): they relate to the eon of the “Day of God.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Companion Bible points out in its’ note on Isaiah 65:17; “new heavens and earth: i.e. is new in respect to the old. Not the ‘new’ of 2 Pet. 3:13 or Rev. 21:1.” Then, the CB contrasts Isaiah 65 with Revelation 21 by showing that Isaiah 65 refers to; “I create Jerusalem a rejoicing” (vs. 18). Its position is on a mountain [Zion] (vs. 25), and “sinners” are present (vs. 20).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Whereas, in Revelation 21, there appears “New Jerusalem” (vs. 2), and it comes down from God out of heaven (vs. 2), and it was already built by God (vs. 12-25; 22:3-5), and no sinners will be there (vs. 27).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">There is clearly a distinction between the two new creations. Bullinger does not even suggest when Isaiah 65 will be fulfilled. It is assumed he did not know where to place the prophecy so he was silent on the subject of when its’ fulfillment would take place. Dr. Bullinger died before he completed his work on the Companion Bible. As it is recalled, many have said that he died after having completed the Gospel of John. An anonymous writer or writers completed the rest of the CB after his death. Many have thought that Charles Welch was the one who completed it.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The note of Revelation 21:1 ties the “new heaven and new earth” with Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; and 2 Peter 3:7, 13. This is in contradiction to Bullinger’s note of Isaiah 65:17. This indicates that whoever wrote the CB notes on Revelation was not Dr. Bullinger.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Set forth below are the sequence of the Days;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Day of Christ—The Day of the Lord—The Day of God</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">(Kingdom of God)—(Parousia of Christ)—(Post millennium)</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The “new heavens and earth” of Isaiah 65 and 66 refers, to “The Day of Christ.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">It is suggested that we follow the admonition in Hebrews12:1-2;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The new heavens and earth will be new and different from the present heavens and earth that we know. The new heavens and earth will bring forth a totally different climate, world-wide, than we have today.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The earth will be regenerated—that is, made virgin fertile—crops will not need to be fertilized. The earth, itself will yield its’ increase without any human hand being involved.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us” (Ps. 67:6).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things” (Zech. 8:12).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">World-wide, the ground will exert energy of itself, yielding fruit on the vines and crops in the fields. The fertility of the earth’s soil will not be the result of human intervention, but it will be the result of the times of refreshing coming from the presence of the Lord. The earth will be like “new ground.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The earth will not be rained upon. This indicates a spectacular transformation in the earth’s atmosphere. “The heavens shall give their dew,” just like before the Flood. The earth will be universally watered by dew. The climate will be as it was in Adam’s day.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground” (Gen. 2:6).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The face of the whole earth will be watered, not with rain, or sprinkler systems, but by the mist (dew) rising from the earth and falling back upon the face of the ground (Deut. 33:28). The effect will be:</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isa. 35:1).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Isaiah 35:6 even states that in the wilderness shall waters break out, and there shall be streams in the desert. The deserts of this age will disappear and will become fruitful plains.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The scriptural evidence indicates that when the “new heavens and new earth” of Isaiah 65 and 66 takes place, there will be no end of the growing season as we know them. The growing season in the “new earth,” under the “new heavens” will be 365 days a year.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt” (Amos 9:13).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This will be a universal benefit for mankind. It will also be a special benefit for the Jews who had been exiled:</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">from the land I have given them, says the LORD your God” (Amos 9:14-15) NIV.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The dew which will water the face of the earth will result in the elimination of droughts and famines which have plagued the world ever since the Flood. In the waning days of the Kingdom of God, the Lord Jesus Christ told His disciples that “there shall be famines” which will signal “the beginning of sorrows” (Matt. 24:7-8). For hundreds of years, the world will be famine-free. There will be no such thing as hunger and starvation.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The indication is that the earth’s atmosphere and climate, from pole-to-pole, will be temperate. It will be for the benefit of mankind. Imagine an environment in which there are no floods, no thunderstorms, no lightning, no mud-slides, no tornados, no hurricanes, no snow or ice storms, no hail storms, no droughts, no sweltering heat, no crop failures, no food shortages, and no barns are required..</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Jesus Christ said in John 10:10; “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This abundant life will find its fulfillment during the Kingdom of God.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Thursday, March 17, 2005</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">THE KINDOM’S NEW HEAVENS</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Part II</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The creation of the new heavens and earth of Isaiah 65 and 66 is the first action the Lord takes when His Kingdom blazes forth (2 Tim. 4:1), and He begins to determine who shall live under His Government’s Administration. There will broadly be two classes of people—those who are alive when the Kingdom comes and—those who will be raised from the dead.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Of course, not all of the living will be deemed fit to live under His benevolent Rule. Jesus Christ will judge righteously, He will not make any mistakes. We will not attempt in this study to say who all, among the living, will be admitted to live in this new creation. It will be said: that those who live, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of the great God, yes, our Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13) will be in that number. They will be the ones who “love His appearing (Epiphaneia).”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing (Epiphaneia)” (2 Tim 4:8).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This company of believers will, also, be the ones who have embraced the gospel of the Glory of the blessed God.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> “ … the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust” (1 Tim.1:11) ASV.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">These will have their vile bodies changed and fashioned like the glorious body of our Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 4:21). This will be the Church over which Christ Jesus is the Head.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Then, there will be an innumerable company of people, alive at the time, who will qualify to live on the new earth under the new heavens. They will continue to live but without the benefit of a changed body. They will have “natural bodies,” but minus the principle of death working in them. The gargantuan change is that death, will no longer reign—but rather life. Those who die during the Kingdom of God will not die as a result of Adam’s sin. Their death will be a result of their own doing;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“But every one shall die for his own iniquity” (Jer. 31:30).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“… the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek, 18:4).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">”… the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:20).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The three verses, above, don’t make sense unless they are placed in their proper context—the pre-millennial Kingdom of God. This is certainly not truth for today.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Christ will consider all of the dead, and those, according to the righteous Judge, who have in His estimation, exercised the faith that qualified them will be called to “come forth.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">One of the principal characteristics of the Kingdom of God is that it will be a time of resurrection. During this period, there will not be a general resurrection, but rather, Christ raises the dead in stages—“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order” (1 Cor. 15:22-23). This has no reference to the Ecclesia (i.e. Church) of the Mystery because the truth of it was still hid in God when 2 Corinthians was written. There will be a “population explosion” because of all of the dead who are raised to newness of life. However, the new earth will certainly be able to accommodate the world’s population because of it having been regenerated as a new creation.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">As Isaiah 65:17 states, the former heavens and earth shall not be remembered, nor come to mind; meaning that the new will be so wonderful that no-one will even think about the old anymore.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">[The following is said parenthetically: those mentioned in this study as qualifying to live during the Kingdom of God was only pointed out to show the new creation will be so magnificent and glorious that there will be no reason to think about the heavens and earth that “now are.” The Church over which Christ Jesus is the Head will play an integral part in the Government of God. The Ecclesia of the One Body will hold exalted positions in His Administration.]</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying” (Isa. 65:18-19).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Jerusalem mentioned here is not the “new Jerusalem” of Revelation 21. As always, we must keep in mind that an unashamed workman must “rightly divide the Word of Truth.” The New Jerusalem of Revelation 21 was seen by John as “coming down from God out of heaven” (Rev. 21:2). Whereas, the Jerusalem of Isaiah 65 is on the LORD’s holy Mountain (Zion);</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, saith the LORD” (Isa. 65:25).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Zion” of the Old Testament is “Sion” of the New Testament. We are prone to associate the Jerusalem of Isaiah 65:18 with that of the “New Jerusalem” in Revelation 21:2. Then, when we read of “Jerusalem which is above” in Galatians 4:26, and “a heavenly Jerusalem” in Hebrews 12:22, the conventional Christian wisdom says; “They refer to the New Jerusalem found in Revelation 21:2.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Consider the City of God in Hebrews 12;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels” (Heb. 12:22).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Jerusalem which is to be created, according to Isaiah 65, will be on Mount Sion (Zion). Zion was clearly the City of David; see 2 Samuel 5:7. During the Kingdom of God, the City of David on Zion’s mount will become the City of God.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Its’ location will be on the earth in Jerusalem. It will have a “heavenly character,” inasmuch as it will have an innumerable (myriads) company of angels; i.e. messengers of God. It is “heavenly” in its’ character since it is to be the City of the living God, and “heavenly” in its’ glory.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">I have often wondered; what was the significance of “Jacob’s ladder” in Genesis 28:12? Remember, Jacob dreamed a dream in which he saw a “ladder” set in the earth and reached to heaven. In the dream, he observed angels ascending and descending upon it. Could his dream have foreshadowed the angelic activity that is to take place when the Lord establishes the City of the living God; the heavenly Jerusalem of Hebrews 12:22 (or Isaiah 65:17)? If there are dots to be connected; as yet, I haven’t done so.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Back to Hebrews 12:22; we note that there will also be in the City of God the “church (ecclesia) of the first born.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb. 12:23).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The presence of myriads of angels and the church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, give this Jerusalem its’ heavenly character.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This Jerusalem is not the New Jerusalem which comes down from God out of heaven.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">An examination of the context of Hebrews 12 reveals God speaks from heaven.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven” (Heb. 12:25).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">God speaks from heaven; therefore He will not be on earth. This fact rules out that the Kingdom of God is the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ on earth.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Then, in verse 28, we notice the Jews will receive a kingdom that cannot be moved. All of this has to do with a pre-millennial Kingdom of God.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In Revelation 21:3, John said he heard a great voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” This is not Kingdom of God truth.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Furthermore, in Revelation 22:1, the Throne of God is in New Jerusalem; not in heaven. The “tree of life” shows up in verse 2; it is nowhere mentioned in Kingdom of God truth. A close and attentive reading of Revelation 21 and 22 dispels the idea of the Jerusalem of Isaiah 65 being the same as that of Revelation 21-22 and 2 Peter 3:13.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Thursday, March 24, 2005</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Kingdom’s New Creation</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Part III</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:8-10).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Abraham did not go searching for this city because it did not exist during his lifetime. God spoke to Abraham concerning a city which He would build, or cause to come into being as, a creative act of His. This promise to Abraham was also made to Isaac and Jacob. It was to be their ancestral home—that is, the homeland for them and their descendents.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“These all died in faith, not having received the promises” (Heb.11:13). That is to say, they did not receive the things they were promised. But they saw them by faith. They had been fully persuaded about them, and embraced them, by confessing that they were strangers and sojourners on the earth. Those who said such things plainly showed that they were yet seeking a home in a better country (vs. 14).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city” (Heb. 11:16).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The foundations of the city which Abraham “looked for” was the sure foundation of Christ. “Vines Dictionary of the New Testament,” says that the Greek word for “foundation” is themelios, “as a noun, with lithos, a stone is understood, Luke 6:48-49; 14:29, Heb. 11:10.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Jesus Christ is called “that Rock” in 1 Cor. 10:4. Peter also referred to Christ as “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense” (1Pet. 2:8). The foundations of the Jerusalem which will be the result of His creation spoken of in Isaiah 65:18, will have Christ Jesus as its’ foundation.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This “better country,” which will be “heavenly” in character and the “city” that they “looked for,” will be realized in resurrection. Notice when it will become a reality;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:28-29).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This will not be played out in the New Jerusalem which John saw coming down from God out of heaven.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Now, consider what Isaiah wrote;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And it shall come to pass in the last days [refers to the Kingdom of God], that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isa. 2:2-4).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Here, “the mountain of the LORD” represents the LORD’s Government whose headquarters will be in the Jerusalem of Isaiah 65:18. The word and the ways of the LORD will go out from Zion; thus, locating where this Jerusalem will be located. It will be the City of God, where the former city of David had been. The “LORD’s house” are the buildings that houses His Government. Like the House of Parliament, the House of Congress, the White House, or the Court House; the LORD’s House is a governmental term.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This drama will be fulfilled in the City of Promise which is mentioned in Isaiah 65:18; “…For, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This Jerusalem was the one Paul mentioned in Galatians 4:26; “But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” This city is “above;” meaning, it will have a “heavenly” character and is to be far superior “to Jerusalem which now is [i.e. during Acts], and is in bondage with her children.” This “new” Jerusalem existed in the heart and mind of Paul and like-minded believers because whatsoever God had promised; He is also able to perform.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Paul concluded his Hebrew Epistle with this admonition; “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come” (Heb. 13:14). The one they were to seek is to be on Mount Zion; not one coming down from God out of heaven.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Wednesday, March 30, 2005</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Kingdom’s New Creation</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Part IV</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">A tiring, but rewarding, search of the word “Jerusalem,” in the Bible brings to bear truth that the sincere student of the Word needs to comprehend. “Jerusalem” is used 811 times in the Bible. Only thrice, does it refer to the New Jerusalem. All three times are in The Book of Revelation (3:12, 21:2, and 21:10).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Holy City which John saw descending out of heaven from God, in Revelation 21, is not the Jerusalem of Isaiah 65:18-19 or 66:10, 13, and 20.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy …” (Isa. 65:18).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This will be the City of God during the Reign of Jesus Christ. Christ Rules and Reigns over the earth from heaven.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all” (Ps. 103:19).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The meaning of “His Kingdom ruling over all,” is; His Government rules over all nations.” During the Day of Jesus Christ, He rules the world from His heavenly Throne.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">When His Government is inaugurated at the blazing forth of His Kingdom (2 Tim.4:1), the wicked ruler of this present darkness will be overthrown. Satan’s activities, which permeate every facet of society, will come to an end (1 John 3:8). Satan, the Devil, will be displaced, and the Lord Jesus Christ will be the Supreme Ruler of the world. Divine Government will be established—this will truly be The Day of Jesus Christ. Most believers ignore His Day, or, try to make it something that it isn’t.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">It seems that most “scholars agree” that the Day of Christ is the Day of the Lord under another name. I, for one, have always been skeptical of something that most “scholars agree” upon. A number of Plainer Words readers have said, after reading some studies of mine on the Day of Christ; “Tom, I just don’t see it.” For a long, time neither did I. That doesn’t mean that it is not truth.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Abraham, according to the Lord Jesus Christ, by faith, saw His Day and was glad.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My Day: and he saw it, and was glad” (John 8:56).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Admittedly, when one begins to see the Day of Christ, a radical re-adjustment in one’s perception of dispensational truth is required. Alas, many are comfortable where they are and what they believe to be true. On the other hand, some readers have replied positively to the concept that the Day of Christ is the pre-millennial Kingdom of God.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">A recent case in point: concerning the Day of Christ, we received email from a prominent Bible teacher, who will remain unidentified, saying something to the effect—that it is funny how you can only receive knowledge when you are ready for it. When I saw it, it was easy. I just saw it; BAM! All became clear and my world view of end time events made the future so crystal clear. I still need to finish the details but I see it, Tom. I see it.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">With this having been said, we’ll continue the “The Kingdom’s New Creation.” It has been pointed out that there will be a dramatic change in the earth’s climate. This indicates that the new creation restores the earth to its original order and perfect balance.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This restoration of all things (Acts 3:20) is the refreshing times which comes from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19) and restores the heavens and the earth back to their original order and perfect balance—thus, the new heavens and new earth. One of the benefits of this restitution will be that the life expectancy of natural man, born during the Day of Christ, will be greatly lengthened. Death will no longer be working in man.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">It is an undeniable fact that the first mention of death in the Bible shows it to be a punishment which God decreed would fall upon Adam if he disobeyed the explicit directive to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil: “For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:17).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Every earnest student of the Word of God knows that the literal meaning of the passage is “dying thou shalt die” which is one of the most important statements concerning death in the Bible. This declaration tells us, emphatically that on the very day that Adam committed the forbidden act of eating from this one specific tree, the process of death would begin to operate within him and would continue to work until that moment when death would gain its victory and Adam would die even as the Word declared.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">We are not informed as to how many years passed between the creation of Adam and his transgression, but every day after that, death was working in him. However, being God’s original masterpiece of creation: the most perfect human specimen that ever stood upon the earth, he was able to withstand the effects of death working in him until he reached the age of 930 years. Methuselah, who was seven generations removed from his forefather, Adam, lived thirty-nine years. But from his time forth, each generation died at an earlier age. And, had it not been for divine grace, the human race would have perished from the earth since none would have lived long enough to reproduce. But, God in grace injected Himself into the downward decline of mankind and decreed that the average life-span would be threescore and ten years.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The fact that we are dying even while we are living is a truth that many refuse to accept. Most professing Christians are willing to accept only comfortable ideas and pleasant doctrines. They are lovers of that which is pleasant more than they are lovers of God’s Truth. Yet, the facts in the case are inescapable; that is, we are dying all the time we are now living is the truth declared in God's Word. Death works in every one of us, and nothing is to be gained by denying this Biblical fact; one which is obvious to all of us. Tombstones throughout the world give silent testimony to this fact of life.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Concerning this phenomena Otis Q. Sellers wrote in one of his last studies: “The positive Biblical testimony is that ‘by one man sin entered into the world’ (Rom. 5:12). We know beyond a shadow of doubt who this man was. It was Adam, the head of the human race. And we know that it was through him, his one act of disobedience, that sin entered into the world. Therefore, we accept the fact and we face the fact that a malignant principle called ‘sin’ is in the system, the order, and the arrangement into which man is born and in which he must live.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">During the pre-millennial Reign of Christ this “death principle” is removed. Instead of death reigning—the “LIFE principle” will reign. If death occurs, it will be the consequence of man’s own sin because there will be “a sin unto death” (1 John 5:16). While we may not know what that sin will be, everyone alive at the time will know what it is to be. Because all mankind will be Divinely enlightened.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In fact, Jeremiah wrote of this when he said that there will no need to teach, “Know the LORD: for they shall know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them” (Jer. 31:34).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Then there is this in Isaiah 65;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed” (Isa. 65:20).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">It can be safely assumed that there will not be infant mortality. This will not be the result of human healthcare, but the removal of the sin-death principle. A person who attains the age of one-hundred years old will still be considered a child.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">During the Day of Christ, sinners will be present upon the earth, but as long as they don’t commit the “sin unto death,” they will live because they will be assured that 1 John 1: 9 will be fully operative in that day;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">As long as sinners “walk in the light” during the Day of Christ, the cleansing effect of the blood of Christ will be in full operation world-wide.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Believers may draw inspiration from these two verses, but they are not doctrinally in play during the Dispensation of Grace. They were, to a limited degree, during the Book of Acts, but they will be in full force, world-wide, during His Day.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">When Christ Jesus Reigns, a diversity of religions will not be tolerated;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve” (Matt. 4:10).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This will be a universal truth, and it will be vigorously enforced when the Kingdom of God becomes manifest in the earth. These truths do not harmonize if they are forced into the 1000 year Parousia of Christ on earth.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Wednesday, April 06, 2005</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Kingdom’s New Creation</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Part V</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">All highways of dispensational truth looked forward to their destination—the Kingdom of God, including the Dispensation of Grace. The hope of all of God’s faithful is to be realized when God administers justice and righteousness in the world.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Church which is His body will hold the highest offices in the Government of Jesus Christ. Someone has said that we will be the aristocracy of His royal dynasty. Personally, I don’t like the idea of being an aristocracy; whoever said that must have been an Englishman. Trying to put in words what our positions will be, as ministers in His Government, into language that we might better understand—I would say the Church which is His Body will be His inner-circle of administrators. These positions of authority will not have been earned by our earthly exploits of valor or our works of righteousness; but, rather, as a result of His being rich in mercy and saving us by grace alone, through faith, which is His gift to us. The undeserving will be at the pinnacle of authority when the Kingdom comes. What an everlasting, humbling experience this will be!</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">As members of His Church of the Mystery, we will be witnesses to, and participants in the restoration of the heavens and earth. We will see and be a part of a world-wide Government which will be free from corruption, injustice, oppression, exploitation, and war. His Government will be righteous. It will not tolerate evil. Toleration will not be the watch-word. Truth will reign. With that said, we will witness the world-order being restored to its pre-flood, pristine glory.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Men will live for hundreds of years. The sin and death principle will not be at work in their mortal bodies.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands” (Isa. 65:21-22).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Man’s life-span under the “new heavens,” during Christ’s Day, will be much like that of the pre-flood days. From Adam to Methuselah, the Bible showed men lived 900 years. Lamech followed Methuselah, and he lived to be 777 years old. Noah was 600 years old when the flood came, and he lived 350 years after the flood for a total of 950 years. After the flood, life-spans dropped off substantially. Shem lived 602 years, Arpachshad lived 438 years, Shelah lived 433 years, Eber lived 464 years, and Peleg lived 239 years. Peleg was born 1,757 years after Creation. Peleg means “division.” He was born at the time of another world-wide catastrophe—the continents divided (see; 1 Chron. 1:19).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“They shall not build [houses], and another inhabit” indicates that a father does not build his home and plant his fields so that his children can receive them as their inheritance. The fathers “shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” They will live so long that their children will have built their own and provided for themselves because they, too, will live for hundreds of years. Fathers will not have the worry of saving so they can leave something “for the kids.” They can truly enjoy the fruits of their own labor.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The NIV gives a clearer rendition of the next verse;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them” (Isa. 65:23).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The children in this coming new world order will not be doomed to misfortune. This indicates children will not be born with birth defects—doomed to misfortune.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The new order of things which the will Lord impose on men will touch every aspect of life. One such facet of life which must conform to the judgments, statutes, or laws of His Government will be that of marriage. Perfect health will be the order of the Day (Ps. 67:2). Men will not be impotent nor women infertile. Consider men and women living for hundreds of years. How old will a woman be before she passes her child-bearing years? We can ask the same question about men.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">While we are not told implicitly; but there is implied by internal evidence, that marriage will be by Divine arrangements during the Day of Jesus Christ. A PWO reader wrote me several years ago expressing his desire to find a proper wife who would be sympathetic to his views of Scripture. He lamented he may never find one. He said he had talked to one of his previous professors at a Bible College about his dilemma, and the professor said not to worry, the Lord has one just for you. I replied to the friend; “I wouldn’t be too sure about that, this is the wrong dispensation.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">During the Day of Christ [Kingdom of God] it is quite likely that a man and a woman will be brought into the marriage bond by the direction of the Lord Himself. What Jesus said in Mark 10:6-9 may become a reality.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In some cultures, marriages were arranged by families. Kings arranged marriages with other royal families in order to consolidate empires. In Old Testament times, fathers gave their daughters in marriage. In early America, especially in New England, marriages were arranged by families in order to consolidate wealth. This was especially true in England when there were primogeniture laws. Today, one out of two marriages ends in divorce, and this includes Christians. It seems that men and women, today, are seeking mates via the internet through some kind of “love connection.” Is the reason for so many divorces, today, because men and women make bad choices? But just think; what if men and women could ask the Lord Jesus Christ, “Lord, is this the person You have for me?” And then, get a direct answer from Him—Yes or No. Of course, that’s not the way it is. However, there will come a time when …</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“… thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isa. 31:20).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In plainer words, during the Day of Christ, man can ask the Lord, and receive an audible answer—Yes or No.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Not only that; but one of the glorious benefits of the Lord Jesus Christ Reigning as an absolute Monarch, during His Day will be that of INSTANT ANSWER TO PRAYER.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isa. 65:24).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Another aspect of the coming Day of Christ will be that the animal kingdom will be delivered from its’ wild and carnivorous nature. The first act that Adam performed was that of naming all of the animals God created. He did this before Eve was taken from his side (rib).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him”(Gen.2:19-20).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">It is evident that Adam lived tranquilly with all of the beasts and fowls which God created. Yes, even with the dinosaurs. All creatures sustained life by eating the verdant vegetation, nuts, and seeds which were produced by creation. However, when sin entered the world scene, death rode piggy-back with sin because of one man’s disobedience. God cursed the ground and all of creation. This resulted in animals and fowls becoming flesh eaters. Consequently, Paul would say;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Rom. 8:18-22).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">When the manifestation of the sons of God takes place at the Day of Christ, the animal kingdom will be delivered from the bondage of corruption. The result will be;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD” (Isa. 65:25).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The expression, “in all My holy mountain,” is a Hebrew idiom for the holy Government of God. The Government of God is to be world-wide; therefore throughout the “new world,” the earth’s creatures will become tame. Isaiah further emphasized this in chapter 11:6-10;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">None of this refers to the 1000 year “iron rule” of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the earth following His Second Advent. In fact, it will be a time when His Throne is in the heavens.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Isaiah 66:1 says; “The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool …” So it will be during the Day of Christ.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Wednesday, April 13, 2005</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Kingdom’s New Creation</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Part VI</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Cor. 13:2) NIV.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This is quite a statement by Paul who had received more Divine revelations than any man who ever walked the face of the earth. In the King James, it is stated that we see as through a glass, darkly, meaning that in spite of all of his abundance of revelations not everything was neatly wrapped-up, and tied with a ribbon, and placed in the exact pigeon- hole. But, he will fully know, precisely, those things that he was inspired to write in their exact sequence, and all of their particulars in resurrection. He confessed, even though he wrote truth, he had but a poor reflection as in a mirror. Mirrors, in his day, were not what they are today. Thus, there were some parts of their reflections that were not perfect representations.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">We all should make the confession that we don’t see every spiritual truth in perfect clarity. We can see broad outlines, but every detail cannot be clearly discerned. I recognize this. I accept this. I refuse to reject a broad outline painted by God’s broad brush strokes just because I can’t answer all the questions I have.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Doubters always throw out question-after-question in an attempt to cover-up God’s broad strokes. A biblical way of understanding some of the deep things of God is to reason from the “general” to the “particular.” Just because we cannot “get” all of the particulars of matter is no reason to “throw out the baby with the bath water.” This is exactly what many of our brothers have done regarding the coming Kingdom of God. They insist that Christ brings the Kingdom of God with Him at His 2nd Coming. Likewise, they teach that the things related to the Kingdom of God will be fulfilled during Christ’s 1000 year rule on earth.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">A diligent search has been made, and it must be admitted that all we really know about the millennial Reign is found in Revelation 20:1-10. Period! Well, it may be asked have any of the Pharisees, or chief priests, or anyone of a high rank in Christendom believed that there will be a pre-millennial Kingdom? Sadly, it would have to be answered in the negative. However, all of the holy prophets of the Old Testament and the New Testament “kingdom waiters,” John the Baptist, Jesus of Nazareth, the Twelve Apostles, and the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul, believed God would set up His Kingdom before there would be the Great Tribulation.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Great Tribulation will be the result of an open rebellion against the Government of God. Psalm 2 foretells the rebellion against the LORD’s Rule over the nations and how some kings and rulers conspire to over-throw the Dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision” (Psalm 2:1-4).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">For this Psalm to have any intelligent meaning, it must be understood in the light of the Kingdom being a reality for a long period of time in which Christ rules the world from heaven through the Nation of Israel. To interpret Psalm 2 as taking place at the close of the Dispensation of Grace is foolhardy since, during the Grace Period, there is no Divine Rule for the nations to rebel against.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Not only that, but since the world now lives in darkness and follows the course of the world which is directed by Satan (Eph. 2:2), there cannot be an apostasy from truth. When we recognize that the entire world will be enlightened with the blazing forth of the Glory of God (Titus 2:13 & 2 Tim. 4:1), then, and only then, does 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3 make any sense. Hundreds of years after the Kingdom of God is established in the earth, and all nations are forced to submit to His will in the earth, there is a Divine relaxation of restraints. This relaxation gives way to the rise of the anti-Christ. In Paul’s time, some thought the rebellion, had already begun. He corrected them in the following verses;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction” (2 Thess. 2:2-3).NIV.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Jerusalem created anew, as foretold in Isaiah 65 and 66, and located on Zion’s Hill, will truly be a shining city on a hill. It will be the City of God during His Reign from Heaven.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In the concluding verses of Isaiah 66, it is noticed;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD” (Isa. 66:20)</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This speaks of the re-gathering of the Jews out of all nations wherein they had been scattered. They are brought to My Holy Mountain Jerusalem, which means they are re-gathered and become the Israel of God as He rules through the nation of Israel.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD” (Isa 66:21).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">During this time, the Kingdom of God, the twelve Apostles will sit as Judges (Governors) over the identified twelve Tribes of Israel. David will have been raised from the dead and will be Israel’s anointed prince ruling over Israel as Christ’s vice-regent. The Temple complex will be built according to the architectural plans spelled out in Ezekiel Chapters 37 through 42. The nations (Gentiles) will give lavishly of their wealth (i.e.forces in the KJV) to help build the Temple Complex.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces (i.e. wealth; see the margin) of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought” (Isa. 60:11).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Glory of God fills the Temple on Mount Zion (Ezekiel. 43:4).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, ‘so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me,’ saith the LORD.” (Isa. 66:22-23).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">During the Kingdom of God, when Israel is established as the most favored and most blest nation on earth, “new moons,” and “Sabbath” days will be observed. This is in stark contrast with Truth for today, inasmuch as we are instructed in Colossians 2:16-17; “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come (during the Kingdom); but the body is of Christ.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The “all flesh” coming to Jerusalem to worship the LORD indicates that representatives from all nations will be sent to worship and acknowledge Him—not every individual on the face of the earth. All nations will be submissive to the Dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ, as He rules the world from heaven.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Wednesday, April 20, 2005</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Kingdom’s New Creation</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Part VII</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In the last chapter it was pointed out that during the Kingdom of God, representatives (or emissaries) from all nations will come to Jerusalem “from one new moon, and from one sabbath day to another” to worship the LORD (Isa. 66:23).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">These representatives will be taken on a tour of Jerusalem, the City of God. Part of this tour will include viewing the carcasses of those who have transgressed against the LORD. During the Day of Christ, those Israelites who sin a sin unto death will be sentenced early every morning—with swift justice; thereby, cutting off, daily, any wicked doers. A Divine sentence of death will executed, and the wicked doers will be denied burial, and they will be dumped into the Valley of Hinnom, outside the Dung Gate.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD” (Ps. 101:8).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In 1975, a hard-back-book was published simply titled Plainer Words. In it were two studies—The Visible Hell—in which a fully developed study showed in the future City of Jerusalem that there would be a place of perpetual fires burning, consuming the City’s refuse. If any of you may still have the book you, might look up these two studies. The “hell fire” of the New Testament refers to the garbage dump of the pre-millennial Jerusalem. However, in 1975, I misplaced the time of Isaiah 66:24. Then, I said it would be during the millennium—I was wrong!</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh” (Isa. 66:24).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The correction is—during the Day of Jesus Christ, those who represent their nations will come up to Zion’s Hill and worship the Lord Jesus Christ. On the tour, they will go forth to look upon the carcasses of those who transgressed against Him. This will be a stunning reminder to the nations’ representatives that judgment begins first at the house of God.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Pet. 4:17).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Here, Peter is warning what will be the end of those, during the Kingdom, who do not obey the Gospel of God.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> “Tophet, or the valley of Hinnom, was a place where the refuse of Jerusalem was consumed by fires that burned continually. Also, it is suggested that the reader look at Appendix 68 of the Companion Bible where it is pointed out under the heading of VIII. THE DUNG GATE OF NEHEMIAH that there was a ground sewage system which flowed from the Temple area through the dung gate and discharged itself into the valley junction of Kidron and Hinnom. This sewer carried the blood of sacrificial animals, the water of the ceremonial cleansings as well as the sewage from the Levitical quarters.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> The Dung Gate was the closet to the perpetual fires. It would be naturally be the gate through which the “meat wagons” would pass. That is, the wagons that went though the city collecting the dead animals: for the carcasses of the dead animals were thrown into these fires. It was here that the maggots worked on the carcasses. The coals of the fires would consume the flesh. Flesh, however, does not burn like kindling. It smolders; only the “fatty” tissue burns rapidly. The LORD said He would change the name of the valley to the VALLEY OF SLAUGHTER, for He would see to it that those of His people who sinned or transgressed would be killed by the sword, and their burial would be in this place.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This was quoted from Plainer Words, The Visible Hell: Part I (1975).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This, admittedly, will be an abhorring to all that see it during their trip to the City of God. What a warning this will be to all who see it! The Lord Jesus issued this warning of being in danger of being “cast into hell” in Matthew 5:29-30, and in danger of “everlasting fire” and “hell fire” in Matthew 18:8-9. This “hell,” and “hell fire,” and “everlasting fire” are all references to the transgressor’s ignominious end as having been sentenced to death and denied a proper burial.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Even though an innumerable number of Jews will be called forth out of their graves to live again, only a comparative small number of them will put on immortality. In plainer words, a large number of the Jews, who are raised from the dead will live with the possibility of having to die again if they are not careful. The sin-and-death principle will not be working in their mortal bodies. The principle of life (or living) will be working. Death will occur because of one’s own transgression. This will truly be a time when men must take full responsibility for themselves. They can’t blame Adam.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Many think that because the Israelites will be resurrected and have the New Covenant written on the tables of their hearts, they are not subject to death and can do no wrong. Just because they are New Covenant Israelites does not mean they cannot grow weary in well doing. If they are not steadfast and always abounding in the work of the Lord, they may not exercise the proper citizenship and will come in danger of having to appear before the “council.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matt. 5:22).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Dead bodies of the transgressors will be deposited in the garbage dump outside the Dung Gate of the City of God during the Day of Christ. This is what is referenced to when we read in the New Testament that their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">What we’ve pointed out in these articles is obviously not truth related to the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21:2. Neither is it truth for the millenninum. It belongs to the coming dispensation—the Kingdom of God’s dear Son—the Lord Jesus Christ.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Wednesday, April 27, 2005</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Kingdom’s New Creation</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Part VIII</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">These inspired words, spoken by the Apostle Peter, show clearly what the Hope of the Apostles was during the Book of Acts. It was not the 2nd Coming of Christ. It was the “restitution of all things.” Restitution is from the Greek word apokatastaseos; which means, a restoration from a state of ruin. A new creation, if you will, as we have pointed out in the seven previous studies.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In Matthew 19, Peter was very puzzled at our Lord’s words to the rich young man who had confessed to Jesus that all of the commandments He had mentioned, he had kept. Yet, when he was told to sell all he had and follow the Savior, the young man went away sorrowful; for he had many possessions. This prompted the disciple to ask; “Who then can be saved?” The Lord’s reply was; “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” This prompted Peter to say:</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“… ‘We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, at the renewal [regeneration; KJV] of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel’ ” (Matt. 19:27-28) NIV.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Lord Jesus’ reply was clear; when He sits on His Glorious Throne in Heaven, the Twelve Apostles will sit on twelve earthly thrones as governors of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Lord’s Throne will be in heaven when the restoration of all things takes place, and the Twelve will have a prominent place in the Kingdom which is restored to Israel. All of this ties in with the following;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth …” (Isa 65:17).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“… behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing …” (Isa 65:18).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me…” (Isa 66:22).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The new heavens and new earth, mentioned here, is long before the 1000 year Reign of Christ on the earth.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">When the Kingdom comes, sorrow and mourning will be replaced with joy and gladness.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isa. 35:10).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody” (Isa. 51:3)</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Here, we note that the new creation of Isaiah 65 and 66 is likened to the Garden of Eden, and joy and gladness will there be found.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away” (Isa. 51:11).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This will be a time when sorrow and mourning will be absent; not only from Jerusalem, but world-wide.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying” (Isa. 65:19).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Also, encapsulated in the Apostles’ understanding was that in this new creation [when the Kingdom appears] hunger and starvation would disappear, and the earth would yield its’ increase. Contagious diseases (pestilences) would not plague mankind. They understood that wars would cease, and there would be universal peace. They understood that the earth would be restored to its’ perfect balance as it was before the Flood, thereby earthquakes would cease.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">As it was stated previously, the Apostolic expectation, was that of the Kingdom Coming, not the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. I know this cuts across the grain of Orthodoxies’ teaching of the so-called “end times.” I knew that when I would acknowledge this as truth, there would be a time that I would undergo an antagonizing re-appraisal of all that I had been taught by man. It was remarkable how quickly I was able to shed some of my most cherished doctrines—as dead leaves falling from a tree. The Lord is always ready to give you more to believe; if you are willing to take that first step.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">With that said, let it be noted in what is referred to as Christ’s Olivet Discourse that the disciples asked the Lord Jesus; When shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy Coming (Parousia), and the consummation of the age (i.e. the coming age)? (Matt. 24:3).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Lord’s reply was:</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end [consummation] is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matt. 24:6-8).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">His reply makes sense in view of the long duration of the Kingdom of God in which wars cease. But, there will come a time during the Kingdom that Divine restraints will be gradually relaxed, and the Apostles who are alive in resurrection will begin to hear of wars and rumors of wars. They will have lived almost 490 years in resurrection before the rumors begin to circulate. They were told by Christ, back on the Mount of Olives (Matt. 24) that these things must come to pass, but the consummation of the age is not yet.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes. None of these things will have happened during their resurrected lives. The Lord’s words will come to their minds when these things begin to take place—All these are the beginning of sorrows.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">If the Day of Christ, that is, the Kingdom of God, was not in view when Christ made His Olivet Discourse, then, His answer would have been meaningless. Ever since the Flood nations and kingdoms have threatened wars and participated in wars. When was there a time when wars and hostilities were not being waged? When was there a time when there were no famines? When was there a time when there hadn’t been pestilences and plagues? When was there a time when there had not been earthquakes occurring? When was there a time in which sorrow and mourning were not part of man’s life?</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The answer to all of these questions is—NEVER. There must be a time before the 2nd Coming of Christ when there will be a long absence of these things on the world scene. In order for there to be a beginning of some things, common sense dictates there had to be none of these things going on for a long period of time. Otherwise, Matthew 24:6-8 makes absolutely no sense. It is logical to conclude that the present dispensation of grace does not end, and the “beginning of sorrows” is immediately ushered in.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Dispensation of the Mystery ends with Titus 2:13 and 2 Timothy 4:1 becoming a reality. The Kingdom of God begins, and He rules the world for hundreds of years from heaven. The wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes cease. Then by Divine design, there becomes an unraveling of the new heavens and new earth of Isaiah 65 & 66, and they, again get out of balance, and the Divine social order of the world slides into apostasy. Then, the prophecy of Matthew 24:3-31 is fulfilled as the consummation of the Kingdom age.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Wednesday, May 11, 2005</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Kingdom’s New Creation</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Part IX</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Dispensation of the Mystery will come to an end. The Apostle Paul wrote his last will and testament to his son in the faith, Timothy. In it, Paul describes to Timothy the “perilous times” that shall occur in “the last days” of this present dispensation (2 Tim. 3:1-9). Paul says that there will be men who will have a form of godliness but denying its’ power (2 Tim. 3:5). Then, he likens them to the sorcerers who confronted Moses in Exodus 7:11. They were not named in Exodus, but the Lord gave their names to Paul—Jannes and Jambres. Look closely at a most overlooked passage.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was” (2 Tim. 3:8-9).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In plainer words, their madness will suddenly and dramatically become obvious to all men. Just as Jannes and Jambres were stopped “dead-in-their-tracks,” so, also will these last days deceivers. What causes them to proceed no further? What exposes them? What brings their wickedness to an end?</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">THE BLAZING FORTH OF THE KINGDOM OF JESUS CHRIST ! (2 Tim.4:1).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This truth is scoffed at, ignored, glossed-over, and rejected by most who supposedly embrace 2 Timothy 2:15. Be that as it may, the Lord Jesus Christ will intervene and set the world in order. He does this by bringing justice and equity to the nations apart from Israel. He establishes His sovereignty over the world before He begins to re-gather His ancient people.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice [victory]; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope” (Isaiah 42:1-4) NIV.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This describes the Lord’s next move. The Lord Jesus quotes this prophecy in Matthew 12:18-21. You will note that this justice and victory will be accomplished without damage or devastation taking place. There is no idea here of God taking vengeance on the world. He sends no one a strong delusion that they may believe the lie and be damned. There is no shout, or voice of the archangel, no trump of God, no one being “raptured.” Justice is established in the earth before He resumes His dealing with the Jews.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Why is this prophecy ignored?</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The neglect of this beautiful prophecy is probably because students and teachers of prophecy cannot find a place to fit it in their prophetic scheme of things. There is, however, one prophetic plan that it fits perfectly. The pre-Advent Kingdom of God.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Paul wrote about this, when he said:</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And again, Isaiah says, The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him” (Rom. 15:12) NIV.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Root of Jesse, the Lord Jesus Christ, will rule over the nations before He rules over Israel. He doesn’t suddenly rule over Israel. This flies in the face of many who are steeped in the traditional “right division” mode.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Lord Jesus Christ reigns over the nations of the earth for years while He is re-gathering and preparing the true seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be the head nation of the world (Deut. 28:13).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In a Plainer Words Online study of Daniel, Chapter Two, it was pointed out what God revealed to Daniel concerning Nebuchadnezzar’s forgotten dream.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter” (Dan. 2:28-29).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Notice that “the latter days” and the word, “hereafter,” are used interchangeably, and refer to the NT term—the Kingdom of God.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The dream was concerning the image-statue of a man with a head of gold. Daniel informed the King that he was that head of gold, and in the “latter days,” he would have a world-wide dominion under the God of Heaven. Nebuchadnezzar never had a universal reign in his lifetime. In order for him to do so, he will, of necessity, have to be raised from the dead to be God’s first universal monarch when the Kingdom of God comes (see Plainer Words Online studies on A Fresh Look at Daniel). Other kings will also reign under God’s authority. It is suggested that Daniel 2:30-43 be read as Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar what his dream was, and then gives the interpretation of it. Daniel’s Divine conclusion of the matter is summed up below.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure” (Dan. 2:44-45).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Several things should be pointed out. (1) During the reign of these kings, in “the latter days,” God begins setting up a Kingdom. (2) The Kingdom that God sets up shall never be destroyed. It will be the Kingdom of Israel. (3) It shall consume the kingdoms of the previous universal monarchs. (4) It shall stand forever. (5) The stone (Israel), which will be cut out of the mountain (God’s Government), becomes a great mountain (Government), and fills “the whole earth” (Dan. 2:35). Many OT passages refer to “the mountain of God” which is an appellative for government, or God’s Government. (6) The stone (Israel) breaks in pieces, or literally brings to an end their power and authority. This should not be read in the light of the 2nd Advent of Christ which puts an end to the rebellion against the Government of God. (7) God made known to Nebuchadnezzar, through Daniel, “what shall come to pass hereafter (or in the latter days). The dream, according to Daniel, is certain, and the interpretation is sure.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">A great disservice to Dispensationalists has been provided by many Bible teachers who have reinterpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream by insisting that the fulfillment of most of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream has historically been fulfilled. This reinterpretation of the dream makes void Daniel’s statement; “the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof is sure.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Wednesday, May 18, 2005</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Kingdom’s New Creation</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Part X</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Daniel Two informs us that in the “latter days” God assumes Rulership over the earth and the nations upon it. He raises Nebuchadnezzar from the dead, and He sets him up as king who has dominion over all men; even the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven (Dan. 2:38). Nebuchadnezzar never had such power, strength, and authority in his life. He will, however, when the Kingdom comes. In those “latter days,” the most High will rule in the kingdom of men, and He will give it to whomsoever He will (Dan.4:25). Men will surely know that “the Heavens do rule” (Dan. 4:26). Yes, the most high God will rule over the kingdom of men, and He will appoint over it whosoever He wills (Dan. 5:21). The LORD has already selected the first monarch to rule when His Kingdom is established. It will be Nebuchadnezzar.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Psalm 67:4-5 points to this time, “the latter days,” when the most High God governs the nations prior to Israel’s ascendancy:</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.” NIV</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Four other kings arise in the “latter days” and are world-wide monarchs. Each one, in descending order, will have less glory, strength, power, and authority as did Nebuchadnezzar. We are not told how long these monarchs will reign. It could very well approach two-hundred years. In the meantime, the Lord will be gradually placing Israel back in the Land and establishing its’ government. It starts out as a small rock, or stone, and grows so influential that the previous kings and their kingdoms will to come an end and will not even be remembered. The stone becomes a mountain and fills the whole earth (Dan. 2:35).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Lord Jesus Christ takes this truth in Daniel and made it into a parable.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it” (Mark 4:30-32).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In the broader concept the Kingdom God begins with His assumption of sovereignty over all of the nations in earth. At the time, His Israel is not a nation. Even though the Israel we know today is a nation-state, it is most assuredly not “the Israel of God.” After He exercises His authority over the nations of the world, He begins doing His Kingdom work with the true descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel is “sown” in the Land, and it begins to grow like the grain of a mustard seed. It becomes greater than all of the world’s nations; so much so, that it fills all earth with dignity, glory, power, and authority.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In the broad aspect of the Kingdom of God it embraces, a world-view which is Gentile-ward. As time passes by, the more narrow aspect of His Kingdom begins to be centered in Israel.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">How does the Kingdom of God come to Israel? The Lord Jesus, Himself, informs us how. It is not in harmony with the pre-millennialist’s view of theology. It doesn’t come suddenly, or dramatically, or with great fanfare.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear” (Mark 4:26-28).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Kingdom of God comes to Israel in stages—the blade, the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The rise of the nation of Israel, during the Kingdom of God, is not a spectacular phenomenon. As far as the-man-on-the-street goes it will appear as the normal progression of human events. How this happens, man “knoweth not how.” But, the unseen Hand of God is working and shaping events which leads Israel to rise from “the stone” cut out of the mountain to become a Government whose influence shapes all world events (i.e. fills the whole earth). Or, said another way; it’s as if the mustard seed was sown in the ground, and over time it grows to become the greatest “herb” of the field (i.e. the greatest nation on earth).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The rise of Israel during this future time period will be gradual and continuous. So much so, that it comes into prominence without the world’s scrutiny.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation” (Luke 17:20).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In plainer words, when the Kingdom initially comes to Israel, it does so without any outward signs to be observed, or without any visible display. The reality of the coming of the Kingdom to Israel is a far cry from what many prominent dispensationalists teach. They insist that It comes when the Lord Jesus, Himself, descends from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-17).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">People will not say; “Look! Here It is!” or; “See, It is over there!” It is discerned intuitively by those who will be enlightened as to Its’ coming—it will be within them.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Again, how does the Reign of Christ come to Israel? The Parable of the leaven in Luke 13:20-21 shows what appears to be the natural progression of the growth of Israel’s influence over the nations of the world.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And again He said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In this parable Israel is the “leaven,” and the “three measures of meal” is the world.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">It would be like a baker when he places yeast in dough, and kneads it, and then places a towel over the mixture, and sets it on a shelf. The baker cannot observe the work (fermentation) being done in the dough, nor can he see it rise. But, he can come back to it in a few hours and it will have tripled in size. So it will be with the growth of the Lord Jesus’ Government in Israel. It will permeate the “whole” world.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This will be the time that the earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea (Hab.2:14). Justice flows down from heaven, and righteousness like a mighty stream (Amos 5:24). There will not be found any false religions in the world—just imagine, a world with no Christian sectarianism, no Moslems, no Hindus, no Roman Catholics, no pagans, no atheists, no agnostics, no openly unbelievers.[i] It will be a time in which there is no “freedom of religion.” The whole world will have to submit to the Divinely revealed fact that Jesus Christ is LORD!</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This does not mean that Satan will not be sowing “tares among the wheat.” The “tares” will live among “wheat,” but they dare not expose themselves. If they did, they would be cut-off. The darkness of their hearts will not be exposed until the time of the harvest (see the Parable of tares among the wheat: Matt. 13: 24-30). When the Restrainer withdraws His restraints on men, the tares will be free to reveal their heart’s hatred toward Christ, and His Government, and the Jews by willingly and openly rebelling against the established Divine order (see Ps. 2, and 2 Thess. 2:1-12). </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Wednesday, May 25, 2005</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Kingdom’s New Creation</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Part XI</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">A signal event occurs when the Kingdom of Christ becomes a reality; it being that the “prince of the power of the air” will be expelled from his dominion of the “air” and will lose his authority as the director of “the course of this world” (Eph. 2:2). The “prince” (i.e. the Devil) will be replaced by the Holy Spirit Who will exercise awesome power as He directs the “course” of the Kingdom Age.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This will result in a Divine influence over all of the affairs of men. A Divine Government will be established in which the Lord Jesus Christ governs the heavens and the earth from His Throne in Heaven. His “will” will be done in the earth. One of the offices the Holy Spirit will perform will be that of a Restrainer of evil.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way” (2 Thess. 2:7).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Acts period believers were experiencing a foretaste of the Kingdom of God (Heb.6:5). So, what Paul wrote to those at Thessalonica was appropriate for the time.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“He who now letteth will let.” Here, we find two obscure English words; letteth and let. According to Webster’s American Dictionary, published in 1828, the word “let” means “to hinder, to impede, to interpose obstruction. 2 Thess. 2 [this sense is now obsolete, or nearly so].” This was in the year of 1828.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Letteth, from the word let; one who retards or hinders. Letteth means the one who lets.” So, from this, we can safely say that one who lets is one who is a retarder, or a hinderer, or an obstructer—in plainer words, a restrainer.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The work of the Spirit was described as “He that letteth will let.” Dropping the “King’s English,” it can be “He who lets will let.” Anyone familiar with the game of tennis knows what a “let ball” is. That is a ball which is served by the server and clips the net. It is declared to be a “let ball.” Meaning, the tennis ball was “hindered” or “restrained” from its’ true projectory and must be served over-again.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Therefore, what the Apostle was saying was—He Who now hinders or restrains evil will do so until He steps aside.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way” (2 Thess. 2:7) NKJV.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Restrainer will restrain lawlessness for hundreds of years during the Rule of Jesus Christ. The seat of His Government will be in Heaven. This restraining power of the Holy Spirit will result in a time of blessing in the earth which the world has never experienced. But, towards the consummation of the Kingdom, the restraints will be gradually lifted, and there will arise, over time, a rebellion against Heaven’s Rule (Psalm 2). This will be a time of testing to determine who will remain true to the revelations of truth which had been dispensed during the “Day of Christ.” Then:</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His (parousia) coming” (2 Thess. 2:8) NKJV.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">We have painted with a broad brush, showing that between the Appearing (Epiphaneia) and the 2nd Coming (Parousia), there will be hundreds of years in which the world, and especially Israel, will enjoy the abundance of life which had been the message of all of the holy prophets.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Let’s now consider the length of the pre-millennial Kingdom of God.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">In our last article (Part X), we considered the Kingdom reign of Nebuchadnezzar as the “head of gold” monarch as mentioned in Daniel Chapter Two. Then, the additional reign of four, or perhaps, even five other universal monarchs. This could possibly account for two-hundred years; during which time Israel goes through the seed, blade, and full ear in the corn stages.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Added to the estimated two-hundred years is the fact that four-hundred-ninety years are “determined” upon Israel and the holy city—Jerusalem (Dan. 9:24). The holy city, Jerusalem, will be the restored holy Jerusalem─the City of God; as our previous studies have pointed out, this will be the Jerusalem mentioned in Isaiah 65:17-19. This would certainly indicate that the pre-millennial Kingdom of Christ will last close to seven-hundred years [200 + 490 = 690 years].</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Most Bible students and teachers refer to these four-hundred-ninety years as the “Seventy Weeks of Daniel.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city” (Dan 9:24).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Four-hundred-ninety years have been decreed upon the Jewish people and the Holy City. From this, it would appear that the focus of what is to follow is centered in and around the Holy City of Jerusalem.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">During this Kingdom period of time, the holy city of Jerusalem will be the earthly capitol of Israel’s Divinely directed Government. It will be the premier Capitol City of the world. Her Government will be a cause for rejoicing. Jerusalem will be beautiful beyond description. Isaiah foretells that Zion (Jerusalem) shall be comforted and will be like Eden—the Garden of God (Isa. 51:3). Joy, peace, righteousness, and justice will reign supreme because of the restraining influence the Restrainer exercises over Jerusalem, the Land, and the world.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">We find in Daniel 8 that he, Daniel, had been very perplexed and upset concerning the vision he saw in Daniel 7 and 8 concerning the “ram” and “he-goat.” In fact, Daniel said that he “fainted, and was sick certain days” (Dan. 8:27) because of what he saw in the vision. It must have been a horrible, nightmarish vision. We can barely fathom the horror, the desecration, and degradation of what is to happen to his people, the Holy City, and the sanctuary as we read Gabriel’s explanation of it (Dan.9: 26-27). </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">While Daniel was praying to the Lord, asking for understanding, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and explained the vision. These weeks are seven years in length; hence, 70 x 7 = 490. In my eleven part studies on Daniel, it was pointed out that not one minute of these 490 years have taken place as yet. They await future fulfillment!</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Gabriel told Daniel, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (Daniel 9:24).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Six things are to be accomplished: (1) Put an end to the “little horn’s” rebellion, (2) Put an end to sins of the Desolator and his people, (3) Make an atonement for the iniquity (avon – perverseness, “wrung out of course,” see Appendix 44, iv of Companion Bible), (4) To bring in everlasting righteousness, (5) To seal up the vision and the prophecy, that is, to bring to an end all that was foretold in the vision, and (6) To anoint the most Holy (i.e. the Holy of Holies).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">So after more than four-hundred-plus years of righteous education under the Government of Christ Jesus, the Lord tests those upon the earth, especially, Israel (Rev. 3:10). He gradually withdraws the Restrainer’s grip and allows men to walk in their own ways (2 Thess. 2:3-8). Then, when the Restrainer completely “steps aside,” those who had secretly been anti-God are made manifest.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The last of Daniel’s seventy weeks, the last seven years, “all hell begins to break loose.” The last three-and-a-half years of Daniel’s seventieth week was described by Christ as being the great tribulation.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The City of God will be over run by the hordes of the anti-Christ. This once City of light and righteousness will be transformed, by force of arms, into a city of darkness. John describes it as being “a habitation of devils, and a hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean, and hateful bird” (Rev. 18:2).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Lawless one makes a covenant with the apostate Jews in the transformed city; then, after three-and-a-half years, he causes the sacrifice and oblation to cease, and he shall erect “abominations” (phallus statues) all around the Temple (Dan. 9:27). He exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, and he will sit in the Temple of God declaring that he, himself, is God (2 Thess. 2:4).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Then the Lord Jesus Christ destroys him with the brightness of His Parousia , the 2nd Coming ( 2 Thess. 2:8). This will be the consummation of the Kingdom age.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Wednesday, June 01, 2005</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Kingdom’s New Creation</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Part XII</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Four-hundred-ninety years have been decreed upon the People of Israel and the Holy City of Jerusalem (Dan. 9:24). The Holy City will be on Mount Zion during the Kingdom of God (i.e. the Day of Christ).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">It will be beautiful beyond description. Its’ glory will be the envy of the nations. It will be likened to the Garden of Eden. Jerusalem will be the City of God. It will be the Administrative Capitol of the world through which the Lord Jesus Christ, the only true Potentate, will Govern the world. It will be a City of Righteousness, Justice, Light, Peace, Truth, and Rejoicing.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">It will be so magnificent that God will rejoice in Jerusalem, and He’ll take delight in His people (Isa. 65:19). It staggers the imagination when you consider the names of the great heroes of the faith who will populate the City and the beautiful Land. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sara, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and his parents, Joshua, Caleb, Rahab, David, and all of the unnamed OT heroes of the Faith. Each of the twelve Apostles will have a tribe to govern. The Israel of God (i.e. the Commonwealth of Israel) will also enjoy the benefits of a corrupt-free government.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King” (Ps. 48:1-2).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">For hundreds of years, the Restrainer prevents outbreaks of sin and evil enterprises of darkness.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">But, all the while, the enemy will be sowing “tares” among the sons of the Kingdom, as well as world-wide. You could call them counterfeit believers. They submit to Divine Rule, but inwardly, they resent the way of righteousness. In their hearts, they yearn to be free to do the will of their father, the Devil. They dare not make any outward show of not conforming to Heaven’s judgments. If they made an outward display of non-conformity, they would be destroyed.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Lord Jesus foretold that before the Tribulation period, there would come upon the Holy City and the world a time He called “the beginning of sorrows.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matt.24:4-8).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">For hundreds of years, the glory of the Kingdom of God blazes forth. It will be a time when the governments of the world are directed by God Himself. It will be a time of plenty. Man will live extended lives enabling them to enjoy the fruit of their own labor. They will have the benefit of perfect health. Everyone will know the ways of God. There will not be any natural catastrophes. Premature deaths will be unheard of. The world will be free from war, crime, injustice, hatred, starvation, disease, and other maladies. In fact, it can truly be said; “Man will live in a perfect environment—a world-wide Garden of Eden.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The “beginning of sorrows” clearly indicates that the Restrainer begins to gradually with- draw His restraints. This takes place sometime before the “seventieth week” of Daniel commences. So, here you have a world living in a perfect environment, under a just Government, and experiencing long life, and some are still not content. Proving again; the heart of man is desperately wicked.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Thus, the “mystery of iniquity” is set in motion (2 Thess. 2:7). The main center of this activity will be centered in the Holy City. Many of the Kingdom’s disciples will be martyred. They will become hated by many nations, and many become offended, and will betray one another. False prophets will arise and will deceive many. Iniquity will abound (Matt. 24:9-12).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Then, the City of God will be amazingly transformed. The great City of Light becomes a city of darkness!</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">It’s hard to imagine that the Holy City situated on Mount Zion, that is to say, Jerusalem, will degenerate to such an extent. The City of God, the Capitol City of the world which had been filled with the Glory of God, is betrayed by the forces of darkness. The collapse of Divine Rule will be the result of the Holy Spirit (the Restrainer) relinquishing His control and guidance of “the course of” the Kingdom age. It will be by God’s design.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The Lord allows Satanic pressure to be brought to bear on His City of Light. In fact, the City will be over-run by the armies of the King of fierce countenance;</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences (i.e a master of intrigue), shall stand up. And 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. And through his policy also he shall cause craft 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” (Dan. 8:23-25).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">This is what is to take place in Jerusalem when the Restrainer steps aside. The Lord Jesus warned His disciples about this:</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains” (Matt. 24:15-16).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The focus of the consummation of the Kingdom is centered in Jerusalem. Prophecies concerning the great city, once the City of God, are about Jerusalem. Not Rome!</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">How deep can Jerusalem sink into the swamp of abominations? A few words can sum up the declination of the once proud City of God; “Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thess. 2:3-4) NIV. The scene described here is definitely Jerusalem! Certainly not Rome.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Satan’s influence in Jerusalem will be so atrocious that when John writes Revelation, he is inspired to give the city a new name; “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Rev. 17:5).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Babylon is designated as musterion (mystery). This, undoubtedly, indicates that the name is to be understood figuratively. Most scholars hold that Rome was the city that was meant. That interpretation goes back at least to the time of Tertullian (Adv. Marc., iii. 13). This interpretation was adopted by Jerome and Augustine and has been commonly accepted by the church. In many instances, I cannot agree with “most scholars;” no matter the antiquity of such scholarship. This is a case in point—Bablyon the Great is not a reference to the city of Rome. It refers to the once Righteous City of God, Jerusalem, which will be over-come by the spiritual forces of darkness.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Mystery Babylon is a symbolic name for Jerusalem because of the abominations that will occur there at the time. To give Jerusalem figurative names is not unusual. For instance, the two witnesses of Revelation 11 lay dead in the street of Jerusalem, and we read; “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified” (Rev. 11:8).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Where also our Lord was crucified” absolutely identifies that “the street of the great city,” here mentioned, refers to Jerusalem. So it is with mystery “Babylon.” The great City of God will degenerate rapidly into one that is characterized as being like Babylon of old.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Even in Isaiah’s time, Jerusalem was called a harlot city; “How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers” (Isa. 1:21).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Rev. 14:8).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath” (Rev.16:19).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird” (Rev. 18:2).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come” (Rev. 18:10).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all” (Rev. 18:21).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Chapter 18 of Revelation is devoted exclusively to the great and mighty city of Babylon. The last verse identifies Babylon; not as that of a future Rome, but as Jerusalem.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“And in her (not Rome) was found the blood of the prophets, and the saints, and all that were slain upon the earth” (Rev. 18:24).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">No Scriptural evidence has been found supporting the fact that Rome killed any of the prophets. Yes, they persecuted and killed Christians, but not in the sense of verse 24. This verse must be interpreted in the light of Matthew twenty-three.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“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” (Matt. 23:35).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee” (Matt. 23:37).</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">Just prior to the end of the Kingdom age, the Restrainer steps aside, and Jerusalem disintegrates and becomes a city that the Word calls “Babylon, the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations.”</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;">The time of Great Tribulation ends with the Parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will govern the world from David’s Throne in Jerusalem restored to her previous glory.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-42540020925894745672015-07-05T04:15:00.000-07:002015-07-05T04:15:00.900-07:00Resurrections Each In Their Own Order<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><u style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Plainer Words Online<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">By<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom L. Ballinger<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>Plainer Words</i> since 1968</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">July 2, 2015</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Issue # 397</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">PLAINER WORDS…WHO INHABITS THE EARTH IN THE DAY OF CHRIST?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“<i>For, behold, I create <b>new heavens and a new earth</b>: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind</i>” (Isaiah 65:17).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The “new heavens and a new earth” is a reference to the Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God—<b>The Day of Christ</b>. This doesn’t refer to Revelation 21:1.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The great theme of the <b>Day of Christ</b> will be the Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Sovereign of the Universe. On the New Earth, a new world order will be in existence. Also, the New Heavens will have new hierarchy. This new hierarchy in the heavens will be new, inasmuch as the Church, over which Christ Jesus is the Head will be superior to all of heavens’ rulers.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>His Day</b> will unveil on earth a new-world-condition in which everything is in its place and will be working properly. It will be an age that will last approximately 700 years. It will be a time in which the whole world will be divinely enlightened and Governed by Christ and His Grace Age Ecclesia [Church].</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Everyone who is granted admittance to live during this Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God will be free from all corruption. The Day of Christ will have no forms of corruption—meaning, the world will be free from dishonesty, bribery, fraud, immorality, sleaze, depravity, theft, gossip, and all sinful acts. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The official Inauguration of the Day of Christ begins when the Lord Jesus Christ begins to adjudicate who will be deemed worthy to live during His benevolent Reign as King of kings (2 Timothy 4:1 and Titus <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://2" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:13</a>). In His Government, we who have Christ as our Head will be “Highly Placed Leaders.” Our authority will be universal. However, this study focuses mainly on the New Earth as the title suggests. This bears repeating; these “Highly Placed Leaders” will be the Church over which Christ Jesus is the Head (Ephesians <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://3" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:22</a>). This called-out body of believers from the Age of Grace will form an elite Cadre [*] to establish and train others to replicate their function all over the world. We will be a Cadre of “no-bodies.” We were selected and chosen to make-up His Cadre in the Day of Christ. Think about it! We were individuals who were “no-bodies” in the Grace Age. The Ecclesia of “no-bodies” will rank “far above all” the spiritual authorities as we were told in Ephesians <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://4" x-apple-data-detectors-result="4" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:21</a>. “Far above all” [<i>huperano</i> – greatly higher in place or rank] in rank fits the Cadre. The Scope of Ephesians Chapter 1 and 2 makes it clear that our rank is (or will be) greatly higher than the Principalities, and Powers, and the other authorities.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> [*] The use of the word, “Cadre,” is used in the non-military sense meaning, “a nucleus around which an expanded organization can be built.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This nucleus was called and chosen by Christ Jesus before the foundation of the new world was laid (Ephesians 1:4). Those during the Age of Grace who have had the “eyes of our understanding enlightened” make up this Cadre. I will refer to this Cadre as “we.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We will establish and train an elite group to be leaders in Godly Governments throughout the world during the Day of Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Members of the Church over which Christ is the Head are unknown in, or by, this world. We are outsiders in the Christian world. We are persona non grata. We have no function, now, except to walk worthy of our High Calling (Ephesians 4:1-7). Many of us were encouraged to leave the organized “church world” because of our stance for rightly dividing the Word of Truth. The Scriptural fact is, we ARE HID WITH CHRIST. Today’s world doesn’t even know we exist. This is, indeed, a hard saying. But, we can receive it, and we accept it as a fact! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“<i>For ye</i> [the Cadre] are <i>dead, and <b>your life is hid with Christ in God</b></i>” (Colossians 3:3).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Before the overall Theme of the Bible becomes a reality—<b>THE DAY OF CHRIST</b>—the Lord Jesus will call His far-above-all Church [His Ecclesia] into Session around the Heavenly Throne of the Lord Jesus. The High Calling of God in Christ Jesus is denominated as “the Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all” (Ephesians <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://6" x-apple-data-detectors-result="6" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:23</a>). </span></div>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">BEFORE THE DAY OF CHRIST BEGINS<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Church over which Christ Jesus is the Head – will be called to assemble before Christ begins to “judge the quick and the dead.” Members of the Ecclesia over which Christ is the Head, who died during the Dispensation of the Grace of God, will be raised (<i>exanastasis</i>) from the dead prior to all others (Philippians <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://7" x-apple-data-detectors-result="7" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">3:11</a>). We, the living members of this Ecclesia, will be divinely transformed into immortal beings in the likeness of the glorious body of Christ Jesus Himself (Philippians <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://8" x-apple-data-detectors-result="8" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">3:21</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The two types of who will make-up the Ecclesia, which is His Body will be: (1). Those who will be raised (<i>exanastasis</i>) out from among the dead, and certainly, the Apostle Paul will be in this number. (2). Those who are alive will be “changed” from being a natural man to become a new man, “fashioned like unto” the Glorified Jesus Christ. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We have been chosen to be the Highest Members of the Government of Jesus Christ. We will rank far above all of the ageless Principalities, and Powers, and Mights, and Dominions, and every name that is invoked in this age but, also, in the one to come (Ephesians <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://9" x-apple-data-detectors-result="9" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:21</a>). As the highest ranking members of His Universe-Wide Government, we will be assembled around His Throne in Heaven before His Glorious Appearing (Titus <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://10" x-apple-data-detectors-result="10" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:13</a>) and before He performs the actions of 2 Timothy 4:1. In this Pre-Government of God’s Cadre, we will be trained to assume our finely tuned positions when His Government becomes manifest.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Therefore, we will be completely prepared to assume our stations of service, whether in the New Heavens, or on the New Earth. It is believed our Headquarters during the Day of Christ will be in Heaven. During the Millennium, our Headquarters will be on Earth in the principal City of the Universe—<st1:city w:st="on">Jerusalem</st1:city>. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Day of Christ will be the Dispensation in which a new mankind will populate the New Earth.</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">WHO WILL REPOPULATE THE NEW EARTH<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The order in which the resurrections will take place is to be determined by the Lord Jesus Christ who famously declared—I Am the Resurrection and the Life (John <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://11" x-apple-data-detectors-result="11" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">11:25</a>). A wealth of Truth can be uncovered if one digs a little in 1 Corinthians <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://12" x-apple-data-detectors-result="12" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">15:23</a>:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“<b><i><u>But every man in his own order</u></i></b><i>: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.</i>”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">(I show you what, and how, I uncovered the Truth of this verse in the study; “Plainer Words On…Every Man In His Own Order,” on our web site; <a href="http://www.plainerwords.com/">www.plainerwords.com</a>. It is not Christ being the firstfruits, but it is “Christ’s firstfruits”).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 Corinthians <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://14" x-apple-data-detectors-result="14" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">15:23</a> informs the Bible student that the resurrections will involve multiple millions of the dead. The incalculable number of resurrections are staggering to the mind. However, the Lord Jesus assured Paul that the resurrections have already been planned, and it has been arranged in order; it is used metaphorically speaking. The word, “order” [<i>tagma</i>], is used in a military manner. To wit, the dead will be raised ranks, such as by a battalion, a company, a platoon, or as a squad. “Military manner” means no confusion but very precise.</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">THREE NOTABLE RESURRECTIONS<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Elijah</b>- He will be raised from the dead at the beginning of the Day of Christ and be assigned the work of restoring man’s lost understanding of the divine idioms, signs, and figures of speech used throughout the Book of Revelation. The world will know what every word in Revelation means before anyone is called upon to face the things revealed in it (Malachi 4:5-6, Matthew <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://16" x-apple-data-detectors-result="16" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">11:14</a> & <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://17" x-apple-data-detectors-result="17" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">17:10-11</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Another one of Elijah’s first assignments is to set the boundaries for each Tribe in the <st1:place w:st="on">Holy Land</st1:place>. The Biblical borders of the Tribes were not very precise. A look at most any Bible Atlas, and you will notice that the borders are not drawn as exact as they would be drawn today. Cartography was not a science in OT Times, or in Biblical NT Times.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elijah will re-settle those who are bona fide Jews according to their Tribes. Therefore, the Twelve Tribes must have distinct borders. I would consider that the boundaries of the tribal nations should be as exact as possible. In Elijah’s time, boundaries were not exact. During the Pre-Millennial Dispensation, Cartography will be a fine art. He should have no problem finding quality map-makers. The Lord Jesus will give Elijah the direct boundary-lines for each Tribe. These will be given to the Cartographers. Elijah would not have been chosen by the Lord to do all of this restoration work had he not had the innate talent to direct all kinds of operations. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Every Israelite who shows up in the Promised Land will be directed to the staging ground in “the wilderness of the people.” Elijah will be there and will be responsible for uniting the children to their fathers and restoring the families and the Tribes. It will be there that every child of <st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place> will find out who their fathers were, and what Tribe they belong to because the majority will have no idea what Tribe they belong to.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>The Twelve Apostles –</b> Will be resurrected and will plant their Tribe’s Flag within the Boundaries for each Tribe set by Elijah. They will be the Judge of their Tribe. They will be on site to receive the thousands of their tribesmen.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>David the King of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region></b> – He, too, rises from among the dead as the Day of Christ begins. He awaits his countrymen to come marching up to <st1:city w:st="on">Zion</st1:city> from their gathering point at <st1:place w:st="on">Mount Sinai</st1:place> after their resurrection, or change. David will reign over <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region> as their King, but his rule is subservient to Jesus Christ. Perhaps it can be said that during the Day of Christ, David is the Vice-Regent of the Lord Jesus Christ. David reigns for hundreds of years in resurrection.</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">THE GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES FOUND IN HEBREWS 11<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This group perfectly fits as examples of those who heard God’s Word and believed God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the Word of God. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hebrews 11 explains how faith worked in 17 or 18 individual lives “and others.” I believe the best book ever written on the subject of “Faith” was E. W. Bullinger’s incomparable book—“THE GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES.” It should be read by every Christian. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In this study, I am not attempting to settle the question as who or what group is resurrected in what order, but rather, who will be living on the New Earth during the Day of Christ. Here is a listing of the names of “heroes” Dr. Bullinger examines in this work, “THE GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES:” Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Moses’ parents, Moses, Gideon, Rahab, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, Samuel, the prophets, “and others.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> RESURRECTION will be the manner by which most of the New Earth’s inhabitants will appear. The Day of Christ can be characterized as the time when most all Resurrections will occur. This endeavor centers upon who, or what company gains entrance into the Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God. </span></div>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">THE “DONE GOOD” PEOPLE<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The next group to consider is what I call, “The Done Good People.” Among the living when the Day of Christ commences, there will be several different categories of mankind who will gain admittance to the Dispensation of the Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God. There will be people among the living who dwelled in the far-flung, out-of-the-way places of the world and had never heard of the Name of Jesus Christ. But, among these, there will be those who knew not Jesus Christ but have “<i>done good in His sight</i>.” They will inherit Kingdom life. Immortality will not be available to them until the 2<sup>nd</sup> Coming [the Parousia] of Christ. They will have natural bodies but no sin will be working in them. The curse of Adam’s sin has been removed. They are capable of having a life-span as that of a tree (Isaiah 65:22).<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“<i>Who </i>[Christ]<i> will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life; ….</i> <i> But glory, honour, and peace, <b>to every man that worketh good</b>, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:” </i>(Romans 2:6-7, 10).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In Acts 10, Peter had been divinely enlightened to deliver the Gospel to a Gentile, the Roman Centurion, Cornelius, and Peter extrapolated further by saying:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“<i>Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness,<b> is accepted with Him</b></i>” (Acts 10:34-35).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The living who do not qualify to enter the Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God, when it comes, will be cast into Hell Fire [Gehenna]; “<i>And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life </i>[Pre-Millennial Kingdom]<i> with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into <b>hell fire</b>”</i> (Matthew 18:9). There, very well, may be Gehenna fires around the world when the new Earth is created as there will be the one S. E. of <st1:place w:st="on">Jerusalem</st1:place> which has been there since antiquity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The dead, who do not qualify, remain in the state of death. The Lord ‘judges” everyone from Adam to the beginning of the Day of Christ—which is to say, Christ will “render to every man” (Romans 6:2), that is, EVERYONE beginning with Adam, the first man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">THE CHURCH IN THE WILDERNESS<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This is a company of Old Testament Jewish believers who were headed-up by the great Law Giver and Government Leader, the Prophet Moses. The Wilderness Government of the Israelites was called the “<i>Kahall”</i> in Hebrew. Moses chose the <i>Kahall </i>(see Exodus <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://20" x-apple-data-detectors-result="20" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">18:21-22</a>).<i> </i>Later, the LORD had Moses select seventy elders, and the LORD took the Spirit which was upon Moses and parceled-out the Spirit to the seventy elders. The elders evidently replaced the others who had been the <i>Kahall</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Wilderness</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Church</st1:placetype></st1:place> <i>[Kahall</i>] will be raised in resurrection and find its place in the Pre-Millennial Kingdom. Along with them will be the “Body of Moses” (Jude 9). Moses’ Body were the Hebrews that left <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region> with Moses as their Leader, and they “<i>were all baptized unto Moses in a cloud and in the sea</i>” (1 Corinthians 10:2).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">THE <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">CHURCH</st1:placetype> OF <st1:placename w:st="on">GOD</st1:placename></st1:place><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This company is made up of the Church [Ecclesia] who ruled over the believers during “The Acts of the Apostles.” The rulers would have been the Twelve Apostles. The Ecclesia of God and the Jewish believers, as well as, the saved Gentiles will find there place in the Kingdom also.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">FAMILIES WILL BE REUNITED AND CHILDREN WILL BE BORN<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Husbands and wives will produce offspring during the Day of Christ. There will be no birth defects, still births, abortions, or unwanted children. The Adamic curse will be removed. I wonder will “Eve’s curse” on women also be removed? That is to say, will childbearing be painless?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Day of Christ will be a glorious age because the Lord Jesus Christ will have all Preeminence in all things. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">~~THE END~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-89278937570365422402015-06-13T18:41:00.001-07:002015-06-13T18:41:05.678-07:00Next... Christ Speaks From Heaven<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom L. Ballinger<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">PLAINER WORDS … CHRIST SPEAKS FROM HEAVEN<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The dispensation that follows the Dispensation of God’s Grace will be the Day of Christ. The Day of Christ begins when Jesus Christ assumes the Sovereignty of the whole world and all earthly governments as the King of kings and Lord of lords. When this Pre-Millennial Kingdom becomes manifest, all things will be restored to the state as they were after the Six Days of Creation. This will be a world we can barely comprehend. Everyone who is granted admittance into this new world will enter it free from the curse of sin of the old world. Christ will rule the earth from His Heavenly Throne. He will audibly speak from His Throne in Heaven. Matthew <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">13:19</a> refers to Him, in parable form, speaking “<b>the word of the kingdom</b>.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This is in contrast to when He rules the earth from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Jerusalem</st1:place></st1:city> during the 1000 year reign, known as the—Day of the Lord—which begins during the Great Tribulation and continues through His 2nd Coming and the Millennium.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We can only imagine what it will be like when the curse is removed, and when the human race no longer has death working in them. The Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God could, truly, be referred to as the Dispensation of Life. Its chief characteristic will be Life. Jesus said, “I am come that they might <u>have life</u>, and that they might <u>have it more abundantly</u>” (John <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://2" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">10:10</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Every human being, even sucklings, will be divinely enlightened and will know that Jesus Christ is God.</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The “Abundant Life” Will Not Be Found in This Life<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Today, Pentecostal preachers thunder-out to believers that they can have the “abundant life,” now, by following their directions of sowing their seed (money) to the preacher’s ministry. These “peddlers” are referred to as “Prosperity Preachers.” The abundant life that Jesus Christ spoke about is to be enjoyed in resurrection. Death has reigned from Adam until now. But, when the heavens rule, Life will reign. Babies will not be born dying, as they are today. They will be born with life working in them. Plus, there will be no still-births, or babies with birth defects.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Day of Christ will last longer than the 490 years as mentioned in Daniel <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://3" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">9:24</a>. Not one day of the Seventy Weeks has yet occurred. In my studies titled, “A Fresh Look At Daniel,” I estimated the Day of Christ will last approximately 700 years. Five Gentile kings will reign when the Pre-Millennial Kingdom begins. I estimate each will reign forty years while the Lord Jesus is gathering<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> and establishing David as their King. (See PLAINER WORDS… NEBUCHADNEZZAR: GOD’S NEXT KING Parts I – V). The estimate for the length of Christ’s Day is—200 years of Gentile Kings and 490 years of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s prominence with David as her King.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Not only that, but life expectancy will be very long, perhaps 500 or 600 years. The length of man’s life will be like that of a tree (Isaiah 65:22).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It will be an age in which man will be totally responsible for his own actions. Death will be the result of man’s sin, not Adam’s (Jeremiah 31:30). There will be a “sin unto death” during the Day of Christ. Every transgression and disobedience will receive a just recompense of reward (Hebrews 2:2). But, 1 John 1:9 will provide forgiveness of sin during Christ’s Day. No longer can someone blame the society for their transgressions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the coming dispensation, men shall not live by bread alone; but by every word that proceeds “out the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). God’s speech will be a gentle broadcasting throughout the earth, day unto day and night unto night.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“<i>My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass</i>:” (Deuteronomy 32:2).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As it was pointed out in a previous study, when David penned the 19<sup>th</sup> Psalm, he wrote as if he were present when these things will transpire.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“<i>The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where<b>their voice is not heard</b>. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world</i>” (Psalm 19:1-4).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">God’s “voice” and His “words” go out to the “ends of the world.” If this be true, and we’re convinced that this prophecy will be sure and certain—there will be no need for man to have in his hands the written Word of God. This statement, we’re sure, will cause some to have a “knee-jerk” reaction, insisting that the Bible will stand forever. It will, but God will speak verbally to individuals, to tribes, to nations and to the world, all at once, during the Day of Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“For ever, O LORD, <u>thy word is settled in heaven</u>” (Psalm 119:89)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Your word, O LORD, is eternal;<u> it stands firm in the heavens</u>” (Psalm 119:89; NIV).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Everything that individuals, or families, or tribes, or nations will need to know under the Divine Administration will be spoken from heaven.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“<i>For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:<b><u> And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest</u></b></i>” (Hebrews <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://5" x-apple-data-detectors-result="5" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">8:10-11</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This knowledge is not acquired by reading and studying the Bible but by direct revelation from God.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">During the Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God, He rules the earth from heaven; prayer is answered so speedily that it can be said, “<i>And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear</i>” (Isaiah 65:24). In plainer words, prayer will be answered before the prayer is even offered up. Instant answer to prayer!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">How can this be possible? Nothing is impossible for the Lord. Paul alludes to this in Romans 8:26-27, “…<i>for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 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 of God</i>.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">While that was true for the Acts period, it will be even more profound during the eon to come. The “Acts of the Apostles” covered a time-frame in which believers had a foretaste of the coming Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God. They had tasted the heavenly gift, and the good Word of God, and the powers (i.e. the miraculous power) of the age to come (Hebrews 6:4-5).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Men will not have to search out the will of God during the times the Spirit directs men. They will be instructed in which way they should go. There will be Divine direction.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“<i>And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left</i>” (Isaiah 30:21).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If they follow the Divine instructions, it means they will “walk after the Spirit” and not after the flesh (Romans 8:1, 4). If they walk contrariwise to the Divine direction, it can result in death due to their own disobedience.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“<i>For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace</i>” (Romans 8:6).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This life and death principle was at work among believers during the Acts period to a certain extent, but it will be in full force for all men when God administers His Government from His Heavenly Throne (Ezekiel 18:4, Jeremiah 31:30, 1 John <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://7" x-apple-data-detectors-result="7" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">5:16</a>). The Apostle Paul referred to this principle in Romans 8:2, as being at work during Acts; “<i>For <u>the law of the Spirit of life</u> in Christ Jesus hath made me free from<u> the law of sin and death</u></i>.” Acts was a microcosm of what the coming Kingdom will be like when it is fully manifested in the earth.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Throughout the greater part of the Administration of the Day of Christ, Christ speaks from heaven to mankind. In Matthew <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://8" x-apple-data-detectors-result="8" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">13:19-23</a>, the speech uttered to men from the heaven is referred to as “the word of the Kingdom.” We’ll select one example from Matthew <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://9" x-apple-data-detectors-result="9" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">13:19-23</a> for your consideration (the student should study the other verses).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“<i>When any one</i> [living under the rule of Christ] <i>heareth the <b><u>word of the kingdom</u></b>, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side</i>” (Matthew <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://10" x-apple-data-detectors-result="10" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">13:19</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The “word of the Kingdom” is the message delivered from the Heavens (Psalm 19:1) through the radio waves of outer space and falls upon the ears of men. Whatever the context of the message is, it is heard by mankind. During the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Kingdom</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">God</st1:placename></st1:place>, notice that Satan is active. If the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Kingdom</st1:placetype> of<st1:placename w:st="on">God</st1:placename></st1:place> is the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth, then, Satan would be chained in the “bottomless pit.” During the millennium, he is unable to deceive men. Towards the end of the millennium, he will “be loosed for a little season” and will go about deceiving men and nations.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Being fully persuaded that as a member of the Church over which Christ Jesus is the Head, we will be a witness to the marvelous events which will transpire as a result of the blazing forth of the glory of the Kingdom of God (Titus <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://11" x-apple-data-detectors-result="11" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:13</a>, 1 Timothy <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://12" x-apple-data-detectors-result="12" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">6:14</a>, 2 Timothy 4:1).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> ~~THE END~~</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-48718775775812963942015-05-15T07:20:00.001-07:002015-05-15T07:20:17.608-07:00King James Only Is False ignorance<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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King James Onlyism<br />
https://cornbreadandbourbon.wordpress.com/2015/04/13/the-trouble-with-king-james-onlyism-lesson-notes/<br />
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I. What is KJV Onlyism?<br />
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A. Does NOT refer to preference for King James Version over other translations.<br />
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B. DOES refer to people who insist:<br />
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1. you are not a real Christian if you use any other translation<br />
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2. You may still be Christian, but all other translations are Satanic.<br />
C. First defense against KJV Onlyism is the gospel.<br />
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Hebrews 10:10-14<br />
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1. To ground righteousness upon one’s use of a translation is an act of idolatry<br />
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a. righteousness is grounded instead upon the cross of Christ<br />
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“through the offering of the body of Christ”. Not through the offering of a translation. “for by a single offering He has perfected for all time”. Not, for by a single translation He has perfected.<br />
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b. The apostles did not say we come preaching the KJV. The first readers of the New Testament did not even have a New Testament, much less a King James translation. The people in Acts 2 did not have an Acts 3 when Peter preached to them.<br />
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D. Second defense is to counter their arguments with historical fact. This requires knowledge of how and why translations are produced.<br />
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II. Why make translations?<br />
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A. The Great Commission<br />
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1. Matthew 28:16-19<br />
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B. One way the apostles took the gospel to the nations was through the transmission of their writings. They encouraged Christians to make copies of theirs writings and to then pass them on to other believers.<br />
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1. Colossians 4:16-17<br />
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C. Christians in every region of Asia Minor continued to make copies of the epistles and gospels so that by the time the first century came to a close there were an untold number of copies floating around Asia Minor.<br />
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D. None of these copies survive today. None of the original writings have survived either. Original writings are called “autographs.” Instead, what we have today are copies of the copies of the copies of the copies of the autographs.<br />
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III. The Manuscripts<br />
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A. Christian scribes did their best, but still some handwriting was poor, contractions could be mistaken, letters or words could be omitted accidentally. Some scribes tried to harmonize passages, while others abbreviated their words. Making a copy was more difficult and time consuming because everything had to be done by hand. These mistakes Christian scribes sometimes made are called “variations”<br />
<br />
B. The copies are not inspired. Only the autographs are inspired. God did not breath out the copies. This is why the copies contain mistakes.<br />
<br />
C. The result of having all these copies with variations is that no two of the nearly 6,000 Greek copies of the New Testament are exactly alike. The closest relationship between any two copies average from between six to ten variations per chapter.<br />
<br />
D. Does this mean we cannot know the infallible word of God today? NO, IT DOES NOT!<br />
<br />
95% of the variations have no support, meaning it is obvious they do not belong. Of the remaining 5%, 95% of those cause no appreciable difference in the sense of the passages where they occur. This means they do not change the meaning of the passage. The differences are so minor, so insignificant, that we can be sure not a single doctrine, not a single statement of fact, not a single command or exhortation, has been missed in our translations.<br />
<br />
E. In addition, New Testament manuscripts are characterized by an aggressively tenacious textual drift. This means that once a variation occurs, that variation tends to remain in all future manuscripts, even in those that appear in other areas at a later date. By simply comparing copies that do not have the variation to copies that do, we can discover how old the copy is and whether the change is genuinely part of the passage or something that someone added.<br />
<br />
So the problem is not that we cannot know the original, inspired, inerrant word of God. We can indeed! The problem is that we have more than only His inerrant word.<br />
<br />
F. Why did God do it like this? Why not commit the transmission of the New Testament to the care of one person or one group of people as He had done with the Old Testament?<br />
<br />
1. Jews were distrusted. They had, after all, crucified the Lord of glory. Are you going to trust someone who has crucified the Lord to preserve the words of the Lord without altering them?<br />
<br />
2. Better that one person or group has no control over the transmission of ancient text.<br />
<br />
The Catholic Church tried it. They had control over the Latin Vulgate. The result is the Vulgate had become so corrupted that some who could read Greek, like Thomas Linacre, one of the first to translate the Vulgate into English, said to a friend, ““Either this (the original Greek) is not the Gospel… or we are not Christians.”<br />
<br />
3. What we instead have are copies being made all over Asia Minor and parts of Africa, with no one person controlling the process.<br />
<br />
IV. Three major types of text types.<br />
<br />
A. Byzantine Text Type – Byzantians spoke Latin, but they used Greek in all their religious practices. They made copies of the Bible that have survived to this day. These manuscripts are believed to have been produced in or around the area of Antioch. They are newer than the Alexandrian text type, circa 5th century.<br />
<br />
B. Alexandrian Text Type – these are much older manuscripts dating back to the 3rd and early 4th century. Discovered in the 19th century. They are generally believed to have been produced in or around the area of Alexandria, Egypt.<br />
<br />
C. Western Text Type<br />
<br />
D. Differences<br />
1. Alexandrian are less grammatically polished.<br />
2. Alexandrian text type dates back to an archetype that has been dated to the early 2nd century.<br />
3. Other manuscripts older than the Byzantine have Alexandrian readings.<br />
4. Byzantine are grammatically polished and smooth which means they have more words than the Alexandrian<br />
5. Byzantine show effort to harmonize parallel passages and make the Bible more readable.<br />
6. Byzantine were widely distributed throughout the empire, making it the standard, authoritative text of the empire, so there are more available manuscripts.<br />
7. Byzantine contains the story of the woman caught in adultery and final verses of Mark. Alexandrian do not.<br />
<br />
These differences have most scholars convinced the Byzantine’s scribes added to the copies in order to produce a more smooth reading.<br />
<br />
E. Example of variation in Alexandrian and Byzantine.<br />
<br />
(Byzantine) Revelation 22:19 “God shall take away his part out of the book of life.’’<br />
<br />
(Alexandria) Revelation 22:19 “God shall take away his part out of the tree of life.’’<br />
<br />
There is no extant manuscript before the Byzantine tradition that says book of life. Byzantine was the first to say it, implying the Byzantine scribes accidentally changed tree to book.<br />
<br />
IV. From manuscripts to the KJV<br />
<br />
A. Printed Text vs manuscript<br />
1. After compiling and piecing together all these manuscripts, and after weeding out the copy errors, scholars then print and publish a Greek New Testament. All English translations, including the KJV are translations of one of these texts.<br />
<br />
B. Three (3) major Greek New Testament texts from which English translations of the New Testament are<br />
produced.<br />
<br />
1. Textus Receptus<br />
a. Erasmus one of the first to provide the world with a Greek New Testament. Used an estimated 9 manuscripts including some from Byzantine tradition that he found in the region of Basle (city in Switzerland). Eventually his became the standard of its time. Luther used it. (1400’s)<br />
<br />
b. a few decades later, Theodore Beza (Calvin’s friend) produced one using Erasmus’ work as his starting point<br />
<br />
c. Robert Stephanus produced one that was based on Erasmus’ and Beza’s work. This is the text the KJV translated (1550)<br />
<br />
d. Finally, Abraham and Bonaventure Elzevir of Leiden, produced a second edition of their Greek text in 1633. In the publisher’s preface, they wrote the following words in Latin: “the reader now has the text that is received by all.” In Latin, the words text received is Textus Receptus.<br />
<br />
The name Textus Receptus is actually a misnomer. It refers not only the Elzevir brother’s text, but rather to all the texts produced by Erasmus, Stephanus, Beza and a few others. All these texts follow in the line of the Byzantine tradition. This is why it is also called the Majority Text, because it has more published texts in its library.<br />
<br />
e. The King James Version and the New King James<br />
Both versions are translations of the Textus Receptus.<br />
<br />
2. Second major Greek New Testament text is the Westcott and Hort “New Testament in Original Greek”. Was the first text to compile manuscripts from the Alexandrian tradition. Published in 1881. Was the basis for the Revised Standard Version and American Standard Version.<br />
<br />
3. Third major Greek New Testament text is the Nestle-Aland Critical Text. Also compiled manuscripts from Alexandrian traditions, but also considers manuscripts from Byzantine and other traditions. Has become known today as the critical text and is the basis for most of today’s modern English translations.<br />
<br />
There is 95% agreement between all three Greek texts. However, KJV Onlyists insist that both the Nestle-Aland and the Westcott and Hort texts are the wicked work of evil men who worshiped at the altar of New Age beliefs. This is just complete nonsense.<br />
<br />
Revelation 22:19. KJV and New KJV are still the only translations today that continue to say book of life rather than tree of life.<br />
<br />
Little-known fact about the KJV. For the past 200 years, all King James Version Bibles published in America are actually the 1769 Baskerville spelling and wording revision of the 1611 edition. The original “1611” preface is deceivingly included in this edition by the publishers, and no mention of the fact that it is really the 1769 version is to be found anywhere on its pages, because the publisher is afraid this could hurt sales. The only way to obtain a true, unaltered 1611 version is to purchase a reproduction of the original 1611 King James Bible.<br />
<br />
Another little known fact about the KJV is that up until the 1880’s the KJV included the Apocrypha! The original 1611 King James contained the Apocrypha, and King James threatened anyone who dared to print the Bible without the Apocrypha with heavy fines and a year in jail. The Revised Standard Version, based upon the Westcott and Hort texts, was the first Protestant Bible to omit the Apocrypha.<br />
<br />
VI. So What’s the Big Deal?<br />
<br />
Proverbs 30:5-6<br />
Revelation 22:18-19<br />
<br />
KJV ONLY QUOTE: “Those readings in the Textus Receptus which have weak support are indicated in the side reference column as being opposed by both Critical and Majority Texts. Since the 1880s most contemporary translations of the New Testament have relied upon a relatively few manuscripts discovered chiefly in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Such translations depend primarily on two manuscripts, Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus, because of their greater age. The Greek text obtained by using these sources and the related papyri (our most ancient manuscripts) is known as the Alexandrian Text. However, some scholars have grounds for doubting the faithfulness of Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, since they often disagree with one another, and Sinaiticus exhibits excessive omission.”<br />
<br />
A. Every manuscript contains variations that disagree with every other manuscript, Alexandrian and Byzantine traditions included. Even the Greek texts based upon the Byzantine traditions disagree with themselves. Erasmus disagrees in some points with Beza, Beza disagrees in some points with Stephanus and so on. To insist the Alexandrian manuscripts are corrupt because they disagree with each other is a very deceitful argument that plainly ignores the disagreements which occur within the line of the Textus Receptus itself. Atheists use this fact to attack Christians. KJV Onlyists do not help matters when they ignore these facts.<br />
<br />
B. Of course the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus contain omissions. They are of the Alexandrian text type. The Alexandrian scribes did not add to the text in an effort to polish the language and make certain passages more readable. That is, they did not add to the word of God, so of course they contain less text than the Byzantine manuscripts do. Again, the argument is very deceitful.<br />
<br />
C. The Textus Receptus is both THE majority text and a critical text, so to insist it contains notes from the majority text and critical text that oppose variations in the TR that have weak support is an argument based on error.<br />
<br />
D. The charge that today’s two Greek texts rely upon a relatively few manuscripts is just patently false. The argument is an appeal to the masses. Just because there are more Byzantine manuscripts does not mean they are more accurate than the Alexandrian.<br />
<br />
KJV ONLY QUOTE: “I do not buy the line that the inerrant word of God is found only in the originals – which nobody has. I know that God has the power to preserve His word and He wouldn’t leave us out in the dark with an imperfect translation. In the authorized King James Version God assembled, and moved with His Spirit, a team of some of the world’s best scholars to translate His word in to the world’s most popular language, English.” – Jesus-is-lord.com<br />
E. God did not breath out the copies of His word. He did not inspire legions of scribes. This is why the copies are imperfect. They contain additions, subtractions, and contradictions. This is also why the warning in Revelation 22 and Proverbs 30 do not apply to them. They are not His inerrant, inspired word!<br />
<br />
F. To mark the KJV as inerrant and inspired is to insist the scholars who pieced together the Greek text upon which the KJV was based were Godly men. Erasmus was not a Godly man. He fully denied God’s sovereignty over man’s will and was, in fact, the very object of Luther’s disdain in Luther’s “The Bondage of the Will” (yes, that Erasmus!). He even dedicated the first edition of his Greek text to the pope!<br />
<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-85604245022681933332015-03-06T10:43:00.000-08:002015-03-06T10:43:13.208-08:00Is There Resurrection From The Second Death?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Two Seeds...One Lives On in Resurrection ...The Other Perishes............<br />
http://www.spiritualblessings.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Reconciliation-of-All-Things.pdf<br />
<br />
<br />
The Second Death<br />
Universal reconciliation necessitates a resurrection from the second death. The proof text is here examined<br />
A. -- I want to consider the teaching of the Word concerning the second death before we leave the subject of universal reconciliation.<br />
<br />
26 THE SECOND DEATH<br />
B. -- May I ask why you consider this subject so important?<br />
A. -- Well, to be frank with you, were it not for the faith I have that those who are held by the second death shall one day be delivered from its power and be numbered with the redeemed, I confess that your arguments would prove too strong for me.<br />
B. -- Will you state clearly what you believe as to this, so that we may not beat the air in our argument?<br />
1 Corinthians 15:26 and the Second Death<br />
A. -- I believe that at the consummation of the ages, beyond the great white throne, those who have been cast into the lake of fire shall come forth,<br />
redeemed of the Lord, that the second death will, at the consummation, usher into life in Christ.<br />
The word distinctly affirms that ‘the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death’ (1 Cor. 15:26). Actuated by the exigencies of a theory, some have attempted to limit this statement to the first death, but the attempt is futile. A comparison of 1 Corinthians 15:26 with the statement in Revelation 20:14 and 21:8 will show that the lake of fire is to be abolished at the consummation. It is the last enemy.<br />
Is the Second Death in 1 Corinthians 15?<br />
B. -- I observe that you do not pretend to discover this deliverance from the lake of fire in the book of the Revelation.<br />
A. -- No, I will admit that apart from 1 Corinthians 15:26 Scripture is silent on the subject.<br />
B. -- So then, your whole doctrine stands or falls with your interpretation of 1 Corinthians 15:26. Now I believe that death as spoken of in 1 Corinthians 15 always refers to the death brought in by Adam, and never to the second death. My beliefs, however, like your own, must stand the test of Scripture, or they must be renounced as false. Let us therefore seek afresh the scope of the word death as used in 1 Corinthians 15. Will you share in this search, and ‘prove all things’?<br />
The Words Dead, Die and Death examined<br />
A. -- I find that nekros, the word ‘dead’, occurs thirteen times. The verses are: 12,13,15,16,20,21,29,32,35,42,52. They speak of ‘the resurrection of the dead’, and I admit that Adamic death is intended in each case.<br />
B. -- Perhaps you will find confirmation of your theory in apothnesko, ‘to die’.<br />
A. -- This word occurs five times. The verses are: 3,22,31,32,36. The usage is limited to the death of Christ and the<br />
first death of men. And again I confess that the second death is not in view.<br />
B. -- Your last hope then is in the word thanatos.<br />
A. -- This word meaning ‘death’ occurs five times. The verses are 21,26,54,55,56.<br />
B. -- Perhaps you had better give these passages in full, and will you also take note of anything in the original that distinguishes one passage from another?<br />
‘For since by man came death (Gk. ho thanatos)’ (21).<br />
‘The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death (Gk. ho thanatos)’ (26). ‘Death is swallowed up in victory (Gk. ho thanatos)’ (54).<br />
‘O death, where is thy sting? (Gk. thanate)’ (55).<br />
‘The sting of death is sin (Gk. tou thanatou)’ (56).<br />
<br />
No Distinction in the Original<br />
B. -- With the exception of verse 55, each verse uses the word with the article. The expression ‘O death’, being in the vocative, dispenses with the article. There is therefore one unbroken reference to some one thing called ho thanatos, ‘death’. How do you prove that verse 26 deals with the second death?<br />
A. -- I must confess that the more closely we examine this chapter, the less I find to support my theory, yet I have been led to believe that those who saw only Adamic death in 1 Corinthians 15 were blinded by prejudice.<br />
The Scope of the Subject examined<br />
B. -- What is the scope of 1 Corinthians 15?<br />
A. -- The scope of any passage is determined by its literary structure.<br />
B. -- Shall we then seek the inspired structure of this chapter? I think we can omit verses 1-11 from our present discussion; they deal with the evidences and evangel of resurrection.<br />
‘HOW?’ ‘HOW?’ ‘AWAKE’.<br />
‘BE STEDFAST’.<br />
The intervening verses, 13-33 and 36-57, which constitute the bulk of the chapter, both deal with:<br />
ADAM and CHRIST<br />
‘HOW?’<br />
‘HOW?’<br />
The predominance of Adam<br />
You will see that the major sections are headed by the names Adam and Christ, and these sections contain the references to the destruction or swallowing up of death. The scope of the passage is defined for us, and it is not possible to introduce the second death without committing violence to the passage. Paul amplifies the statement concerning the destruction of the last enemy by the words, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’. That ‘swallowing up’ takes place at resurrection, and is the destruction of the last enemy -- death.<br />
A. -- I agree with you as to the strong argument you have for the place of Adam in this chapter, but do not follow your meaning when you speak of Paul amplifying.<br />
B. -- Paul follows a customary method. First he states his theme briefly, then follows with fuller details. There are at least four such amplifications:<br />
1. Every man in his own order.<br />
3. The destruction of death.<br />
The structure may be set out as follows:<br />
Exhortation. ‘AWAKE’. The manner of resurrection. Adam and Christ.<br />
B 36-57.<br />
Death swallowed up.<br />
‘When’? ‘Then’.<br />
C 58. Exhortation. ‘BE STEDFAST’.<br />
<br />
28 THE SECOND DEATH<br />
4. The answer to the question ‘when?’<br />
Let us put this statement to the test.<br />
1. Every man in his own order.<br />
The amplification occupies verses 37-44. The words ‘celestial bodies’ and ‘terrestrial bodies’ and the differing glory of the sun, moon and stars, all bear upon the fact that in the resurrection every man will be in his own rank or order.<br />
2. Adam and Christ.<br />
In this amplification, which occupies verses 45-49, the relation of Adam to Christ and the resurrection is brought<br />
out in the following passages:<br />
‘The first man Adam<br />
‘The last Adam<br />
‘The first man<br />
‘The second man<br />
‘The image of the earthy’. ‘The image of the heavenly’.<br />
a living soul’.<br />
a life-giving spirit’ (R.V.). of the earth’.<br />
the Lord from heaven’.<br />
The next item is that of the destruction of the last enemy. Do you not feel that, with this evident amplification of the subject, those who introduce into this passage the second death are the ones who are obliged to do so by the exigencies of their own unscriptural theories?<br />
Destruction of Death at the Resurrection<br />
A. -- I must confess that the evidence seems all against any other death in 1 Corinthians 15 than that connected with Adam. Please proceed, as I want to see what the amplification is of the destruction of the last enemy.<br />
B. -- (Reads 1 Corinthians 15:51-57):<br />
‘Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,<br />
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.<br />
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.<br />
So when the corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.<br />
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?<br />
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’.<br />
This is Paul’s inspired commentary upon the destruction of the last enemy. Can this passage by any possibility<br />
refer to the second death?<br />
A. -- I cannot tell you.<br />
B. -- ‘We shall not all sleep’. What place is there in that for the second death? It is ruled out. ‘At the last trump’; ‘We shall be changed’; ‘This mortal must put on immortality’. Not one of these statements can be made to fit the second death. Further, the amplification of the time period is included in the verses just read.<br />
A. -- I begin to feel that there is not much of my position left, but there is one argument you have not met, viz., that the destruction of the last enemy takes place ‘at the consummation of the ages’.<br />
B. -- I look in both the English, and the Greek Original, but I do not see such a passage.<br />
A. -- I am sure it is there, for I have quoted it many times when proving the resurrection from the second death. (Looks for the passage, but fails to find it).<br />
<br />
THE SECOND DEATH 29<br />
B. -- I think I can explain. ‘The consummation of the ages’ is what your friends read into the words, ‘then cometh the end’.<br />
The meaning of ‘The End’<br />
There is no word for ‘cometh’ in the original of verse 24. It simply reads ‘Then the end’. Some understand the words to mean ‘Then the end rank’, but we can find no justification for such a rendering. Cremer, in his note on to telos, says that this word does not primarily denote the end, termination, with reference to time, but the goal reached, the completion or conclusion at which anything arrives, either as issue or ending; or as a result, acme, consummation, e.g., polemon telos, ‘victory’ (literally ‘the end of war’, end, not measuring time but object); telos andros, ‘the full age of man’ (not the end of man -- death), also of ‘the ripening of seed’. In Luke 1:33 and Mark 3:26 the idea of termination seems uppermost. The idea of issue, end, conclusion, is seen in Matthew 26:58, ‘To see the end’; James 5:11, ‘Ye have seen the end of the Lord’; 1 Peter 4:17, ‘What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel?’<br />
The idea of a goal reached is seen in Romans 6:21, ‘The end of those things is death’; Philippians 3:19, ‘Whose end is destruction’. So also 2 Corinthians 11:15; Hebrew 6:8. When the apostle wrote the words of 1 Corinthians 15:24, ‘Then the end’, what goal had he in view? What is the object of resurrection? Does it not take man back into the place intended for him in the Divine purpose, for which sin and death had for a while rendered him unfit? The goal, this end in view, is contained in the words of 1 Corinthians 15:28, ‘That God may be all in all’. Although ‘the end’ is mentioned immediately after the resurrection of those that are Christ’s at His parousia, it is not attained without a reign of righteousness and a rule of iron. The uninterrupted statement of the end is as follows:<br />
‘Then the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father -- (with the object) that God may be all in all’ (1 Cor. 15:24-28 author’s translation).<br />
This is ‘the end’. The ‘consummation of the ages’ is an invention, a false peg upon which to hang a false theory. Just notice how the destruction of death is one of a series of steps toward the goal.<br />
A 15:24-. The end.<br />
B a<br />
15:-24-. WHEN He delivers up the kingdom. b 15:-24. WHEN He abolishes all rule.<br />
c 15:25-. FOR He must reign.<br />
d 15:-25. Till all enemies under foot.<br />
d 15:26-. The last enemy; death abolished.<br />
c 15:-26. FOR He hath put all things under His feet. b 15:27. WHEN. The one exception.<br />
1 Corinthians 15:24-28<br />
a 15:28-. WHEN. The Son Himself subjected. A 15:-28. That God may be all in all.<br />
A. -- My position I feel is untenable, and I am informed that there is no other passage of Scripture, except 1 Corinthians 15:26, that teaches a resurrection from the second death, so I fear my theories have proved false. I should like to finish the matter though, and see what is said by way of amplifying the time period.<br />
‘When . . . . . . . Then’<br />
B. -- You will notice in each section the words ‘when’ and ‘then’.<br />
The end is attained ‘when He shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father’, and this is not done until all enemies are abolished, and all the redeemed are placed in their proper rank under Christ. The abolishing of death is timed for us in 1 Corinthians 15:54 by the words, ‘When -- then’. Isaiah 25: 8 contains the verse quoted in 1 Corinthians 15:54. It is in a context of Millennial administration:<br />
‘Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously’ (Isa. 24:23).<br />
<br />
30<br />
THE SECOND DEATH<br />
‘And in this mountain shall the LORD of Hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it’ (Isa. 25:6-8). (See also Isa. 26:1 and 27:1).<br />
A further note of time is given in 1 Corinthians 15:52 ‘At the last trump’. In Revelation 11, at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, ‘the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ’. Immediately there follows reference to the ‘great power’ and the ‘reign’ and the ‘time of the dead’, and the ‘destruction of them that destroy the earth’. These Scriptures therefore place the period in view as being before the second death.<br />
Death was virtually destroyed when Christ rose from the dead:<br />
‘Who hath abolished (katargeo) death’ (2 Tim. 1:10).<br />
Death will be actually destroyed when the last of the dead stand before the great white throne. Death will be manifestly destroyed when it is cast into the lake of fire.<br />
A. -- I have been led to make a comparison between the lake of fire and the flood.<br />
A true and a false analogy<br />
B. -- The comparison is justifiable, I believe. What makes you hesitate now in accepting it?<br />
A. -- I had believed the following comment to be true. In Noah’s day He cleansed away abounding sin by means of water. And was not water a purifier well suited to the task? And if in preparation for the last aion He once more wishes to dispose of evil, what more effective agent can be found than fire? It is the most searching purifier known.<br />
B. -- These observations are rather involved. First you say that the water of the flood cleansed away abounding sin; then you say that the fire was an effective agent to dispose of evil; then you say that fire is a purifier, so I suppose your thought is that just as the flood purified in part, the fire will purify completely.<br />
A. -- Yes, that expresses my idea.<br />
B. -- Well, your idea will not stand the test. Turn to Genesis 6, 7, and 8:<br />
‘Behold, I will destroy them’ (6:13).<br />
‘Behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh’ (6:17). ‘Every living substance was destroyed’ (7:23).<br />
‘I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake’ (8:21).<br />
Destruction and curse are what is written of the flood, not purifying.<br />
A. -- Perhaps the passage I think of is in the New Testament.<br />
B. -- Let us find it by all means. The Gospels speak of the flood coming and taking all away:<br />
‘The flood came, and destroyed them all’ (Luke 17:27; see also Matt. 24:38,39). There is no writer left now other than Peter:<br />
‘And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person -- bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly’ (2 Pet. 2:5).<br />
That does not speak of purifying. The only reference that speaks of cleansing is 1 Peter 3:20,21, but the type of salvation or purifying is the ark that saved Noah, not the flood that destroyed the ungodly.<br />
The Flood did not purify its Victims<br />
A. -- It appears that I have been misled in believing the flood had a purifying effect.<br />
<br />
THE SECOND DEATH 31 B. -- Yes, and your other idea of the purifying effect of the second death vanishes with it.<br />
A. -- Perhaps the meaning was that the flood did not purify its victims, but the earth on which they lived.<br />
B. -- In that case the analogy does not serve your purpose. I would readily agree that the burning up of the elements was a purifying of the earth, but what you have been trying to prove is that it purified or preserved its victims. I believe with you that the flood foreshadows the lake of fire, and the inspired words are ‘destroy’ and ‘curse’, not ‘purify’ and ‘vivify’. Our chief purpose at the moment is the question, Does Scripture warrant a resurrection from the lake of fire? I believe you must agree that it does not.<br />
A. -- I am afraid I must. I am reluctant to give up the idea, for it is the last position left.<br />
Second Death not Aionion Fire<br />
A. -- You have said, however, in one of your articles that the second death was unrevealed at the time when 1 Corinthians 15 was written. There I think you are mistaken. An aionion fire prepared for the Devil and his angels was already the subject of revelation (Matt. 25:41).<br />
B. -- Where do we read that the Devil and his angels are cast into the second death? A. -- In Revelation 20.<br />
B. -- Will you read the passage.<br />
A. --<br />
‘And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever’ (Rev. 20:10).<br />
B. -- But that lake of fire was burning at the commencement of the Millennium (Rev. 19:20). Aionion fire is Gehenna, as you can see by comparing Matthew 18:8,9, and is connected with Isaiah 66:24 (see Mark 9:48). This aionion fire must be local if it is burning right through the Millennium, and is accessible from Jerusalem, when all flesh come up to worship (Isa. 66:20,23).<br />
The lake of fire, however, spoken of in Revelation 20:14,15 is:<br />
(1). After the great white throne.<br />
(2). Has no reference to the Devil and his angels, and<br />
(3). Is specifically called the second death which Gehenna is not, and, by the parallel of 2 Peter 3:12, involves both the heavens and the earth.<br />
A. -- I see that I am mistaken. You must pardon me if I am not easily convinced.<br />
Who enter the Second Death?<br />
B. -- We have not time to go into details as to other phases of the subject, but I should like to ask you who they are which die the second death.<br />
A. -- I believe that everyone that appears before the awful light of the great white throne dies the second death. B. -- Will you read the literal translation of Revelation 20:15?<br />
A. -- (Reads), ‘And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire’.<br />
B. -- Do you not see how intensely individual the words ‘if anyone’ are?<br />
A. -- Now that you point it out, I confess they do appear so.<br />
B. -- The judgment here is twofold; one out of the books, the other out of the book; the books being a judgment of works, the book being a question of life or death. You have made two assumptions. First you have supposed that all 32 THE SECOND DEATH<br />
who stand before the great white throne die the second death, and secondly, having plunged this vast multitude into the lake of fire, you have then entertained the unscriptural idea of a resurrection from it.<br />
A. -- Is it possible then that only very few will be cast into the second death?<br />
B. -- The question of the number of those who are thus judged hardly comes within the sphere of our enquiry, but I should not like you to draw a false conclusion from my remarks. While the words ‘if any one’ are very individual, and set aside your idea that all who stand before the great white throne must necessarily be cast into the lake of fire, nevertheless Scripture gives a very comprehensive list of those who merit this awful doom:<br />
‘The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death’ (Rev. 21:8).<br />
The Nature of the Second Death<br />
Returning to the nature of the second death, perhaps you would say what death is, apart from resurrection.<br />
A. -- Sleep.<br />
B. -- No; death can only be called sleep with resurrection in view. If there be no resurrection, Paul says that they which have fallen asleep in Christ have perished (1 Cor. 15:18). Throughout Scripture, fire is spoken of as a destroyer, and often the agricultural figure of a fire for burning up weeds is used. Your theory would suggest that the husbandman gathers the thistles and the weeds together to burn them, in the hope that by some weird alchemy such weeds shall be transmuted into vines, figs, olives or wheat.<br />
Let us summarize our findings before parting:<br />
Summary All Things<br />
When once we have seen that Scripture deals with two conflicting lines of purpose, we can then see that the words ‘all things’ embrace all within the limits of the original purpose. Perhaps 2 Corinthians 5:17,18 expresses the relation of ‘all things’ to God and the new creation as clearly as any passage:<br />
‘If anyone be in Christ, there is a new creation; the old things have passed away; new things have come in; but the all things are of God, Who has reconciled us’ (Author’s translation).<br />
All Things of God<br />
Scripture categorically declares that some things are ‘not of God’ (1 John 3:8-12), and among them those things which are ‘of the Devil’. Anyone therefore who teaches that the ‘all things’ that are of God include the Devil and all his works is not only unscriptural, but antichristian and must be rejected.<br />
A Scriptural Principle of Interpretation<br />
There is no formal system of Divinity to be found in Scripture. The great principles of faith are taught in the recorded lives of men, and in the dealings of God with Israel. Israel’s history furnishes a digest of the greater purpose of the ages. The words ‘all in Adam’ are to be understood by the parallel words ‘all Israel’, and inasmuch as they are not all Israel which are of Israel, so they are not all in Adam which are of Adam. In both cases there is in operation the law that sets aside ‘Ishmael’ and reckons only such as are ‘in Isaac’ as children of the promise and the true ‘seed’.<br />
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The Present Interval of Bondage<br />
A comparison of Genesis 15:5-16. Galatians 3:15-18 and Ephesians 1:3-14 reveals that underlying the purpose of the ages is a threefold development, viz.:<br />
(1). An unconditional promise<br />
(2). An interval of bondage<br />
(3). The promise fulfilled<br />
The will of the FATHER. The work of the SON. The witness of the SPIRIT.<br />
The will of God shall be accomplished, but not without conflict. There is an enemy at work. And just as Israel’s bondage in Egypt was connected with the iniquity of the Amorite, so the bondage of the true seed is connected with Satan and the mystery of iniquity. Israel enter into the inheritance held by the Amorites and exterminate them. The true seed will enter into their particular inheritance, and the seed of the wicked one, the names of whom not being in the book of life, will be destroyed.<br />
The Two Seeds<br />
From the birth of Cain onward to the Giants of Noah’s day, the Canaanites of Joshua’s time, and the ‘tares’ sown by the enemy, there has existed side by side with the true seed ‘the children of the wicked one’. Not until these ‘tares’ are bound in bundles and burned can the ‘righteous shine forth in the kingdom of their Father’. The seed of the wicked one being ‘of the Devil’ cannot be ‘of God’ and are not included in the ‘all things’ that make up the new creation.<br />
The Kinsman-Redeemer<br />
Scripture reveals three outstanding features which are fundamental to a true conception of redemption:<br />
The redeemer must be next of kin. The redemption touches:<br />
(a) A forfeited inheritance,<br />
(b) Bondage.<br />
The redeemer is also the avenger.<br />
Hebrew 2:14,15 reveals Christ as the great Kinsman-Redeemer (‘flesh and blood, He likewise -- ‘), exercising the twofold office of redeemer (‘deliver -- bondage’), and avenger (‘destroy -- the Devil’). The provision of the cities of refuge was not for a ‘murderer’. Satan was a murderer from the beginning.<br />
The Deity of the Redeemer is abundantly testified in the Old Testament. His humanity is necessitated by the demand of kinship, and both aspects of His person are found in ‘Immanuel’, the child born who was nevertheless ‘the mighty God’.<br />
The Mystery of His Will<br />
God did not plan sin, but He provided against it. His original purpose is spoken of as His will; the provision against sin and death is spoken of as the ‘mystery of His will’. It was the will of God that Israel should be ‘head and not tail’, but upon their temporary failure the mystery of His will was put into operation, placing Nebuchadnezzar upon the throne, and giving dominion to the Gentiles until such time as ‘all Israel shall be saved’.<br />
We most emphatically repudiate the horrible teaching that God definitely planned sin, and that the Devil was deliberately designed to be ‘a devil’, but we glory in the fact that in His matchless wisdom God has taken the wise in their own craftiness and overruled evil for good.<br />
The Two Mysteries<br />
Two mysteries run through the ages, viz., the mystery of godliness, and the mystery of iniquity. Both have relation to claims of Deity. The satanic mystery finds its goal in the man of sin, the son of perdition, who sits in the<br />
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34 SUMMARY<br />
temple of God, showing himself as God. The mystery of godliness finds its goal in the exaltation of the Son of man, the Son of God, with every knee bowing and every tongue confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. The one mystery ends in destruction and is called ‘the LIE’, the other ends in glory and is called ‘the TRUTH’. Scripture declares that ‘no lie is of the truth’, and the workers of iniquity, who have even cast out demons in Christ’s name, are repudiated by Him.<br />
The Second Death<br />
It is an absolute necessity to the doctrine of Universal Reconciliation that there shall be a deliverance from the second death. We look in vain for the slightest hint of such a deliverance in the only book that specifically deals with it by name (the Revelation), but we are told that such doctrine is not within its scope. There is however, we are assured, one passage of Scripture which does definitely teach deliverance from the second death, and that is 1 Corinthians 15:26, ‘The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death’. An examination of the chapter reveals that the only death that is in view is that brought in by Adam. This death is destroyed at the resurrection, as the amplification shows that ‘death is swallowed up in victory’. The new heavens and the new earth follow immediately upon the casting of death into the lake of fire (Rev. 21). This same sequence is found in 2 Peter 3 where the new heavens, the new earth, and the day of God follow the burning up of the earth and its works, and the passing away of the heavens. The end, that God may be all in all, i.e., ‘the day of God’, follows hard upon the destruction of the last enemy (1 Cor. 15:24-28). That last enemy is the death which came upon all men through one man’s sin.<br />
There is no room in any of these passages for the resurrection from the lake of fire. If there be no deliverance from the second death, there can be no such thing as universal reconciliation. Not one whose name is found written in the book of life enters the second death. Satan’s seed, those who worship the beast and receive his mark, these we are distinctly told have not their names written in the book of life. Here is the final division of the two seeds. The ‘tares’ are burned in the fire; the ‘wheat’ are gathered into the barn. The very order is important. The tares are destroyed first. Those who teach a resurrection from the lake of fire at long last must either deny this order, teach that the burning of the tares changes them into wheat, or believe that the manifestation of the sons of God is indefinitely postponed.<br />
Conclusion<br />
Universal reconciliation is an attractive doctrine. Its attractiveness is its bait and its snare. The ‘comfort’ some receive from it is no more proof of its truth than is the ‘comfort’ received from the traditional idea that our loved ones who have died are now consciously in glory. Doubtless ‘Christian Science’ made the Bible a ‘new book’ to many, but it is nevertheless a doctrine of demons. We have but one test for truth; it must stand four-square with ‘all Scripture’.<br />
In the pages of this booklet we have sought to indicate what we believe is the truth of God. We have no personal quarrel with individuals, and apart from answering any legitimate questions that may arise out of this treatise we shall take no further notice of either the erroneous doctrine or any who propagate it. Because this particular error compromised our own stewardship we felt obliged to deal with it and show our own position. We trust nevertheless that the truth may be seen all the clearer for the moment of conflict.<br />
To all to whom this witness makes its appeal as truth we earnestly commend this booklet, trusting that many will be able to use it in the fight of faith.<br />
‘I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that NO LIE IS OF THE TRUTH’ (1 John 2:21).<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-69899831333668281662015-03-06T07:14:00.001-08:002015-03-06T07:17:42.312-08:00Study of Word Perish<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Bible speaks of two opposites. Resurrection VS Perishing....<br />
If all will be resurrected at some time, why does Scripture say some will not rise in resurrection, but remain perished? Just asking ?!<br />
Isaiah 26:14 speaks of some who though dead shall not live:<br />
‘They are dead, they shall NOT LIVE; they are deceased (the Rephaim, elsewhere called "giants"), THEY SHALL NOT RISE’.....<br />
http://www.seedandbread.org/seedandbread/SB186DestructionMeaning.pdf<br />
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<br />
. "Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous" - Psalm 1:5. Hence, to root them up means to take them out of the world but not out of their respective companies. No one can root believers out of God's Kingdom or care. "They shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand" - John10:28.<br />
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The Nature of the Second Death<br />
Returning to the nature of the second death, perhaps you would say what death is, apart from resurrection.<br />
A. -- Sleep.<br />
B. -- No; death can only be called sleep with resurrection in view. If there be no resurrection, Paul says that they which have fallen asleep in Christ have perished (1 Cor. 15:18). Throughout Scripture, fire is spoken of as a destroyer, and often the agricultural figure of a fire for burning up weeds is used. Some hold onto a theory that would suggest that the husbandman gathers the thistles and the weeds together to burn them, in the hope that by some weird alchemy such weeds shall be transmuted into vines, figs, olives or wheat.<br />
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Perish Study</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The Biblical word 'perish' has an extremely interesting translational profile. It is the rendering of thirteen different words or word patterns and yet eleven of those account for only twelve verses. The other one hundred and six references come from two words; one Hebrew and one Greek. In this paper I shall aim to look first at the eleven minor definitions of 'perish' before moving on to the two dominant ones.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The first time we encounter 'perish' in the Bible is in Gen 41:36 where Joseph states that food should be stored for seven years so that the land should not perish through famine. The word perish is a rendered of kârath (H3772). The word literally means to cut down or asunder[1]. It is rendered 'cut' on 175 occasions and 'make' 81.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The second occurrence of 'perish' is in Exo 19:21 when it is a rendering of nâphal (H5307). The Lord is instructing Moses not to allow the people to gaze lest they perish. The word literally means to fall[2] which is how it is rendered 355 times. It is also translated 'cast' (24), down(9), divide(4), failed(4) and others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The third 'perish' is in Exo 21:26 where it describes the condition of a slave that has had an eye perish through being struck. The word perish here is shâchath H7843; which means to decay or ruin[3]. It is rendered destroy(95), corrupt(22) or mar(6).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The next of the more minor definitions of perish occurs in 1Sa 26:10, 27:1; it is used by David to describe a possible fate of someone in battle. The word rendered perish is sâphâh (H5595) but it is used in contrast to death. The word literally means 'to scrape' or to 'snatch away'[4]; thus David is probably viewing this person as being captured by the enemy. It is otherwise rendered: consume(5), destroy(5), add(3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Another word rendered 'perish' is ‛âbar (H5674) which really means to transition between two things[5]. It is generally rendered: over(177), pass(154), passed(117), go(52) and others. However in Job 36:12 it is used to describe the fate of the wicked by the sword. Thus it is describing that transition between life and death.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The last of the Hebrew words that have a minor 'perish' rendering is dâmâh (H1820) which occurs in Psa 49:12,20. On other occasions it is part of the expression 'beasts that perish'. Strong's suggest that dâmâh really means to be dumb or silent; in which case that would strike me as a perfectly reasonable translation here: 'beasts that are dumb'. Brown, Driver & Briggs rather suggests the word means to cause to cease or to cut off: which would support 'perish' as a translation. The word is otherwise rendered: cut(5), brought(2), silence(2) and others once.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The first of the minor Greek sources of 'perish' is really an expression 'eiēn eis apōleia' which is literally 'might go into ruin or loss'[6]. The word for ruin and loss is also rendered perdition (8), destruction(5) and waste(2). The phrase was used by Peter to describe his preferred fate of the money he had been offered to purchase the gift of God (Acts 8:20).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Paul offers the next Greek word rendered 'perish'; this time in Acts 13:41. Here he is describing his preferred fate of those that refuse to believe the Gospel. This time the word is aphanizō (G853) and means to 'render unapparent' or 'disappear'. The word is rendered as corrupt(2), disfigure(1), perish(1) and vanisheth(1).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The next word for perish is diaphtheirō (G1311) which means to 'rot thoroughly' or to completely decay[7]. It is used to describe the condition of the outward man in 2Co 4:16. It is also rendered as destroy on three occasions and corrupt twice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The next Greek expression rendered as 'perish' also focuses upon the notion of decay; but this time describes the condition of heading towards decay. The expression is eis phthora (G1515, G5356) and occurs in Col 2:22 and describes the fate of the law (which of course is designed to restrict the outward man whom we saw in the previous paragraph is rotting thoroughly!) Phthora is also rendered corruption(7) and destroyed(1).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The final of the minor Greek sources of 'perish' is really 'utterly perish' and has a similar root to the previous word. It is kataphtheirō (G2704) which means to 'rot down'[8]. The word is used in 2Pe 2:12 to describe the outcome of false teachers; whom we are told just 'rot down in their own corruption'. The word is also rendered 'corrupt' on one occasion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Reading the above one might readily imagine that just about every form of perishing has been covered. We have seen people being cut, falling down, being beaten, dying, entering perdition, rotting thoroughly, beginning to rot and even rotting down to nothing. Yet none of the above is the dominant meaning of 'perish'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The dominant meaning of 'perish' in the Bible is provided by 'âbad H6 and the Aramaic equivalent ăbad H7. This is described by Strong as a primitive root meaning to wander away or to lose oneself. The word is rendered perish(98), destroy(60), lost(9) and a number of others once.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The commonest Greek source of the word perish is similar but rather more aggressive. The word is apollumi (G622); which essentially means to 'cut away'[9]. The word is rendered perish(33), lose(28) and destroy(26). We see that the end effect is thus the same as 'âbad; namely that you should be 'apart from'. The difference is that in the Hebrew the focus is that one should put oneself in that position; the Greek view is rather that you could be put in that situation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">I think that in many ways this word study forms a message in its own right. There are many ways in which people and things can and do perish. Many of them are violent and, to use a modern expression, 'totally gross'. Nonetheless, from the Biblical perspective, by far the commonest method of perishing is to cut oneself off or to be cut off from the fellowship of God and His people. May this encourage us in our pursuit of the lost.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">[1] (Strong, H3772)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">[2] (Strong, H5307)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">[3] (Strong, H7843)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">[4] (Brown, Driver and Briggs, H5595)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">[5] (Strong, H5674)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">[6] From the Strong's descriptions of G1498, G1519 and G684</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">[7] (Strong, G1311)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">[8] (Strong, G2704)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">[9] (Strong, G622)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">inShare</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">MLA: Bayliss, D.A. "Perish." Bible Exposition. 02/22/2015. Web. February 22, 2015----------</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The Wicked Shall Perish: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). A double enunciation of the truth is couched in this short text. It is that eternal life is to be obtained only through Christ, and that all who do not thus obtain it will eventually perish. John testifies further on the same point in his first epistle (1 John 5:11): "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." From which it follows, as a most natural consequence, that "he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Verse 12.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Biblical references of the word PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Genesis 41:36</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">that the land PERISH not through the famine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Exodus 19:21</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Exodus 21:26</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">if a man smite the eye of his servant…that it PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Leviticus 26:38</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">ye shall PERISH among the heathen… the land of your enemies shall eat you up</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Numbers 16:33</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they PERISHED</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Numbers 17:12</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Behold, we die, we PERISH, we all PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Numbers 21:30</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Heshbon is PERISHED even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Numbers 24:20</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">his latter end shall be that he PERISH for ever</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Numbers 24:24</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">he also shall PERISH for ever (Alas, who shall live when God doeth this! v. 23)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Deut. 4:26</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">ye shall soon utterly PERISH… ye shall not prolong your days… but shall utterly be destroyed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Deut. 8:19</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">I testify against you this day that ye shall surely PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Deut. 8:20</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Deut. 11:17</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the LORD's wrath… no rain… and lest ye PERISH quickly from off the good land</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Deut. 26:5</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">A Syrian ready to PERISH was my father</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Deut. 28:20</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">until thou be destroyed, and until thou PERISH quickly</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Deut. 28:22</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">consumption… a fever… the sword… (etc.) they shall pursue thee until thou PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Deut. 30:18</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">ye shall surely PERISH… ye shall not prolong your days</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Joshua 22:20</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">that man PERISHED not alone in his iniquity (Achan, who was stoned and burned- 7:25)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Joshua 23:13</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">they shall be snare and traps… until ye PERISH from off this good land</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Joshua 23:16</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall PERISH quickly</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Judges 5:31</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">So let all thine enemies PERISH, O LORD</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">1 Samuel 26:10</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">1 Samuel 27:1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">I shall now PERISH one day by the hand of Saul</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">2 Samuel 1:27</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war PERISHED (Cf. v. 25- slain)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">2 Kings 9:8</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the whole house of Ahab shall PERISH: and I will cut off from Ahab</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Esther 3:13</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">to destroy, to kill, and to cause to PERISH, all Jews</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Esther 4:16</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">and if I PERISH, I PERISH (Cf. v. 11- to put him to death)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Esther 7:4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">to be destroyed, to be slain, and to PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Esther 8:11</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">to destroy, to slay, and to cause to PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Esther 9:28</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">days of Purim should not fail… nor the memorial of them PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 3:3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Let the day PERISH wherein I was born (Cf. v.5- Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 4:7</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">who ever PERISHED, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 4:9</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">By the blast of God they PERISH, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 4:11</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The old lion PERISHETH for lack of prey</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 4:20</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">They are destroyed from morning to evening: they PERISH for ever without any regarding it</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 6:18</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">They go to nothing, and PERISH (Cf. v. 17- they vanish… they are consumed)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 8:13</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the hypocrite's hope shall PERISH (Cf. v. 12- withereth; v. 14 – cut off; v. 15 – not endure)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 18:17</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">His remembrance shall PERISH, and he shall have no name in the street</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 20:7</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Yet he shall PERISH for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 29:13</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The blessing of him that was ready to PERISH came upon me</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 30:2</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was PERISHED?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 31:19</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">If I have seen any PERISH from want of clothing</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 33:18</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from PERISHING by the sword</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 34:15</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">All flesh shall PERISH together, and man shall turn again unto dust</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Job 36:12</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">they shall PERISH by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 1:6</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the way of the ungodly shall PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 2:12</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye PERISH from the way</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 9:3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">When my enemies are turned back, they shall fall and PERISH at thy presence</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 9:6</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">a perpetual end… destroyed… their memorial is PERISHED with them (Cf. v. 5- for ever and ever)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 9:18</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the expectation of the poor shall not PERISH for ever</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 10:16</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The LORD is king for ever and ever: the heathen are PERISHED out of his land</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 37:20</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the wicked shall PERISH… they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 41:5</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name PERISH?</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 49:10</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and brutish person PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 49:12</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 49:20</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 68:2</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked PERISH at the presence of God</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 73:27</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">they that are far from thee shall PERISH: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 80:16</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they PERISH at the rebuke of thy countenance</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 83:10</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Which PERISHED at Endor: they became as dung for the earth</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 83:17</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 92:9</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">thine enemies shall PERISH; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 102:26</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">They shall PERISH, but thou shalt endure (Cf. v. 27- thy years shall have no end)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 112:10</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 119:92</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have PERISHED in mine affliction</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Psalm 146:4</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Proverbs 10:28</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the expectation of the wicked shall PERISH (Cf. v. 27- the years of the wicked shall be shortened)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Proverbs 11:7</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall PERISH: and the hope of unjust men PERISHETH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Proverbs 11:10</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">when the wicked PERISH, there is shouting</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Proverbs 19:9</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Proverbs 21:28</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">A false witness shall PERISH: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Proverbs 28:28</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they PERISH, the righteous increase</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Proverbs 29:18</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Where there is no vision, the people PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Proverbs 31:6</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Give strong drink unto him that is ready to PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Ecclesiastes 5:14</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">those riches PERISH by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Ecclesiastes 7:15</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">a just man that PERISHETH in his righteousness… a wicked man that prolongeth his life</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Ecclesiastes 9:6</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">their love…hatred… envy, is now PERISHED, neither have they any more portion for ever</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Isaiah 26:14</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">dead, they shall not live… deceased… destroyed them, and made all their memory to PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Isaiah 27:13</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">they shall come which were ready to PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Isaiah 29:14</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the wisdom of their wise men shall PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Isaiah 41:11</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing: and they that strive with thee shall PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Isaiah 57:1</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The righteous PERISH, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Isaiah 60:12</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the nation and kingdom… shall PERISH; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 4:9</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the heart of the king shall PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 6:21</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbor and his friend shall PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 7:28</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">truth is PERISHED, and is cut off from their mouth</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 9:12</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the land PERISHETH and is burned up like a wilderness</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 10:11</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">even they shall PERISH from the earth</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 10:15</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">in the time of their visitation they shall PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 18:18</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the law shall not PERISH from the priest</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 27:10</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">that I should drive you out, and ye should PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 27:15</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">that I might drive you out, and that ye might PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 40:15</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews… and the remnant in Judah PERISH?</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 48:8</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the valley also shall PERISH, and the plain shall be destroyed</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 48:36</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">he riches that he hath gotten are PERISHED</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 48:46</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">he people of Chemosh PERISHETH (Cf. v. 45- a fire… a flame… shall devour)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 49:7</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel PERISHED from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jeremiah 51:18</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">in the time of their visitation they shall PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Lamentations 3:18</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">My strength and my hope is PERISHED from the LORD</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Ezekiel 7:26</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the law shall PERISH from the priest</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Ezekiel 25:7</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">I will cause thee to PERISH out of the countries: I will destroy thee</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Daniel 2:18</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">that Daniel and his fellows should not PERISH (Cf. v. 13- the wise men should be slain)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Joel 1:11</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the harvest of the field is PERISHED</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Amos 1:8</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod… the remnant of the Philistines shall PERISH</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Amos 2:14</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the flight will PERISH from the swift</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Amos 3:15</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">I will smite the winter house… houses of ivory shall PERISH, and the great houses shall have an end</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jonah 1:6</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">if so be that God will think upon us, that we PERISH not</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jonah 1:14</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">let us not PERISH for this man's life</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jonah 3:9</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Who can tell if God will turn and repent… that we PERISH not?</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jonah 4:10</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the gourd… came up in a night, and PERISHED in a night (the worm smote it that it withered- v.7)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Micah 4:9</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor PERISHED?</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Micah 7:2</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The good man is PERISHED out of the earth: and there is none upright among men</span></div>
<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica Neue Interface'; font-size: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Zechariah 9:5</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the king shall PERISH from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Matthew 5:29</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">that one of thy members should PERISH, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Matthew 5:30</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">that one of thy members should PERISH, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Matthew 8:25</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Matthew 8:32</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and PERISHED in the waters</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Matthew 9:17</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Matthew 18:14</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">it is not the will of your Father… that one of these little ones should PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Matthew 26:52</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">all they that take the sword shall PERISH with the sword</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Mark 4:38</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Master, carest thou not that we PERISH?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Luke 5:37</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Luke 8:24</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Luke 11:51</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which PERISHED</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Luke 13:3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Luke 13:5</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Luke 13:33</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">it cannot be that a prophet PERISH out of Jerusalem (Cf. v. 31- for Herod will kill thee)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Luke 15:17</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough… and I PERISH with hunger!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Luke 21:18</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">But there shall not an hair of your head PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">John 3:15</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">That whosoever believeth in him should not PERISH, but have eternal life</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">John 3:16</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">that whosoever believeth in him should not PERISH, but have everlasting life</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">John 6:27</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Labour not for the meat which PERISHETH, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">John 10:28</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">John 11:50</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation PERISH not</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Acts 5:37</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">he also PERISHED (Cf. v. 36- who was slain)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Acts 8:20</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">But Peter said unto him, Thy money PERISH with thee</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Acts 13:41</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Romans 2:12</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">For as many as have sinned without law shall also PERISH without law</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">1 Corinthians 1:18</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the preaching of the cross is to them that PERISH foolishness; but unto us… it is the power of God</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">1 Corinthians 8:11</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother PERISH, for whom Christ died?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">1 Corinthians 15:18</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are PERISHED</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">2 Corinthians 2:15</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">in them that are saved, and in them that PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">2 Corinthians 4:16</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">though our outward man PERISH, yet the inward man is renewed day by day</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Colossians 2:22</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Which are all to PERISH with the using</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">2 Thessalonians 2:10</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">with all deceiveableness of unrighteousness in them that PERISH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Hebrews 1:11</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">They shall PERISH; but thou remainest</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Hebrews 11:31</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">By faith the harlot Rahab PERISHED not with them that believed not</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">James 1:11</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">the grace of the fashion of it PERISHETH: so also shall the rich man fade away</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">1 Peter 1:7</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">being much more precious than of gold that PERISHETH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">2 Peter 2:12</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed… shall utterly PERISH in their own corruption</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">2 Peter 3:6</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, PERISHED</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">2 Peter 3:9</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">not willing that any should PERISH, but that all should come to repentance</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Jude 1:11</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">and PERISHED in the gainsaying of Core</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The wicked shall perish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The saved shall never perish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The sincere reader will understand that the primary meaning of perish is to die, to lose life, to come to an end, or to be destroyed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">PERISH is paralleled with die, kill, destroyed, consumed, slain, being eat up, laid waste, go to nothing, be as nothing, vanish, withereth, cut off, turn again unto dust, deceased, fade away and utterly wasted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">PERISH is illustrated by dung, turning again to dust, consuming into smoke, melting like wax before a fire, melting away, a vine being burned by fire, breath leaving a body, years being shortened, a city being uninhabited, and bottles breaking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">PERISH is contrasted to prolonging days, days not failing, enduring, abiding, having no end, living, eternal life, everlasting life, being renewed, and remaining.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Things that perish are land, an eye, people, weapons of war, dung, beasts, names, expectations, riches, wisdom of wise men, nations, kingdoms, houses, body members, bottles, hair, meat, and money.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">That which causes things to perish are famine, God's wrath, smiting, warring nations, sickness, the sword, battle, fire, want of clothing, evil travail, and hunger.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">As to any secondary meanings of perish, NONE express a continual process without an understood end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">As to any secondary meanings of perish, NONE even remotely express the theory of endless torment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">N. T. Use of the Word Apollumi (Perish, Destroy)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">(excerpts from the book "The Wages of Sin" by Charles Walsh)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">A consideration of the words used in the Greek New Testament.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">In the preceding papers of this series we have submitted to a careful examination some of the words most frequently used in the Hebrew Scriptures to denote or to describe the end of the unsaved. We now would direct the reader to the New Testament, and the examination of the words used therein in the teaching, warning, or demonstration of the wages of sin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Apollumi.- This word is translated in the A.V. as follows: "Destroy," 23 times; "lose," 21 times; "be destroyed," 3 times; "be lost," 10 times; "be marred," once; "die," once; and "perish," 33 times.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">In examining "the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth" we must ever remember that the literal sense of the words is prima facie their true sense. It is this literal sense which is the common, ordinary, fundamental basis of all language, and accurate communication of thought. "Labour not for the meat which perisheth but for that meat which endureth to age-abiding life" (John 6:27). "They shall perish, but Thou remainest" (Heb. 1:11). None can fail to see that the word perish in these passages is the opposite of enduring or remaining. By what system of contrarieties do men seek to explain the Bible when the object of perishing is the sinner? Why should perishing in this special case mean remaining or enduring in conscious suffering? Dean Alford is responsible for the following statement:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">"A canon of interpretation which should be constantly borne in mind is that a figurative sense of words is never admissible except when required by the context."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">To this all will heartily agree who believe that God's Word is His revelation, and to this we seek to adhere. When we read in Heb. 11:31, "By faith, the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not," we do not understand the word "perish" to signify living in agony or remorse, but that Rahab was saved from the fate which awaited the inhabitants of the city of Jericho. Let God be true, though it makes every man a liar. Let Scripture tell us what "perishing" in Heb. 11:31 means:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">"And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the sword .... and they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein .... and Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive" (Josh. 6:21D25).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Here inspired comment is absolutely opposite to the orthodox teaching concerning this word "perish."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">In Luke 6:9 the Lord Jesus, speaking with reference to healing on the Sabbath Day, says, "Is it lawful .... to save life or to destroy it?" Here the word "destroy" (apollumi) is used in its simple primary meaning, and is contrasted with "save." A reference to Matt. 12:will show, further, that the Lord used as an illustration the case of saving the life of an animal. In Luke 17:27 the same word is used of the flood which "destroyed them all," and in verse 29 of the effect of the fire and brimstone which fell upon Sodom and "destroyed them all." When we read Luke 9:56, "For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them," why should we distort the meaning of the word? Why not believe that the Lord used a fit and proper word, indeed the most suitable word which the language provided?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">It is the same word translated "perish" that occurs in that oft-quoted passage John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Here the subject is lifted to the highest level. Here is no ambiguous phraseology, neither figure, nor parable, but plain gospel spoken in solemn earnestness by the Lord Jesus Himself. He says that there are two alternatives before men, the one - life everlasting, the other - perishing, utter destruction (Heb. 11:, Josh. vi.), and from this doom He came to save those who believed in Him. Hence we read in Luke 19:10, "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost (apollumi). Man by nature was on the road which leadeth to destruction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The primary meaning "perish," or "destroy," becomes changed in the transition of language to the derived and secondary meaning "lost." Thus we read of the "lost" sheep, and the "lost" son in the parables of Luke 15, and in the "lost" sheep of the house of Israel in Matt. 10. The fragments left over after the miraculous feeding of the five thousand were gathered so that nothing should be "lost" (John 6:12). It is pitiable to hear those who should know better arguing that because we read of a "lost" sheep, which could not mean a "destroyed" sheep, that therefore the plain, primary meaning of the word must be ignored and the secondary derived meaning be understood in such clear, solemn passages as John 3:16, etc..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Notice the way in which the Lord uses the word in Matt. 10:28. "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell (gehenna)." Here we have an argument which proceeds from the lesser to the greater. Man can only kill the body. God can destroy body and soul. Man may kill, but he cannot prevent resurrection: The murdered man will as surely rise in the resurrection as the one who dies of natural causes. It is different, however, with God. He can cast men into the lake of fire, which is the second death, from which there is no resurrection. Those who are thus cast in are destroyed body and soul, as being no more fit to live.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The parallel passage to this, Luke 12:4, 5, shows that to "cast into gehenna" is to be taken as synonymous with "to destroy," or "to perish." This is further evidenced by Matt. 5:29, "It is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into gehenna." Here the plain meaning is that it is better that a limb should perish than that the whole body should perish. There is no thought of agony and torment, for the Lord would have used the word in Matt. 10:28, "Fear Him who is able to torment both body and soul in hell," had He meant to convey such teaching.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">The fact that men are "perishing" and need salvation is emphasized again and again. We have noticed the word in John 3:16. In 1 Cor. 1:18 we read, "For the preaching of the cross is to them who are perishing - foolishness, but unto them who are being saved - unto us it is the power of God." It is the same word (translated "lost" in A.V.) in 2 Cor. 4:3, "If our gospel is veiled, to them who are perishing it is veiled."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Yet again in 1 Cor. 15:18 we read, "If Christ hath not been raised, to no purpose is your faith, ye are yet in your sins, hence also they who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished." What does this mean? Does it mean that believers, apart from the resurrection of Christ, are at this moment suffering the agonies of hell fire? Certainly not. It means exactly what it says. Without resurrection the believer, like the unbeliever, will have perished, will have passed out of being, will have been destroyed. The idea of a conscious intermediate state, with departments in some mythological hades, is foreign to the Scriptures and antagonistic to this passage. Death ends life, and apart from resurrection death means utter destruction. Praise be to God for this blessed hope. Resurrection, which is everywhere the one theme of hope in the Scriptures, is set aside by orthodoxy, and death instead is eulogized as the gate to life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">We have yet further evidence as to the meaning of this word apollumi by considering the inspired interpretation of the word Apollyon (Rev. 9:11), which is a derivative of apollumi. The passage gives us the Hebrew equivalent of apollumi, it is the word Abaddon, from abad, which we considered on page 8 of this Volume. The unmistakable meaning of abad is to destroy, and thus we are given, to confirm our faith, the divine warrant that the word under consideration means to "destroy." In the context of Rev. 9:11 the locusts, whose king is Apollyon, are definitely withheld from destroying or killing (their normal work), and are only permitted to torment men for five months, after which other horsemen receive power to kill those who had not the seal of God in their foreheads. Before passing on to the consideration of the next word, we would like to quote the primary meaning of apollumi as given by Liddell and Scott:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">"Apollumi. To destroy utterly, to kill, slay: of things, to demolish, to lay waste, to lose utterly."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Apoleia. - This word is a noun derived from the word apollumi, and means destruction. It is rendered by the A.V. as follows: "damnation," once; "damnable," once; "destruction," 5 times; "to die," once; "perdition," 8 times; "pernicious ways," once; and with eimi eis and accusative, "perish," once; "waste," twice. The words "damnation " and "damnable" both occur in 2 Peter 2:1, 3, "damnable heresies," and "their damnation." The same word is rendered "pernicious ways" in verse 2, and "destruction" in verse 1: Here the one word apoleia is rendered by four words in those verses. The R.V. renders the word "destruction," and destruction consistently (the word "pernicious" in verse 2 is not apoleia in the best Greek MSS. and is rendered "lascivious doings" in R.V.). In Pet. 3:7 the word occurs again, translated "perdition," and finally in verse 16 it is translated "destruction," which passage the R.V. renders as in the second chapter - "destruction."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">Once again we shall find that this word, like apollumi, is contrasted with life, "Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction .... narrow is the way that leadeth unto life" (Matt. 7:13, 14). The context immediately continues, "Beware of false prophets," which connects this passage with its inspired exposition in 2 Pet. 2:3. In John 17:12 we have a solemn passage wherein the Lord uses both apollumi and apoleia. "None of them is lost, but the son of perdition." This is also the title of antichrist in 2 Thess. 2:3. Again the word occurs in Acts 8:20, "Thy money go with thee to destruction." In Rom. 9:22 we read of "vessels of wrath fitted to destruction." The apostle uses the word twice in Philippians, "token of perdition" (i. 28), and "whose end is destruction" (3. 19). In I Tim. 6:9 we have a collection of words, of which the Greek language does not possess any stronger, to express literal death and extinction of being. Hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction (olethros) and perdition (apoleia). Does it not appear unreasonable to say continually that men will perish or be destroyed if they are, in fact, to be kept alive in suffering, and that they are to be miraculously preserved from perishing or from being destroyed?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">There is one more point which we must bring forward before closing this article. The subject of the soul, its nature and immortality, is discussed at great length by Plato in the Phaedon, a dialogue on Immortality, and therein is discussed the question of the literal destruction and extinction of the soul. Plato wrote in Greek, his native tongue, and the Phaedon became the great classic treatise on the subject of Immortality, read, studied and debated throughout the Greek-speaking world during the four hundred years between its writing and the ministry of Christ. Plato's words practically stereotyped the philosophical phraseology of the time. The purpose of the dialogue is to show that in death the soul does not become extinct, that it cannot die, perish, or be destroyed. Modern orthodoxy, therefore, is found ranged with Plato against the Word of God. These words of Plato were known and of fixed meaning in the days of Christ and the apostles. Christ came to reveal the truth. Shall we say that, knowing as He did the meaning of the words used on the subject of the soul, He willfully, and without explanation, took those very words concerning the very same subject, and used them in an altogether contradictory sense! The idea is impossible. With reference to the philosophic usage of apollumi, we give the following extract from the Phaedon:-</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">"Socrates, having said these things, Cebes answered: I agree Socrates, in the greater part of what you say. But in what relates to the soul men are apt to be incredulous, they fear .... that on the very day of death she may be destroyed and perish .... blown away and perishes immediately on quitting the body, as the many say? That can never be . . . the soul may utterly perish ..... the soul might perish .... if the immortal be also perishable. The soul when attacked by death cannot perish."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">To those who knew these words, who taught them, and argued about them, was sent a "teacher from God," and standing in their midst He reiterated the fact that Plato was wrong, that the soul could be destroyed, that it would perish. What would any of that day have thought of the suggestion to make such words convey the sense of endless misery, so diametrically opposed to their meaning? Would he not have been justified in replying in the language of a well-known public school head master:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">"My mind fails to conceive a grosser misinterpretation of language than when the five or six strongest words which the Greek tongue possesses, signifying 'destroy,' or 'destruction,' are explained to mean maintaining an everlasting but wretched existence. To translate black as white is nothing to this." —Dr. Weymouth</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueInterface-Regular'; font-size: 24pt;">We believe sufficient has been shown to establish the fact that, in the usage and meaning of apollumi and apoleia, destruction, utter and real, is the true meaning, and that this is the wages </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-56976924950177778422015-02-25T09:17:00.001-08:002015-02-25T10:08:01.994-08:00Advanced Rightly Divided.... NOT...!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This illustration is full of holes.... <a href="http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/Charts/HD1920X1080/Doctrinal-differences.jpg">http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/Charts/HD1920X1080/Doctrinal-differences.jpg</a><br />
The “access” which the “both,” NOW, enjoy is an access which the Gentile had never known before in all Acts period. As we think on “The Acts of the Apostles,” we can see the contrast. Peter and Cornelius may have looked to Christ as the Savior. They, both, were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ; nevertheless, during the Acts Period, Peter could have passed beyond the wall of partition but had Cornelius done so, his life would have been in jeopardy. Peter and Cornelius were saved by the same grace. They believed the same report from God; yet, Peter withdrew himself from the table of the Gentiles as recorded in Galatians Two. Remember, Peter even said, “Not so Lord,” to the vision in Acts Ten. He even told Cornelius that he would not have hesitated to refer to him as “common and unclean.” When the Church of God, at Jerusalem, heard about the incident with Cornelius, they were shocked and said, “Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them?”(Acts11:3). Even the door of faith was opened to Gentiles in Acts Ten; the “Epistle to the Romans” makes it, abundantly, clear in the Eleventh Chapter. Dispensationally, the Gentile was a “wild olive branch” grafted into the “natural olive tree, contrary to nature.”<br />
The conditions, mentioned, prevented true unity during “The Acts of the Apostles.” However, when the Mystery was introduced after the Pentecostal era, Acts 1 to 28, the Hebrew advantages were abolished. Those who were reconciled to God in ONE BODY, NOW, have access to God “by ONE SPIRIT” (Eph. 2:18). In Ephesians 3:12, it is written, “In Whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him.”<br />
Jerry Pourcy | Facebook<br />
https://www.facebook.com/jerryAdvanced Rightly Dividing ... Not!<br />
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Jerry Pourcy | Facebook<br />
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Advanced Rightly Dividing <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-50300999276280412662015-02-22T07:35:00.002-08:002015-02-22T07:35:44.740-08:00Study of The Word Perish<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.</div>
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The Biblical word 'perish' has an extremely interesting translational profile. It is the rendering of thirteen different words or word patterns and yet eleven of those account for only twelve verses. The other one hundred and six references come from two words; one Hebrew and one Greek. In this paper I shall aim to look first at the eleven minor definitions of 'perish' before moving on to the two dominant ones.</div>
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The first time we encounter 'perish' in the Bible is in Gen 41:36 where Joseph states that food should be stored for seven years so that the land should not perish through famine. The word perish is a rendered of kârath (H3772). The word literally means to cut down or asunder[1]. It is rendered 'cut' on 175 occasions and 'make' 81.</div>
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The second occurrence of 'perish' is in Exo 19:21 when it is a rendering of nâphal (H5307). The Lord is instructing Moses not to allow the people to gaze lest they perish. The word literally means to fall[2] which is how it is rendered 355 times. It is also translated 'cast' (24), down(9), divide(4), failed(4) and others.</div>
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The third 'perish' is in Exo 21:26 where it describes the condition of a slave that has had an eye perish through being struck. The word perish here is shâchath H7843; which means to decay or ruin[3]. It is rendered destroy(95), corrupt(22) or mar(6).</div>
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The next of the more minor definitions of perish occurs in 1Sa 26:10, 27:1; it is used by David to describe a possible fate of someone in battle. The word rendered perish is sâphâh (H5595) but it is used in contrast to death. The word literally means 'to scrape' or to 'snatch away'[4]; thus David is probably viewing this person as being captured by the enemy. It is otherwise rendered: consume(5), destroy(5), add(3)</div>
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Another word rendered 'perish' is ‛âbar (H5674) which really means to transition between two things[5]. It is generally rendered: over(177), pass(154), passed(117), go(52) and others. However in Job 36:12 it is used to describe the fate of the wicked by the sword. Thus it is describing that transition between life and death.</div>
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The last of the Hebrew words that have a minor 'perish' rendering is dâmâh (H1820) which occurs in Psa 49:12,20. On other occasions it is part of the expression 'beasts that perish'. Strong's suggest that dâmâh really means to be dumb or silent; in which case that would strike me as a perfectly reasonable translation here: 'beasts that are dumb'. Brown, Driver & Briggs rather suggests the word means to cause to cease or to cut off: which would support 'perish' as a translation. The word is otherwise rendered: cut(5), brought(2), silence(2) and others once.</div>
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The first of the minor Greek sources of 'perish' is really an expression 'eiēn eis apōleia' which is literally 'might go into ruin or loss'[6]. The word for ruin and loss is also rendered perdition (8), destruction(5) and waste(2). The phrase was used by Peter to describe his preferred fate of the money he had been offered to purchase the gift of God (Acts 8:20).</div>
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Paul offers the next Greek word rendered 'perish'; this time in Acts 13:41. Here he is describing his preferred fate of those that refuse to believe the Gospel. This time the word is aphanizō (G853) and means to 'render unapparent' or 'disappear'. The word is rendered as corrupt(2), disfigure(1), perish(1) and vanisheth(1).</div>
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The next word for perish is diaphtheirō (G1311) which means to 'rot thoroughly' or to completely decay[7]. It is used to describe the condition of the outward man in 2Co 4:16. It is also rendered as destroy on three occasions and corrupt twice.</div>
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The next Greek expression rendered as 'perish' also focuses upon the notion of decay; but this time describes the condition of heading towards decay. The expression is eis phthora (G1515, G5356) and occurs in Col 2:22 and describes the fate of the law (which of course is designed to restrict the outward man whom we saw in the previous paragraph is rotting thoroughly!) Phthora is also rendered corruption(7) and destroyed(1).</div>
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The final of the minor Greek sources of 'perish' is really 'utterly perish' and has a similar root to the previous word. It is kataphtheirō (G2704) which means to 'rot down'[8]. The word is used in 2Pe 2:12 to describe the outcome of false teachers; whom we are told just 'rot down in their own corruption'. The word is also rendered 'corrupt' on one occasion.</div>
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Reading the above one might readily imagine that just about every form of perishing has been covered. We have seen people being cut, falling down, being beaten, dying, entering perdition, rotting thoroughly, beginning to rot and even rotting down to nothing. Yet none of the above is the dominant meaning of 'perish'.</div>
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The dominant meaning of 'perish' in the Bible is provided by 'âbad H6 and the Aramaic equivalent ăbad H7. This is described by Strong as a primitive root meaning to wander away or to lose oneself. The word is rendered perish(98), destroy(60), lost(9) and a number of others once.</div>
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The commonest Greek source of the word perish is similar but rather more aggressive. The word is apollumi (G622); which essentially means to 'cut away'[9]. The word is rendered perish(33), lose(28) and destroy(26). We see that the end effect is thus the same as 'âbad; namely that you should be 'apart from'. The difference is that in the Hebrew the focus is that one should put oneself in that position; the Greek view is rather that you could be put in that situation.</div>
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I think that in many ways this word study forms a message in its own right. There are many ways in which people and things can and do perish. Many of them are violent and, to use a modern expression, 'totally gross'. Nonetheless, from the Biblical perspective, by far the commonest method of perishing is to cut oneself off or to be cut off from the fellowship of God and His people. May this encourage us in our pursuit of the lost.</div>
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[1] (Strong, H3772)</div>
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[2] (Strong, H5307)</div>
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[3] (Strong, H7843)</div>
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[4] (Brown, Driver and Briggs, H5595)</div>
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[5] (Strong, H5674)</div>
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[6] From the Strong's descriptions of G1498, G1519 and G684</div>
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[7] (Strong, G1311)</div>
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[8] (Strong, G2704)</div>
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[9] (Strong, G622)</div>
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MLA: Bayliss, D.A. "Perish." Bible Exposition. 02/22/2015. Web. February 22, 2015----------</div>
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The Wicked Shall Perish: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). A double enunciation of the truth is couched in this short text. It is that eternal life is to be obtained only through Christ, and that all who do not thus obtain it will eventually perish. John testifies further on the same point in his first epistle (1 John 5:11): "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." From which it follows, as a most natural consequence, that "he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Verse 12.</div>
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Biblical references of the word PERISH</div>
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Genesis 41:36</div>
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that the land PERISH not through the famine</div>
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Exodus 19:21</div>
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lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them PERISH</div>
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Exodus 21:26</div>
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if a man smite the eye of his servant…that it PERISH</div>
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Leviticus 26:38</div>
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ye shall PERISH among the heathen… the land of your enemies shall eat you up</div>
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Numbers 16:33</div>
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went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they PERISHED</div>
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Numbers 17:12</div>
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Behold, we die, we PERISH, we all PERISH</div>
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Numbers 21:30</div>
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Heshbon is PERISHED even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste</div>
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Numbers 24:20</div>
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his latter end shall be that he PERISH for ever</div>
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Numbers 24:24</div>
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he also shall PERISH for ever (Alas, who shall live when God doeth this! v. 23)</div>
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Deut. 4:26</div>
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ye shall soon utterly PERISH… ye shall not prolong your days… but shall utterly be destroyed</div>
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Deut. 8:19</div>
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I testify against you this day that ye shall surely PERISH</div>
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Deut. 8:20</div>
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As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye PERISH</div>
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Deut. 11:17</div>
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the LORD's wrath… no rain… and lest ye PERISH quickly from off the good land</div>
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Deut. 26:5</div>
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A Syrian ready to PERISH was my father</div>
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Deut. 28:20</div>
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until thou be destroyed, and until thou PERISH quickly</div>
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Deut. 28:22</div>
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consumption… a fever… the sword… (etc.) they shall pursue thee until thou PERISH</div>
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Deut. 30:18</div>
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ye shall surely PERISH… ye shall not prolong your days</div>
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Joshua 22:20</div>
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that man PERISHED not alone in his iniquity (Achan, who was stoned and burned- 7:25)</div>
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Joshua 23:13</div>
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they shall be snare and traps… until ye PERISH from off this good land</div>
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Joshua 23:16</div>
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then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall PERISH quickly</div>
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Judges 5:31</div>
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So let all thine enemies PERISH, O LORD</div>
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1 Samuel 26:10</div>
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his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and PERISH</div>
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1 Samuel 27:1</div>
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I shall now PERISH one day by the hand of Saul</div>
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2 Samuel 1:27</div>
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How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war PERISHED (Cf. v. 25- slain)</div>
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2 Kings 9:8</div>
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the whole house of Ahab shall PERISH: and I will cut off from Ahab</div>
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Esther 3:13</div>
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to destroy, to kill, and to cause to PERISH, all Jews</div>
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Esther 4:16</div>
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and if I PERISH, I PERISH (Cf. v. 11- to put him to death)</div>
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Esther 7:4</div>
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to be destroyed, to be slain, and to PERISH</div>
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Esther 8:11</div>
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to destroy, to slay, and to cause to PERISH</div>
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Esther 9:28</div>
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days of Purim should not fail… nor the memorial of them PERISH</div>
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Job 3:3</div>
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Let the day PERISH wherein I was born (Cf. v.5- Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it)</div>
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Job 4:7</div>
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who ever PERISHED, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?</div>
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Job 4:9</div>
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By the blast of God they PERISH, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed</div>
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Job 4:11</div>
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The old lion PERISHETH for lack of prey</div>
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Job 4:20</div>
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They are destroyed from morning to evening: they PERISH for ever without any regarding it</div>
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Job 6:18</div>
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They go to nothing, and PERISH (Cf. v. 17- they vanish… they are consumed)</div>
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Job 8:13</div>
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the hypocrite's hope shall PERISH (Cf. v. 12- withereth; v. 14 – cut off; v. 15 – not endure)</div>
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Job 18:17</div>
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His remembrance shall PERISH, and he shall have no name in the street</div>
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Job 20:7</div>
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Yet he shall PERISH for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?</div>
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Job 29:13</div>
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The blessing of him that was ready to PERISH came upon me</div>
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Job 30:2</div>
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whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was PERISHED?</div>
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Job 31:19</div>
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If I have seen any PERISH from want of clothing</div>
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Job 33:18</div>
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He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from PERISHING by the sword</div>
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Job 34:15</div>
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All flesh shall PERISH together, and man shall turn again unto dust</div>
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Job 36:12</div>
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they shall PERISH by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge</div>
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Psalm 1:6</div>
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the way of the ungodly shall PERISH</div>
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Psalm 2:12</div>
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Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye PERISH from the way</div>
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Psalm 9:3</div>
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When my enemies are turned back, they shall fall and PERISH at thy presence</div>
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Psalm 9:6</div>
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a perpetual end… destroyed… their memorial is PERISHED with them (Cf. v. 5- for ever and ever)</div>
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Psalm 9:18</div>
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the expectation of the poor shall not PERISH for ever</div>
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Psalm 10:16</div>
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The LORD is king for ever and ever: the heathen are PERISHED out of his land</div>
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Psalm 37:20</div>
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the wicked shall PERISH… they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away</div>
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Psalm 41:5</div>
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Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name PERISH?</div>
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Psalm 49:10</div>
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he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and brutish person PERISH</div>
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Psalm 49:12</div>
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man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that PERISH</div>
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Psalm 49:20</div>
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Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that PERISH</div>
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Psalm 68:2</div>
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as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked PERISH at the presence of God</div>
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Psalm 73:27</div>
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they that are far from thee shall PERISH: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee</div>
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Psalm 80:16</div>
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It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they PERISH at the rebuke of thy countenance</div>
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Psalm 83:10</div>
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Which PERISHED at Endor: they became as dung for the earth</div>
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Psalm 83:17</div>
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Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and PERISH</div>
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Psalm 92:9</div>
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thine enemies shall PERISH; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered</div>
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Psalm 102:26</div>
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They shall PERISH, but thou shalt endure (Cf. v. 27- thy years shall have no end)</div>
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Psalm 112:10</div>
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he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall PERISH</div>
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Psalm 119:92</div>
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Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have PERISHED in mine affliction</div>
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Psalm 146:4</div>
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His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts PERISH</div>
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Proverbs 10:28</div>
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the expectation of the wicked shall PERISH (Cf. v. 27- the years of the wicked shall be shortened)</div>
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Proverbs 11:7</div>
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When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall PERISH: and the hope of unjust men PERISHETH</div>
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Proverbs 11:10</div>
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when the wicked PERISH, there is shouting</div>
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Proverbs 19:9</div>
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A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall PERISH</div>
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Proverbs 21:28</div>
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A false witness shall PERISH: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly</div>
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Proverbs 28:28</div>
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When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they PERISH, the righteous increase</div>
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Proverbs 29:18</div>
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Where there is no vision, the people PERISH</div>
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Proverbs 31:6</div>
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Give strong drink unto him that is ready to PERISH</div>
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Ecclesiastes 5:14</div>
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those riches PERISH by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand</div>
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Ecclesiastes 7:15</div>
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a just man that PERISHETH in his righteousness… a wicked man that prolongeth his life</div>
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Ecclesiastes 9:6</div>
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their love…hatred… envy, is now PERISHED, neither have they any more portion for ever</div>
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Isaiah 26:14</div>
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dead, they shall not live… deceased… destroyed them, and made all their memory to PERISH</div>
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Isaiah 27:13</div>
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they shall come which were ready to PERISH</div>
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Isaiah 29:14</div>
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the wisdom of their wise men shall PERISH</div>
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Isaiah 41:11</div>
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ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing: and they that strive with thee shall PERISH</div>
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Isaiah 57:1</div>
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The righteous PERISH, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away</div>
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Isaiah 60:12</div>
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the nation and kingdom… shall PERISH; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted</div>
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Jeremiah 4:9</div>
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the heart of the king shall PERISH</div>
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Jeremiah 6:21</div>
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the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbor and his friend shall PERISH</div>
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Jeremiah 7:28</div>
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truth is PERISHED, and is cut off from their mouth</div>
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Jeremiah 9:12</div>
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the land PERISHETH and is burned up like a wilderness</div>
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Jeremiah 10:11</div>
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even they shall PERISH from the earth</div>
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Jeremiah 10:15</div>
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in the time of their visitation they shall PERISH</div>
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Jeremiah 18:18</div>
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the law shall not PERISH from the priest</div>
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Jeremiah 27:10</div>
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that I should drive you out, and ye should PERISH</div>
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Jeremiah 27:15</div>
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that I might drive you out, and that ye might PERISH</div>
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Jeremiah 40:15</div>
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wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews… and the remnant in Judah PERISH?</div>
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Jeremiah 48:8</div>
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the valley also shall PERISH, and the plain shall be destroyed</div>
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Jeremiah 48:36</div>
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he riches that he hath gotten are PERISHED</div>
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Jeremiah 48:46</div>
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he people of Chemosh PERISHETH (Cf. v. 45- a fire… a flame… shall devour)</div>
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Jeremiah 49:7</div>
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Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel PERISHED from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?</div>
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Jeremiah 51:18</div>
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in the time of their visitation they shall PERISH</div>
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Lamentations 3:18</div>
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My strength and my hope is PERISHED from the LORD</div>
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Ezekiel 7:26</div>
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the law shall PERISH from the priest</div>
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Ezekiel 25:7</div>
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I will cause thee to PERISH out of the countries: I will destroy thee</div>
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Daniel 2:18</div>
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that Daniel and his fellows should not PERISH (Cf. v. 13- the wise men should be slain)</div>
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Joel 1:11</div>
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the harvest of the field is PERISHED</div>
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Amos 1:8</div>
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I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod… the remnant of the Philistines shall PERISH</div>
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Amos 2:14</div>
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the flight will PERISH from the swift</div>
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Amos 3:15</div>
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I will smite the winter house… houses of ivory shall PERISH, and the great houses shall have an end</div>
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Jonah 1:6</div>
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if so be that God will think upon us, that we PERISH not</div>
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Jonah 1:14</div>
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let us not PERISH for this man's life</div>
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Jonah 3:9</div>
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Who can tell if God will turn and repent… that we PERISH not?</div>
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Jonah 4:10</div>
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the gourd… came up in a night, and PERISHED in a night (the worm smote it that it withered- v.7)</div>
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Micah 4:9</div>
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is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor PERISHED?</div>
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Micah 7:2</div>
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The good man is PERISHED out of the earth: and there is none upright among men</div>
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Zechariah 9:5</div>
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the king shall PERISH from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited</div>
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Matthew 5:29</div>
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that one of thy members should PERISH, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell</div>
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Matthew 5:30</div>
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that one of thy members should PERISH, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell</div>
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Matthew 8:25</div>
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his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we PERISH</div>
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Matthew 8:32</div>
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the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and PERISHED in the waters</div>
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Matthew 9:17</div>
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else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles PERISH</div>
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Matthew 18:14</div>
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it is not the will of your Father… that one of these little ones should PERISH</div>
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Matthew 26:52</div>
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all they that take the sword shall PERISH with the sword</div>
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Mark 4:38</div>
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Master, carest thou not that we PERISH?</div>
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Luke 5:37</div>
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else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall PERISH</div>
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Luke 8:24</div>
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they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we PERISH</div>
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Luke 11:51</div>
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From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which PERISHED</div>
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Luke 13:3</div>
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I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise PERISH</div>
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Luke 13:5</div>
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I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise PERISH</div>
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Luke 13:33</div>
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it cannot be that a prophet PERISH out of Jerusalem (Cf. v. 31- for Herod will kill thee)</div>
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Luke 15:17</div>
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How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough… and I PERISH with hunger!</div>
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Luke 21:18</div>
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But there shall not an hair of your head PERISH</div>
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John 3:15</div>
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That whosoever believeth in him should not PERISH, but have eternal life</div>
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John 3:16</div>
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that whosoever believeth in him should not PERISH, but have everlasting life</div>
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John 6:27</div>
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Labour not for the meat which PERISHETH, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life</div>
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John 10:28</div>
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And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never PERISH</div>
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John 11:50</div>
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that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation PERISH not</div>
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Acts 5:37</div>
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he also PERISHED (Cf. v. 36- who was slain)</div>
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Acts 8:20</div>
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But Peter said unto him, Thy money PERISH with thee</div>
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Acts 13:41</div>
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Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and PERISH</div>
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Romans 2:12</div>
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For as many as have sinned without law shall also PERISH without law</div>
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1 Corinthians 1:18</div>
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the preaching of the cross is to them that PERISH foolishness; but unto us… it is the power of God</div>
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1 Corinthians 8:11</div>
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And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother PERISH, for whom Christ died?</div>
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1 Corinthians 15:18</div>
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Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are PERISHED</div>
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2 Corinthians 2:15</div>
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in them that are saved, and in them that PERISH</div>
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2 Corinthians 4:16</div>
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though our outward man PERISH, yet the inward man is renewed day by day</div>
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Colossians 2:22</div>
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Which are all to PERISH with the using</div>
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2 Thessalonians 2:10</div>
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with all deceiveableness of unrighteousness in them that PERISH</div>
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Hebrews 1:11</div>
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They shall PERISH; but thou remainest</div>
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Hebrews 11:31</div>
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By faith the harlot Rahab PERISHED not with them that believed not</div>
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James 1:11</div>
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the grace of the fashion of it PERISHETH: so also shall the rich man fade away</div>
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1 Peter 1:7</div>
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being much more precious than of gold that PERISHETH</div>
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2 Peter 2:12</div>
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as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed… shall utterly PERISH in their own corruption</div>
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2 Peter 3:6</div>
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Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, PERISHED</div>
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2 Peter 3:9</div>
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not willing that any should PERISH, but that all should come to repentance</div>
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Jude 1:11</div>
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and PERISHED in the gainsaying of Core</div>
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The wicked shall perish.</div>
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The saved shall never perish.</div>
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The sincere reader will understand that the primary meaning of perish is to die, to lose life, to come to an end, or to be destroyed.</div>
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PERISH is paralleled with die, kill, destroyed, consumed, slain, being eat up, laid waste, go to nothing, be as nothing, vanish, withereth, cut off, turn again unto dust, deceased, fade away and utterly wasted.</div>
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PERISH is illustrated by dung, turning again to dust, consuming into smoke, melting like wax before a fire, melting away, a vine being burned by fire, breath leaving a body, years being shortened, a city being uninhabited, and bottles breaking.</div>
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PERISH is contrasted to prolonging days, days not failing, enduring, abiding, having no end, living, eternal life, everlasting life, being renewed, and remaining.</div>
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Things that perish are land, an eye, people, weapons of war, dung, beasts, names, expectations, riches, wisdom of wise men, nations, kingdoms, houses, body members, bottles, hair, meat, and money.</div>
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That which causes things to perish are famine, God's wrath, smiting, warring nations, sickness, the sword, battle, fire, want of clothing, evil travail, and hunger.</div>
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As to any secondary meanings of perish, NONE express a continual process without an understood end.</div>
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As to any secondary meanings of perish, NONE even remotely express the theory of endless torment.</div>
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N. T. Use of the Word Apollumi (Perish, Destroy)</div>
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(excerpts from the book "The Wages of Sin" by Charles Walsh)</div>
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A consideration of the words used in the Greek New Testament.</div>
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In the preceding papers of this series we have submitted to a careful examination some of the words most frequently used in the Hebrew Scriptures to denote or to describe the end of the unsaved. We now would direct the reader to the New Testament, and the examination of the words used therein in the teaching, warning, or demonstration of the wages of sin.</div>
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Apollumi.- This word is translated in the A.V. as follows: "Destroy," 23 times; "lose," 21 times; "be destroyed," 3 times; "be lost," 10 times; "be marred," once; "die," once; and "perish," 33 times.</div>
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In examining "the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth" we must ever remember that the literal sense of the words is prima facie their true sense. It is this literal sense which is the common, ordinary, fundamental basis of all language, and accurate communication of thought. "Labour not for the meat which perisheth but for that meat which endureth to age-abiding life" (John 6:27). "They shall perish, but Thou remainest" (Heb. 1:11). None can fail to see that the word perish in these passages is the opposite of enduring or remaining. By what system of contrarieties do men seek to explain the Bible when the object of perishing is the sinner? Why should perishing in this special case mean remaining or enduring in conscious suffering? Dean Alford is responsible for the following statement:</div>
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"A canon of interpretation which should be constantly borne in mind is that a figurative sense of words is never admissible except when required by the context."</div>
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To this all will heartily agree who believe that God's Word is His revelation, and to this we seek to adhere. When we read in Heb. 11:31, "By faith, the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not," we do not understand the word "perish" to signify living in agony or remorse, but that Rahab was saved from the fate which awaited the inhabitants of the city of Jericho. Let God be true, though it makes every man a liar. Let Scripture tell us what "perishing" in Heb. 11:31 means:</div>
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"And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the sword .... and they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein .... and Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive" (Josh. 6:21D25).</div>
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Here inspired comment is absolutely opposite to the orthodox teaching concerning this word "perish."</div>
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In Luke 6:9 the Lord Jesus, speaking with reference to healing on the Sabbath Day, says, "Is it lawful .... to save life or to destroy it?" Here the word "destroy" (apollumi) is used in its simple primary meaning, and is contrasted with "save." A reference to Matt. 12:will show, further, that the Lord used as an illustration the case of saving the life of an animal. In Luke 17:27 the same word is used of the flood which "destroyed them all," and in verse 29 of the effect of the fire and brimstone which fell upon Sodom and "destroyed them all." When we read Luke 9:56, "For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them," why should we distort the meaning of the word? Why not believe that the Lord used a fit and proper word, indeed the most suitable word which the language provided?</div>
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It is the same word translated "perish" that occurs in that oft-quoted passage John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Here the subject is lifted to the highest level. Here is no ambiguous phraseology, neither figure, nor parable, but plain gospel spoken in solemn earnestness by the Lord Jesus Himself. He says that there are two alternatives before men, the one - life everlasting, the other - perishing, utter destruction (Heb. 11:, Josh. vi.), and from this doom He came to save those who believed in Him. Hence we read in Luke 19:10, "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost (apollumi). Man by nature was on the road which leadeth to destruction.</div>
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The primary meaning "perish," or "destroy," becomes changed in the transition of language to the derived and secondary meaning "lost." Thus we read of the "lost" sheep, and the "lost" son in the parables of Luke 15, and in the "lost" sheep of the house of Israel in Matt. 10. The fragments left over after the miraculous feeding of the five thousand were gathered so that nothing should be "lost" (John 6:12). It is pitiable to hear those who should know better arguing that because we read of a "lost" sheep, which could not mean a "destroyed" sheep, that therefore the plain, primary meaning of the word must be ignored and the secondary derived meaning be understood in such clear, solemn passages as John 3:16, etc..</div>
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Notice the way in which the Lord uses the word in Matt. 10:28. "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell (gehenna)." Here we have an argument which proceeds from the lesser to the greater. Man can only kill the body. God can destroy body and soul. Man may kill, but he cannot prevent resurrection: The murdered man will as surely rise in the resurrection as the one who dies of natural causes. It is different, however, with God. He can cast men into the lake of fire, which is the second death, from which there is no resurrection. Those who are thus cast in are destroyed body and soul, as being no more fit to live.</div>
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The parallel passage to this, Luke 12:4, 5, shows that to "cast into gehenna" is to be taken as synonymous with "to destroy," or "to perish." This is further evidenced by Matt. 5:29, "It is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into gehenna." Here the plain meaning is that it is better that a limb should perish than that the whole body should perish. There is no thought of agony and torment, for the Lord would have used the word in Matt. 10:28, "Fear Him who is able to torment both body and soul in hell," had He meant to convey such teaching.</div>
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The fact that men are "perishing" and need salvation is emphasized again and again. We have noticed the word in John 3:16. In 1 Cor. 1:18 we read, "For the preaching of the cross is to them who are perishing - foolishness, but unto them who are being saved - unto us it is the power of God." It is the same word (translated "lost" in A.V.) in 2 Cor. 4:3, "If our gospel is veiled, to them who are perishing it is veiled."</div>
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Yet again in 1 Cor. 15:18 we read, "If Christ hath not been raised, to no purpose is your faith, ye are yet in your sins, hence also they who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished." What does this mean? Does it mean that believers, apart from the resurrection of Christ, are at this moment suffering the agonies of hell fire? Certainly not. It means exactly what it says. Without resurrection the believer, like the unbeliever, will have perished, will have passed out of being, will have been destroyed. The idea of a conscious intermediate state, with departments in some mythological hades, is foreign to the Scriptures and antagonistic to this passage. Death ends life, and apart from resurrection death means utter destruction. Praise be to God for this blessed hope. Resurrection, which is everywhere the one theme of hope in the Scriptures, is set aside by orthodoxy, and death instead is eulogized as the gate to life.</div>
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We have yet further evidence as to the meaning of this word apollumi by considering the inspired interpretation of the word Apollyon (Rev. 9:11), which is a derivative of apollumi. The passage gives us the Hebrew equivalent of apollumi, it is the word Abaddon, from abad, which we considered on page 8 of this Volume. The unmistakable meaning of abad is to destroy, and thus we are given, to confirm our faith, the divine warrant that the word under consideration means to "destroy." In the context of Rev. 9:11 the locusts, whose king is Apollyon, are definitely withheld from destroying or killing (their normal work), and are only permitted to torment men for five months, after which other horsemen receive power to kill those who had not the seal of God in their foreheads. Before passing on to the consideration of the next word, we would like to quote the primary meaning of apollumi as given by Liddell and Scott:</div>
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"Apollumi. To destroy utterly, to kill, slay: of things, to demolish, to lay waste, to lose utterly."</div>
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Apoleia. - This word is a noun derived from the word apollumi, and means destruction. It is rendered by the A.V. as follows: "damnation," once; "damnable," once; "destruction," 5 times; "to die," once; "perdition," 8 times; "pernicious ways," once; and with eimi eis and accusative, "perish," once; "waste," twice. The words "damnation " and "damnable" both occur in 2 Peter 2:1, 3, "damnable heresies," and "their damnation." The same word is rendered "pernicious ways" in verse 2, and "destruction" in verse 1: Here the one word apoleia is rendered by four words in those verses. The R.V. renders the word "destruction," and destruction consistently (the word "pernicious" in verse 2 is not apoleia in the best Greek MSS. and is rendered "lascivious doings" in R.V.). In Pet. 3:7 the word occurs again, translated "perdition," and finally in verse 16 it is translated "destruction," which passage the R.V. renders as in the second chapter - "destruction."</div>
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Once again we shall find that this word, like apollumi, is contrasted with life, "Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction .... narrow is the way that leadeth unto life" (Matt. 7:13, 14). The context immediately continues, "Beware of false prophets," which connects this passage with its inspired exposition in 2 Pet. 2:3. In John 17:12 we have a solemn passage wherein the Lord uses both apollumi and apoleia. "None of them is lost, but the son of perdition." This is also the title of antichrist in 2 Thess. 2:3. Again the word occurs in Acts 8:20, "Thy money go with thee to destruction." In Rom. 9:22 we read of "vessels of wrath fitted to destruction." The apostle uses the word twice in Philippians, "token of perdition" (i. 28), and "whose end is destruction" (3. 19). In I Tim. 6:9 we have a collection of words, of which the Greek language does not possess any stronger, to express literal death and extinction of being. Hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction (olethros) and perdition (apoleia). Does it not appear unreasonable to say continually that men will perish or be destroyed if they are, in fact, to be kept alive in suffering, and that they are to be miraculously preserved from perishing or from being destroyed?</div>
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There is one more point which we must bring forward before closing this article. The subject of the soul, its nature and immortality, is discussed at great length by Plato in the Phaedon, a dialogue on Immortality, and therein is discussed the question of the literal destruction and extinction of the soul. Plato wrote in Greek, his native tongue, and the Phaedon became the great classic treatise on the subject of Immortality, read, studied and debated throughout the Greek-speaking world during the four hundred years between its writing and the ministry of Christ. Plato's words practically stereotyped the philosophical phraseology of the time. The purpose of the dialogue is to show that in death the soul does not become extinct, that it cannot die, perish, or be destroyed. Modern orthodoxy, therefore, is found ranged with Plato against the Word of God. These words of Plato were known and of fixed meaning in the days of Christ and the apostles. Christ came to reveal the truth. Shall we say that, knowing as He did the meaning of the words used on the subject of the soul, He willfully, and without explanation, took those very words concerning the very same subject, and used them in an altogether contradictory sense! The idea is impossible. With reference to the philosophic usage of apollumi, we give the following extract from the Phaedon:-</div>
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"Socrates, having said these things, Cebes answered: I agree Socrates, in the greater part of what you say. But in what relates to the soul men are apt to be incredulous, they fear .... that on the very day of death she may be destroyed and perish .... blown away and perishes immediately on quitting the body, as the many say? That can never be . . . the soul may utterly perish ..... the soul might perish .... if the immortal be also perishable. The soul when attacked by death cannot perish."</div>
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To those who knew these words, who taught them, and argued about them, was sent a "teacher from God," and standing in their midst He reiterated the fact that Plato was wrong, that the soul could be destroyed, that it would perish. What would any of that day have thought of the suggestion to make such words convey the sense of endless misery, so diametrically opposed to their meaning? Would he not have been justified in replying in the language of a well-known public school head master:</div>
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"My mind fails to conceive a grosser misinterpretation of language than when the five or six strongest words which the Greek tongue possesses, signifying 'destroy,' or 'destruction,' are explained to mean maintaining an everlasting but wretched existence. To translate black as white is nothing to this." —Dr. Weymouth</div>
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We believe sufficient has been shown to establish the fact that, in the usage and meaning of apollumi and apoleia, destruction, utter and real, is the true meaning, and that this is the wages of sin.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167941498808993659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3357704547013611676.post-77949457875920671822015-02-19T10:08:00.002-08:002015-02-19T10:08:38.672-08:00The Coming Kingdom of God<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">THE KINGDOM IS COMING</strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">(Originally published 10 Oct. 86)</span></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In regard to the emphatic and unqualified declaration made in the subject of this study, I will even be more positive and say that of this I am sure — as sure and certain as anyone can be concerning things to come — the kingdom of God is coming. Yes, as sure as God exists, as sure as the sun will be in the sky tomorrow, the day is surely coming when God in Christ will take unto Himself His great power (Matt. 28:18), judge the peoples of the earth righteously (Acts 17:31), and govern the nations upon the earth (Psa. 67:4).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As to when this great divine action will take place, I do not know. It may take place today, or it could be next week or next year, or it may not be for a hundred years. Waiting for it is a definite part of our walk before God. Thus, we wait for that "one divine event to which the whole creation moves."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There is no prophecy that must be fulfilled before God assumes sovereignty. All God needs to do is speak in heaven and its inauguration will take place upon the earth. Then we can truthfully say: "The Lord reigneth’ and praise Him because "He has taken to Himself His great power and does reign’ (Psalm 96:10, Rev. 11:17).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Due to the manifest sway of evil upon the earth today we know we are living in the last (concluding) days of God’s long display of grace. From Scripture we know that the manifest kingdom of God will be the next condition of things upon this earth. However, no one knows the date when God will speak in heaven and assume sovereignty over this world. It has not been given to me or to anyone else to know "the times or the seasons which the Father has put in His own power" (Acts 1:7). The restoration of the kingdom (divine sovereignty) to Israel is one feature of God’s government of the world, and it was not given to the Lord’s most favored disciples to know as to the time of this. But we can be sure it will take place, even as we are told in God’s Word (Zech. 14:9).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In handling this great truth of the coming of divine government upon the earth, we must be careful not to confuse events or to scramble times and seasons. God’s initial act when His benevolent rule over mankind begins is the divine assumption of sovereignty. He takes to Himself His great power and governs the earth and all men upon it. The Lord does not descend from heaven with a shout as described in 1 Thess. 4:16, for this imposition of government will be as described in Matt. 12:18-21. "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon Him, and He will show judgment to the nations. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory. And in His name shall the nations trust."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Jesus Christ will remain seated and acting upon the rights of God until His foes are made His footstool. "For he must reign (govern) until He has put all enemies under His feet" (1 Cor. 15:25).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"The LORD’S throne (seat of government) is in heaven (Psa. 11:4). "The LORD hath prepared His throne in the heavens" (Psalm 103:19). Three times in the Word, God has declared that heaven is His throne and earth is His footstool. See Isa. 66:1, and Matt. 5:34, 35. So again I say, when God’s administration of grace ends and His administration of government begins, that government will proceed from the throne and not from the footstool.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Many contemporaneous events are included in the initial act of God, the divine assumption of sovereignty, and these works of God will form the foundation of the just rule of God over the earth and its inhabitants. But we must be careful not to relate to it events which have no place. Common sense will tell us that an event in which there is no cry, neither will any voice be heard, cannot be the same as an event in which the Lord descends from heaven with a shout, the voice of the archangel and the trump of God. Matthew 12:18-21 cannot be the same event as 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The magnificent things that take place at God's assumption of sovereignty are numerous and they lay the foundation and provide the framework for His righteous government over mankind. Without these the kingdom would be like a man without a skeleton. Briefly stated these acts of God are the enlightenment of the world (Psalm 97:4); the pouring out of God's Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2:28); the unveiling (<i>apokalupsin</i>)<i> </i>of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:7); the manifestation (epiphaneia — blazing forth) of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13); the divine evaluation (judgment) of all the living and all the dead (2 Tim. 4:1); plus many other related events which are clearly enunciated in Scripture.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In proclaiming that the kingdom is coming, by "kingdom" I mean government." I do not mean that a "land" is coming or even that a "king" is coming. I mean that a divine adminstration, oversight, rule, reign, guidance, control, or regulation, is coming from God. And let no one say that I believe in a kingdom without a king. One has already been established a King, now the question is when will He take to Himself His great power and do the things everyone knows a good King should do. And remember, that if Jesus Christ cannot govern this earth from heaven, then He cannot govern heaven from the earth.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">To me there is not one shade of difference in the phrases "the kingdom of God" and "the government of God." In fact, if I were translating the whole Bible, I would render the Hebrew word <i>malkuth </i>and the Greek word <i>basiliea </i>by the word "government" in every occurrence, except in a few cases where synonyms such as rule, control, or sovereignty would more clearly set forth the nuances indicated by the context.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Thus, it is God’s government that is coming upon the earth, and this government will include every human that has ever lived in this world, those who are among the living at the time it comes and all who are among the dead. This truth is expressed in the usually ignored and neglected declaration found in 2 Timothy 4:1, which faithfully translated reads: "I charge you therefore before God, even the Lord Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the quick and the dead at His <i>epiphaneia </i>(blazing forth) even His kingdom."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This <i>epiphaneia, </i>a blazing forth of the glory of our great God and Savior, is the first positive manifestation that the government of God is a reality. From that point on every man living upon the earth will know Who Christ is and What He is, fulfilling the ancient prophecy of Isaiah: "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together" (Isa. 40:5). It will also fulfill God's promise made through Habakkuk; "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (2:14).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This blazing forth and the start of God’s manifest government are one and the same. This passage troubles many readers of 2 Timothy since it describes a universal judgment, the living and the dead — all inclusive, but this is because they read far too much into the word "judge’ They give to this word an unlimited meaning, making it cover every detail of one’s life, settling all destinies and rewards once for all. The believer is to come into no such judgment as this as we are told in John 5:24, but he will come into another judgment as declared in 2 Tim. 4:1.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This judgment, limited as to its purpose, is a divine evaluation, and it will determine who among all mankind are to have a place in the kingdom of God. If you and I are among the living when God assumes sovereignty this evaluation of all who are then living will determine if we are to be blessed by continuance among the living. And if we are among the dead this evaluation of all the dead will determine if we are to be raised from among the dead to enjoy the rich blessings that will be the portion of those upon this earth.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Let it be carefully noted that when the kingdom of God becomes a reality, our entrance into it or our exclusion from it is going to be determined by the life we have lived during our days upon this earth. Can anyone read 1 Cor. 6:9-11 and Gal. 5:19, 21 and say that exclusion from the kingdom of God is not determined by the life one has lived upon this earth? Furthermore, can anyone read John 1:12; 3:16, 17, 18; Acts 10:35 and say that entrance into eonian life (which is life in the kingdom of God) is not to be determined by things done upon the earth?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Let no one think that the enlightenment of mankind which takes place upon God’s assumption of sovereignty will give to anyone a "second chance:’ an opportunity to reconsider and do right by the God who is our Savior. God is not running a lottery. The Bible reveals and it is also quite evident that some individuals have so lived that their conduct has made them <i>persona non grata </i>(an unacceptable person) so far as life under God's benevolent government is concerned. Let no one deceive himself. The life you are living today, our present attitude toward the God who is our Savior may be the facts that will exclude you from the kingdom of God. Remember, the Bible says "He that has the Son has life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (1 John 5:12).</span><br />
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