treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 4117
posted
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
posted
I couldn't agree more! And I thought I was the only one. I keep telling the Lord to hurry up!!!
Just loved the graphics. Very creative, if I do say so myself!! It really made me smile in all this mess.
Posts: 9020 | From Illinois | Registered: May 2006
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posted
Cool!! I hope I'm ready!! I think I'm ready!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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trueblue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7348
posted
quote:Originally posted by cave76: Nope! It's Jim Beam.
(Guess you had to've been there. )
Ha! Good one!
psst... pass the bottle
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 4117
posted
quote:Originally posted by trueblue:
quote:Originally posted by cave76: Nope! It's Jim Beam.
(Guess you had to've been there. )
Ha! Good one!
psst... pass the bottle
(Guess you had to've been there. ) hahahahha
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
In Mahayana Buddhism, the bodhisattva is a fully awakened one. A pure and merciful being. He/she doesn't go up to paradise, nirvana heaven etc. forever and ever, but lives in this world of flesh and blood solely to relieve suffering. Not one who shuns life, but one who loves life and therefore gets thoroughly involved in it. The bodhisattva is thought of as one who is not afraid to assume any form symbolically, and therefore represents the whole attitude of overcoming life not by escaping from it, but by accepting it completely and profoundly through and through.
MagicAcorn
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Member # 8786
posted
It is stated in the Good Book of Squirrelcrutianism that only those who are truly one with the trees, and kind to all living beings will be lifted up to the great canopy in the sky when the day of the Big Rapture arrives.
posted
I'm a born-again Christian, that's a personal choice, I'm nothing special, just forgiven.
Let's look at it from a purely logical prespective for non-believers like HappyCarelessDave.
Dave,
If I'm right and there is a savior and He is the son of God and He does have a place for us in heaven after we die. I'm in a logical position.
If, on the other hand, you're right and there is no God and there's only eternal sleep in the grave, I'm still in a logical position.
However, if I'm right and you don't believe and you die - not a logical position!
Just a point to ponder.
LymeDad
Posts: 681 | From California | Registered: Oct 2005
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kelmo
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posted
He is Risen.
Posts: 2903 | From AZ | Registered: Feb 2006
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treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 4117
posted
quote:Originally posted by cuttlefish: Why go up?
Jesus of Nazareth:
Thats where he wants me to go its my hope This is to be accomplished by the Lord's sudden descent from heaven, not in judgement, not to appear to the world, but simply and only for believers, the dead in Christ rising first, then both they and the living being caught up together in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. and its free Happy Easter everyone!!! And I mean everyone!!!
+
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
quote:Originally posted by cuttlefish: the bodhisattva of the Jews.
See, I could never be a Buddhist. I wouldn't be able to pronounce bodhisattva! They would throw me out on my ear!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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heiwalove
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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posted
lymetoo, the buddhists wouldn't throw you out, they don't throw anyone out. buddhism isn't really even an organized religion - there isn't any official text or doctrine. it's just about espousing the principles of love, compassion, forgiveness, peace, and respect for all living creatures and for this earth we call home.
i'm not a buddhist, but if there's any religion i wholly respect, it's buddhism. and judaism, too.
heiwalove
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Member # 6467
posted
okay, this could be potentially really controversial, and maybe i shouldn't even go there, but.. i'm bored, and i've been thinking a lot about this stuff anyway, so what the heck. *
first of all let me say that i respect everyone's beliefs/religion, whether or not they are at all in line with mine. what i DON'T respect, though, are folks who go around trying to convert other people to their particular beliefs. this seems to be particularly pandemic among Christians (especially evangelical/'born-again' Christians), and it just makes no sense to me at all. no living being can possibly know FOR SURE the Whole Truth about God/life/death/etc; it's just not possible. so you believe what you believe, and i believe what i believe, and let's just leave each other alone about it.
spirituality is one of the most personal facets of our human existence, and trying to bully (or persuade, no matter how gently) someone else into thinking the way you do.. like i said, i just don't get it.
also, on the subject of proselytizing and trying to convert people to Christianity.. well, it seems to me that that exact thing has been the cause of millions of murders and atrocities in the course of our (relatively) recent history. the Crusades, anyone? burning alive so-called 'nonbelievers' at the stake? just how Christ-like is that, really? somehow i don't think Jesus would be down with most of the stuff that's done in his name.
lastly: how in the world can evangelical Christians (or any extreme wing of any religion) truly believe that their way is the ONLY way, and that everyone else on the ENTIRE PLANET (we're talking billions of people, here) who believes differently is going to eternally burn in hell? especially when it comes to Christianity.. Christianity is the youngest major religion in the world. it's in its infancy stage, comparatively speaking. it seems to me that Hindus, Buddhists, Jewish folks, and Indigenous peoples (for example) know a heck of a lot about, well.. lots of stuff. and we would do well to be quiet, listen, and learn from the many ancient spiritual belief systems that exist in this world.
posted
Heather, it's because we believe what the Bible says.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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stymielymie
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you must believe in god from within your body. the bible just guides you to the truth.
a very good movie to see is called "STIGMATA". i comes on alot on tbs or rent it. the movie is a little gorry ,but it is very interesting story about how the church hides many documents that don't suit their needs
i really love all people and all religions. they are facinating to me as a jewish athesist.
i can look at things objectively.
the whole morale or the movie is that god is within you, and that you don't need expensive churches, synagogues, mosques. to pray all you need is yourself.
this revelation has been keep quite for 1000's of years, because without big churches, they have very little power to control people in the direction THEY WANT.
just a little tidbit about religion. yes i do pray ,but not to god, i pray to heal myself and protect others. i do not use a book or bible.
just my thoughs,please don't take offense to this but the movie was very good.
docdave Posts: 1820 | From Boone and Southport, NC | Registered: Sep 2006
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randibear
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
i go to a independent baptist church. We do not believe in forcing our opinions on anyone. you are welcome if you want to come, if not, fine...
Our paster believes there are many roads to God, but you'll never get there murdering, raping, etc....doing bad things....
we respect all religions, not just ours. Each religion has something unique to offer each person.
But I firmly don't believe I should kill, or be killed, because I believe something that someone else doesn't.....Christians and Jews have long been persecuted, so have other religions, look at the Indians...it's all in how you look at it.
-------------------- do not look back when the only course is forward Posts: 12262 | From texas | Registered: Mar 2007
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David95928
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3521
posted
Heather wrote:
okay, this could be potentially really controversial, and maybe i shouldn't even go there, but.. i'm bored, and i've been thinking a lot about this stuff anyway, so what the heck. *
first of all let me say that i respect everyone's beliefs/religion, whether or not they are at all in line with mine. what i DON'T respect, though, are folks who go around trying to convert other people to their particular beliefs. this seems to be particularly pandemic among Christians (especially evangelical/'born-again' Christians), and it just makes no sense to me at all. no living being can possibly know FOR SURE the Whole Truth about God/life/death/etc; it's just not possible. so you believe what you believe, and i believe what i believe, and let's just leave each other alone about it.
spirituality is one of the most personal facets of our human existence, and trying to bully (or persuade, no matter how gently) someone else into thinking the way you do.. like i said, i just don't get it.
also, on the subject of proselytizing and trying to convert people to Christianity.. well, it seems to me that that exact thing has been the cause of millions of murders and atrocities in the course of our (relatively) recent history. the Crusades, anyone? burning alive so-called 'nonbelievers' at the stake? just how Christ-like is that, really? somehow i don't think Jesus would be down with most of the stuff that's done in his name.
lastly: how in the world can evangelical Christians (or any extreme wing of any religion) truly believe that their way is the ONLY way, and that everyone else on the ENTIRE PLANET (we're talking billions of people, here) who believes differently is going to eternally burn in hell? especially when it comes to Christianity.. Christianity is the youngest major religion in the world. it's in its infancy stage, comparatively speaking. it seems to me that Hindus, Buddhists, Jewish folks, and Indigenous peoples (for example) know a heck of a lot about, well.. lots of stuff. and we would do well to be quiet, listen, and learn from the many ancient spiritual belief systems that exist in this world.
and that is all i have to say about that.
~heather
I say, "Preach it sister!"
-------------------- Dave Posts: 2034 | From CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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David95928
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posted
WHAT?!!!
-------------------- Dave Posts: 2034 | From CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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heiwalove
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posted
my point is that NO ONE should be killed or persecuted or discriminated against because of their religion/spiritual beliefs. seems like a basic thing, but unfortunately to this day we haven't learned this lesson.
of course, Christians have been persecuted as well. however, today, by and large, Christians have the power and are those doing the persecuting (at least in the so-called 'first world').
(this varies country to country & region to region, of course - i.e. Jews & Palestinians in Israel, Hindus and Muslims in India, etc. but in the west, certainly, most of those in power are Christian. and especially since 9/11, we don't seem to think it's a problem to persecute, harass, jail without charge or trial, and disappear people who are (or are perceived to be) Muslim.)
randibear
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11290
posted
i just deleted my post...i think we're basically saying the same thing -- maybe just in a different language.......
my lyme brain is not functioning......
I can't believe I used to be an editor of a regional newspaper. Now I can't understand the most simple of concepts.
sorry if I offended anyone........
-------------------- do not look back when the only course is forward Posts: 12262 | From texas | Registered: Mar 2007
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treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
This is off a Bible Tract I found lots of good versus's out of the bible
Can a Christian ever lose their salvation? Can someone who has truly been saved ever be lost?
What saith the scriptures?
Salvation is BELIEVING in Jesus Christ
Salvation is trusting or believing in, by faith, that Jesus Christ paid for your sins with His blood on the cross of Calvary.
"He that BELIEVETH on the Son hath everlasting life:. . ." John 3:36
"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
We are NOT saved by WORKS
The Bible makes it clear that OUR WORKS has nothing whatsoever to do with our salvation.
We don't receive it by our works -- and we don't keep it by our works!
" NOT BY WORKS of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us,. . ." Titus 3:5
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8,9
Salvation is a FREE GIFT
Salvation is the free gift of God. If we had to work to keep it -- it would not be a free gift -- and God would be a liar!
". . . the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23
". . .by the righteousness of one THE FREE GIFT came upon all men unto justification of life." Romans 5:18
Salvation is a NEW BIRTH.
Salvation is not enduring or a process, but an event in time. Salvation is a NEW BIRTH. Just as your first birth happened on a certain time and day, so does the second birth.
"(For he saith, I have heard thee in a TIME accepted, and in THE DAY OF SALVATION have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted TIME; behold, now is THE DAY OF SALVATION.)" 2 Corinthians 6:2
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be BORN AGAIN, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3
"Being BORN AGAIN, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." 1 Peter 1:23 You become a CHILD OF GOD
Once you are born again SPIRITUALLY -- you become a child of God.
"Beloved, NOW are we the SONS OF GOD, . . ." 1 John 3:2
"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of ADOPTION, whereby we cry, Abba, FATHER." Romans 8:15 Nothing can SEPARATE us from our Father
Just as nothing can "negate" your physical birth, nothing can "negate" your spiritual birth.
My children will always be my children. We may have troubled times. Our fellowship may be broken, but our relationship can never be broken. They will always be my children. Nothing or nobody can change that! And once you are born again spiritually -- God becomes your Father -- nothing or nobody can change that! Your fellowship may be broken, but your relationship can never be broken!
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, SHALL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38
"My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." John 10:29 Jesus will NEVER leave us
Jesus promised He will never leave us. Jesus could not say this if there was even a chance of losing our salvation.
". . .for he hath said, I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE, nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5
". . . and, lo, I am with you ALWAY, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Matthew 28:20 We already HAVE eternal life
When the Bible speaks of possessing eternal life, it speaks in the present tense (hath, have, etc.) -- SOMETHING WE ALREADY HAVE! If we had to work or endure to keep our salvation, this could not be true.
"He that believeth on the Son HATH EVERLASTING LIFE:.. ." John 3:36
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that YE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE,. . ." 1 John 5:13
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, HATH EVERLASTING LIFE,. . ." John 5:24 Jesus will NOT cast you out
". . . him that cometh to me I WILL IN NO WISE CAST OUT." John 6:37 We are COMPLETE in Jesus Christ
"And ye are COMPLETE IN HIM, which is the head of all principality and power:" Colossians 2:10 We are PERFECTED FOR EVER
We are "perfected for ever" by Jesus Christ. How could the Lord say such a bold statement if we had to earn or keep our salvation?
"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL. . . For by one offering he hath PERFECTED FOR EVER them that are sanctified." Hebrews 10:10,14 We are PRESERVED in Christ Jesus
"Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and PRESERVED IN JESUS CHRIST, and called:" Jude 1
"And THE LORD. . . WILL PRESERVE ME unto his heavenly kingdom:. . ." 2 Timothy 4:18 We are KEPT by the POWER of God
"Who are KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Peter 1:5
"Now unto him that is able TO KEEP YOU from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy," Jude 24 We are saved to the UTTERMOST
"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the UTTERMOST that come unto God by him,. . ." Hebrews 7:25 We are SEALED until the day of redemption
"And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby YE ARE SEALED unto the day of redemption." Ephesians 4:30
". . .after that ye believed, YE WERE SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise," Ephesians 1:13 What about the BACKSLIDER?
What about the "backslider" or somebody that forsakes the Lord? The Bible says he will suffer loss (rewards, etc.) -- but he himself shall be saved!
"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: BUT HE HIMSELF SHALL BE SAVED; yet so as by fire." 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 We become the BODY OF CHRIST
"For we are MEMBERS OF HIS BODY, of his flesh, and of his bones." Ephesians 5:30
"Now ye are the BODY OF CHRIST, and members in particular." 1 Corinthians 12:18 What if we later -- BELIEVE NOT?
Our salvation is so secure -- even if we BELIEVE NOT after we're saved, because we become part of Him (the body of Christ), ". . .yet he abideth faithful: HE CANNOT DENY HIMSELF."
"If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: HE CANNOT DENY HIMSELF." 2 Timothy 2:13 But what if I sin an awful sin?
1 Corinthians 5 reports of an awful sin in the church. And even though Paul commands ". . . To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh" -- Paul still speaks of that person being saved -- ". . .that the spirit MAY BE SAVED. . ."
"It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. . .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 5:1,5 To lose your salvation -- makes God a LIAR
With all the PROMISES from God to KEEP you, to SAVE you, to PRESERVE you -- to even suggest you could lose your salvation -- is to call God a LIAR!
". . .he that BELIEVETH NOT GOD hath made him a LIAR; . . ." 1 John 5:10 Why do people doubt their salvation?
They trust in feelings rather than the word of God.
"He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool:. . ." Proverbs 28:26 They are confused by the simplicity of salvation.
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from THE SIMPLICITY that is in Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:3 They trust in tradition or church teachings rather than the word of God.
"Making the word of God of none effect through your TRADITION,. . ." Mark 7:13 They trust in their own righteousness.
". . . and all OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSES are as filthy rags;. . ." Isaiah 64:6 They misapply and misunderstand scriptures.
They misapply scriptures such as Matthew 24:13, Hebrews 10:26 to the church age of grace, when they doctrinally apply to the tribulation or the millenium. They have NEVER been saved.
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;. . ." Matthew 7:21
Is there a time and place in your life, when you trusted in the blood of Jesus Christ? Not joined a church, not kept the sacraments, not baptism, not good works -- but simply, by faith, prayed and asked Jesus Christ to save you?
To die without Jesus Christ will be the worst thing you could ever do.
"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE." Revelation 20:15 YOU CAN BE SAVED THIS VERY MINUTE!
Know you're a sinner.
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:" Romans 3:10 "... for there is no difference. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 3:23
That Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins.
"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, ..." 1 Peter 2:24 "... Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood," Revelation 1:5
And the best way you know how, simply trust Him, and Him alone as your personal Savior.
"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 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE SAVED?
Pray this prayer, and mean it with all your heart. Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and unless you save me I am lost forever. I thank you for dying for me at Calvary. I come to you now, Lord the best way I know how, and ask you to save me. I now receive you as my Savior. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen.
He Jesus dosnt throw you out.
Yep Docdave you can go hey Jesus was Jewish believe it or not Iam your brother through Jesus God bless
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
posted
Hmmmmm. This is all interesting. I stop in here occasionally. Chronic Lyme sufferer. I'm not affliated with any religion--can't seem to accept any scriptures personally, but I do believe in the divinity of the human spirit. How could one not? I also accept Jesus Christ as the incarnation of the Divine in human form; he was pure in spirit and fully awakened, but I feel there have been others. Some historically significant, some known only to a handful of followers. How could this not be? If Jesus Christ is your personal savior--that's all good. I'm all for it, but it's quite true one must feel it in one's very being. It can't be forced from within or without, and any kind of feeling of exclusiveness or superiority is, of course, a sin. I've learned to equate selfishness with sin. So who among us is without sin? I've got to find my way that feels natural to the very core of my being. I'm heavy on the intellect, so that is my starting point.
treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 4117
posted
Christ and Him Crucified The Preaching of the Cross
With Peter's ship, The Teaching about the Cross, beginning to take on water, it became necessary for us to abandon ship. As we walk across the causeway of the Book of Acts, we are now going to be sailing with the Apostle Paul.
Paul will bring us to our final destination. We are about to sail across the deep waters of the finished work of Christ, which is uncharted territory prior to the Pauline revelation. As we plumb the depths of these waters, we are going to find that the Apostle Paul was the first to show us the significance of the death of Christ.
He proclaimed the Cross as good news! There is always one of two responses to this message; either it's received with thanksgiving or it's rejected as mere foolishness!
THE PREACHING OF THE CROSS
"For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God" (I Cor. 1:18).
The term "preaching" is not one of the typical words the apostle uses when referring to the proclamation of the Cross.
For example, in II Timothy 4:2, Paul instructs us to "Preach the Word." Here the apostle uses the Greek, kerusso, which signifies a herald. It refers to the one who announces clearly and loudly the entrance of the King. In like manner, we are to give a clear presentation of the gospel of salvation.
Interestingly in I Corinthians 1:18, Paul employs the term Logos--the Word. So then, it is the Word of the Cross, which is the power of God unto salvation. It is the apostle's objective to contrast the Word of the Cross with the word of man.
The Cross to the natural man is mere foolishness--why, it's absurd to think that God would take on a human form, be crucified, and rise again in order to redeem mankind! To the natural man this is beyond the realm of reason.
Therefore, Paul challenges the world to step forward and match its wisdom and knowledge with the wisdom and knowledge of God.
"Where is the wise [intelligentsia]? Where is the scribe [doctor of the law]? Where is the disputer [debater] of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" (I Cor. 1:20).
Paul summons the world to answer these age-old questions, if they will. Where did man come from? How can he be made right with God? What is his purpose in life? What is his final destination? The natural man's attempt to answer these questions apart from God is like the man who's blind, searching in a dark room for a black cat that doesn't exist.
The world's philosophy to the above is as follows:
1. Origins: In the dateless past, out of nothing came something, out of which life eventually emerged from the bogs of primeval seas.
Over a 5-billion year period, this one cell entity called an amoeba evolved into a complex multi-billion celled being called modern man.
2. Justification: If my good deeds outweigh my bad deeds on the scales of life, God will accept me into heaven when I die.
3. Purpose: On one side of the coin, the epicurean philosophy is, "Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die." After all, you owe it to yourself to indulge in everything the world has to offer. On the other side of the coin, the stoic says you must devote yourself to fleshly inhibitions to find fulfillment in life.
4. Eternal Destiny: Most unregenerate men deny that there is life beyond the grave. In the words of Carl Sagan, the famous astronomer, "Death is the end!"
According to the Word of God, in the beginning God created man in His image (Gen. 1:26 cf. 2:7). John Milton said: "The greatness and sacredness of man's soul is attested by two facts: First, the creation of his soul in the image of the eternal God; and second, the price that had to be paid for the redemption of his soul."
Today, man is justified by the grace of God through faith in the finished work of Christ, apart from works (Rom. 3:24 cf. I Cor. 15:1-4). Upon conversion, man's chief end in life is to glorify God, with whom he will spend eternity in the heavenlies (Rev. 4:11 cf. Col. 1:5).
The world by human wisdom will never know God! Thus, "it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (I Cor. 1:21).
The phrase "foolishness of preaching" is the rationale of the skeptic--it's nothing but foolishness to them. But the preaching of the Cross is to those who are saved a demonstration of the power of God. It convicted us of our sins and brought us to salvation. The power of God transformed our lives!
UNLIMITED REDEMPTION
"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (I Tim. 2:3-6).
The preaching of the Cross clearly teaches us that Christ died for all. The term "will" in this passage has the sense that God "desires" all men to be saved. If He willed it, then every man would be saved.
Here again we have the sovereignty of God and human responsibility intersecting one another. God, in His sovereignty, convicts man through His Word, yet He never violates man's will. Man is responsible to believe the good news that Christ died for his sins.
Paul adds, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." A mediator is one who stands between two parties, he technically represents both sides. What better representative could the Godhead and man have than the person of Christ?
He is perfectly suited for the task at hand, simply because He is God manifested in the flesh. Christ is the perfect Redeemer!
When Christ came into the world He gave Himself a ransom for all. In biblical times, the "ransom" was the price paid to purchase a slave out of slavery.
In similar fashion, Christ stepped into the slave market of sin to redeem us back to God. While our salvation is free, it did not come without a cost.
The ransom the Father required was blood, the precious blood of His dear Son. According to Paul's gospel, the scope of redemption is unlimited. Christ gave Himself a ransom "for" Gr. huper "on behalf of" all. A provision has been made for all, which is confirmed in II Corinthians 5:14: "If one died for all, then were all dead."
May I inquire, is there anyone reading these lines who does not believe that all men are dead in trespasses and sins when they enter this world? (Eph. 2:1-3).
If you agree, then you must also agree that Christ died for all because this is the argument of this passage.
According to I Timothy 2:6,7 these things were "to be testified in due time" through Paul's apostleship. As he says, "Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle." You see it was given to Paul to explain the significance of Calvary.
He was the first to reveal that Christ is the mediator between God and man, the first to teach that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, the first to show that we have redemption through Christ's shed blood, even the forgiveness of sins, the first to make known that Christ died for all, the first to reveal that Christ was the propitiation for the remission of sins that are past (prophetic saints), through the forbearance of God.
A failure to acknowledge this truth is to anticipate revelation, which does a great injustice to the Word of God.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins" (Col. 1:13,14).
As the Apostle Paul brings us within view of heaven's glory, we are going to learn that our passage has been bought and paid for by the shed blood of Christ. The Word of God is unmistakably clear that "without shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22).
Dear ones, we must never underestimate its value in our redemption. There are those who would rob us of this wonderful truth. The liberals deny it, the new evangelicals avoid it, but we who seek to defend the faith thank God for the precious blood of Christ.
We plead guilty to preaching a gospel of blood! The Bible is a book of blood; it's woven throughout the pages of the sacred record. On June 6, 1944, commonly known as D-Day, the tide of World War II turned in favor of the Allies.
General Eisenhower had assembled one of the largest invasion fleets in history. While political and military strategies played a role in the victory at Normandy Beach, our young men who courageously fought and bled and died for the cause were essentially the ones who conquered the enemy.
We owe these men a great debt of gratitude for their heroism. The Second World War was won because many of our troops paid the ultimate price.
Likewise, in God's war against sin, He has conquered the enemy by the shed blood of Christ. When we consider Christ's coming into the world to redeem mankind, we are immediately faced with what appears to be an insurmountable problem.
How can God's only begotten Son enter the human race without sin?
After all, human parents who are sinners can only reproduce sinful offspring. The answer is found in Hebrews 2:14:
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil."
Here is a classic example as to why it is so important to consult the original languages at times, to arrive at the proper sense that the Spirit of God initially intended.
Thankfully, we don't need to be Hebrew or Greek scholars, simply because the work has already been done for us by those who are gifted in these languages. God has not left us without assistance!
When it states that the "children are partakers of flesh and blood," the term "partakers" is the Greek word koinoneo, which denotes "to share in common or to share fully."
Thus, the human race shares something in common--flesh and blood--through which has passed the sin nature. But the Spirit of God is careful to draw a distinction between the human race and Christ's identification with humanity.
"He also Himself likewise took part of the same." Notice Christ is said to have "took part" of the same. The Greek word here is metecho, denoting "to share or participate in, but not fully."
Through the miraculous conception and virgin birth, Christ laid hold of human flesh without inheriting the sin nature.
Since "the life of the flesh is in the blood," we can safely assume that His blood was not tainted with sin. This certainly cannot be said of us.
The life of the flesh is in our blood only in the sense that the blood coursing through our veins keeps us alive to sin another day. Little wonder Peter calls it "the precious blood of Christ" (I Pet. 1:19). It is the antidote for the disease of our sins.
While this is denied by some, we believe Christ literally shed His blood at the Cross. When the priest in Israel poured out the blood at the foot of the brazen altar, it symbolized the foot of the Cross, where the blood of the Lamb would one day drip (Lev. 4:32-34).
Blood is an interesting paradox: murderers attempt to get rid of it, God cleanses our sins with it. This crimson thread is woven throughout Paul's epistles leaving us with a tapestry of redemption.
"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him" (Rom. 5:8,9).
Today God is justifying ungodly sinners on the basis of the shed blood of Christ. In this context, justification means to be declared eternally righteous by God. Justification is a legal term.
For example, if a prisoner is brought before the bar of justice there is only one way he can be justified.
He must be found NOT GUILTY. If it is proven he is not guilty then he is a just man. But let us consider another case. A man commits a federal crime and is found guilty and sentenced to death. The President of the United States can pardon him, but he can never justify him. Even though the man is pardoned, he is still a criminal guilty of the crime. There is no way to justify him or remove his guilt.
But wonder of wonders, we are found guilty before the bar of God's justice, yet we are justified by God's grace. The law points its bony finger into our face and says, "You are a sinner, guilty as charged, and therefore condemned to die" (Rom. 3:19,20).
As the sentence is about to be read, Christ says to the Father, "I will bear their guilt and punishment." Christ gave Himself a ransom for all. He took our place! God did not overlook the penalty of our sins--the death of Christ paid for it. Our sins and guilt were placed upon Him, and His righteousness was imputed to us.
In Christ, we are guiltless before God, accepted in the Beloved One, and delivered from the wrath to come. This is the wrath of God we would have experienced at the Great White Throne Judgment and subsequent sentence to the Lake of Fire. By God's grace, we are beyond the reach of God's righteous judgment.
As the apostle declares, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1).
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
quote:Originally posted by lymedad: I'm a born-again Christian, that's a personal choice, I'm nothing special, just forgiven.
Let's look at it from a purely logical prespective for ... ...'non-believers'... ...(oh yeah?..) like HappyCarelessDave.
Dave,
If I'm right and there is a savior and He is the son of God and He does have a place for us in heaven after we die. I'm in a ....'logical'... position.
If, on the other hand, you're right and there is no God and there's only eternal sleep in the grave, I'm still in a ..'logical'... position.
However, if I'm right and you don't believe and you die - not a ...'logical'... ... position!
Just a point to ponder.
LymeDad
That's an old one-- the appeal to the fear of the unknown. Fear indeed trumps logic, all too often.
But that's only if we let fear gain the upper hand. Ultimately, the universe is logical. That, in fact, is the starting point for any kind of faith-- even the most vehemently evangelistic brands. Sometimes we may momentarily feel like life is not logical, or not fair. But always, if we expand our view widely enough, the logic is there. When one sees examples of this enough times, one gains a kind of faith that is very deep. A faith that lets one put a finger on what life is all about.
From a modern buddhist perspective, we are each the culmination of all the myriad actions we have taken and things we have figured out-- the end of a huge tree of causes and effects. That culmination is our "karma"; however, we are not bound by it; in the current moment we can take action to initiate a change in this great tree. It all starts, and ends, here and now.
What ultimately matters is the (real) joy we bring each other day after day; year after year.
It totally behooves us not to grab hastily onto the closest life-philosophy we can see; we should actively go out, seek, compare, and "road-test" various life philosophies, using our sense of logic.
There are ... ...'sinners'... ..., and there are SINNERS!, as they say.... To avoid falling into one or the other of these categories is quite impossible; otherwise we would not be here!
posted
And as for: "If, on the other hand, you're right and there is no God and there's only eternal sleep in the grave, I'm still in a logical position.", well, those aren't the only possibilities (---That there is no Omniscient Creator pulling the strings of our puppet-like existence, does NOT necessarily imply that our individual life, with or without our sense of self, entirely disappears at the time of our death; in fact, to assume so is definitely a little logically unsatisfying,.)
What seems much more logical is what the Buddha asserts; that the essence of our lives is continuous through past, present, and future, and that past, present and future are linked by the law of cause-and-effect , on a deeper level than just the physical realm.
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treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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Paul wrote to young Pastor Timothy:
"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ.... Preach the Word....For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears" (II Tim. 4:1-3).
And what was to be the result of this "itching ears" condition, this passion to hear teachers of all schools of thought expound their various doctrines? Hear the divine prediction:
"And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (Ver. 4).
What thoughtful student of the Word will deny that we have reached this point in the history of the professing Church, that the day of "itching ears" is upon us?
The desire to "give everyone a hearing," as it were, may seem superficially to indicate spiritual greatness, but actually it is of the flesh and is based upon the exalted presumption that it is safe for me to trust my intellect, even though the greatest intellects have disagreed over the most vital subjects.
Where our intellects are concerned we are wiser to heed the Spirit-inspired exhortation of one truly great intellect, the Apostle Paul:
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Cor. 10:5).
The Apostle Paul did not assume that his followers were mature enough to consider all religious viewpoints. He delivered his God-given message and warned his hearers and readers against false teachings.
To the Corinthians he wrote:
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (II Cor. 11:3).
Reminding the Colossians of his labor and strife and toil and conflict to establish them in the faith, he warns:
"Beware lest any man spoil [rob] you....Let no man beguile you..." (Col. 2:8,18).
He did not suggest to the Ephesian elders that it might be big of them occasionally to invite the legalists or the gnostics or some other heterodox teachers in to address their audiences. He rather impressed upon them their responsibility to protect their congregations from false teaching. Read carefully and prayerfully his very words, as found in Acts 20:28-31:
"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which he hath purchased with His own blood.
"For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
"Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
"Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears."
Even those two outstanding pastors, Timothy and Titus, were warned against the "leaven" of false teaching. The apostle exhorts Timothy:
"Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee" (I Tim. 4:16).
This passage explains why some pastors have been unable to save their hearers from error and spiritual shipwreck. Certainly it teaches the danger of false doctrine to both pastor and people.
Throughout his two epistles to Timothy the apostle warns his son in the faith against those who "teach otherwise" and exhorts him to "fight the good fight of the faith." How earnestly he beseeches young Timothy to stay close to the Word of God and especially to the Word of God committed to him for this present dispensation:
"O Timothy, keep [guard] that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding...oppositions of science falsely so called" (I Tim. 6:20).
"Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
"That good thing which was committed unto thee keep [guard] by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us" (II Tim. 1:13,14).
In his letter to Titus the apostle declares that a bishop must be "blameless as the steward of God" (Titus 1:7).
"Holding fast the faithful Word... that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince the gainsayers" (Ver. 9).
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
When I wrote, ``Why go up?'' I was wondering why not fully accept life now? Why wait? The Rapture is happening right now. Christ is in the world now. Our universe is being born and ending now. In deluding ourselves with a sense of waiting for some future event, we only increase our suffering. Of course, what we think of as our planet, our universe, will disintegrate. All matter is temporary. But why long for some experience of wrapping it all up in a neat package of beginning and end?
You speak of the salvation of the living and the dead, so surely you know that in the mind of God there is no difference. There truly is no beginning and no end, no up or down. All is the Lord. Beyond the constraints of space and time all souls merge with the Divine One. The Supreme Self knows no discrimination. It is our human minds that discriminate by either experiencing the eternal presence of God or by clinging to the relative ignorance of experiencing the world through our senses and emotions only. I know this to be true in my mind or intellect, but unlike Magic Acorns' squirrel whose heart radiates light unto the world, I don't experience this in the core of my very being. That squirrel knows the Truth! But I must confess that I still dwell in ignorance.
You read the Gospels. I read them also; they are the words of men put through the wringer of many translations. Expression is limited by the bonds of language because all words are metaphorical. That said, St. Paul is inspirational to me, because of his personal experience of the spirit of Christ. That was his starting point. From there he went forward with his intellect to develop the early Church. Not all of us can experience a personal epiphany, so we must find our own way. Pure logic in a spiritual seeker can turn into dry intellectualism, but blind acceptance of scriptures can turn to dogmatism.
You are blessed , because you must know that Christ lives in you and through you, for you say you have fully accepted Him. What else could you possibly desire?
We are all striving for the same goal. Love thy neighbor as thyself, because you and your neighbor are not different but one.
Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature: external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy--by one, or more, or all of these--and be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples or forms are but secondary details. --Swami Vivekananda
As Many Faiths. So Many Paths
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treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 4117
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Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this 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. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? -1 Corinthians 15:51-55
The Harp�z�
The mysterious event known as the Rapture is most clearly presented in Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, in which he encourages the grieving Christians that, at the "great snatch," they will be reunited with those who have died in Christ before them.
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. -1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
In verse 17, the English phrase "caught up" translates the Greek word harp�z�, which means "to seize upon with force" or "to snatch up."
There are those who claim that the word "rapture" isn't in their Bible. That's because they aren't using the Latin translation:
...deinde nos qui vivimus qui relinquimur simul rapiemur cum illis in nubibus obviam Domino in aera et sic semper cum Domino erimus.. -1 Thessalonians 4:17 (Latin Vulgate) 1
The Latin equivalent of the Greek harp�z� is the Latin verb rapio, "to take away by force." In the Latin Vulgate, one of the oldest Bibles in existence, the appropriate tense of rapio appears in verse 17. (Raptus is the past participle of rapio, and our English words "rapt" and "rapture" stem from this past participle.)
At the Rapture, living believers will be "caught up" in the air, translated into the clouds, in a moment in time, to join the Lord in the air.
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;
Notice above in 2Timothy judge the quick and the dead @ his appearing Then it says also and his kingdom?
And here 1 Thessalonians 10.And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from thewrathto come.
The word wrath is very important here. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 9.For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ
JUDGMENT TO COME "And as he [Paul] reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled..." (Acts 24:25).
Judgment to come is declared in Scripture to be one of the "first principles" of its doctrine (Heb. 6:1,2). In our day, however, this fact is held in general disregard and often made light of. Worldly performers sing and joke about "the Judgment Day." Many humorous motion pictures and plays have been written about it. Few men tremble as Felix did, at the thought of judgment to come, probably because few men preach it as Paul did.
Too many Christians even, failing to understand Paul's great message of grace, think of God only as a Being of infinite love, who gave His Son to die for man, forgetting that it was His infinite justice that demanded so terrible a price for sin, and that the lake of fire is but the expression of God's hatred of sin, and His righteous indignation at man's rejection of His love and grace. Christians are also prone to put the mildest possible construction upon those passages which deal with the coming judgment of the believer's conduct and service, as though this were nothing more than a joyous handing out of rewards at the close of life's race.
But this is all wishful thinking. The Governor Felix was at least more realistic in his thinking--as Paul was in his preaching. Acts 24:24 tells how Felix called Paul before him and "heard him concerning the faith in Christ." Had Paul been one of our modern neo-evangelicals he would have told Felix how wonderful Jesus is, how willing to solve our problems, how ready to forgive our sins, if only we are willing to "make our commitment" to Him! But Paul told the governor nothing of the kind. Rather, as we have seen above, "he reasoned of righteousness, temperance [self-control], and judgment to come," and "Felix trembled." Felix's sudden adjournment of the hearing does not alter the fact that Paul's approach was the right, the Scriptural approach in this instance.
This writer had a similar experience some years ago in the city of Milwaukee. As I sat in a barber's chair, the barber used such foul language and used the Lord's name so profanely, that I finally stopped him in the midst of his work and asked: "Aren't you afraid to be talking like this? Don't you know that God's Word says: `The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain'?" At this he cursed and said: "I'm my own God."
I replied: "Some God! If you don't die suddenly or soon through some accident or disease, one thing is certain: You will get old, and shrivel up, and die. Then they will dig a hole in the ground and bury your body in it. God's Word says that `it is appointed unto men once to die,' and you know that this much of the Bible is true. But do you know what the rest of that verse says?" "What?" he snapped. "Well, it's found in Hebrews 9:27, and this is how it reads: `It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.' You may hope that this is not true, but you can't be sure, can you? All you can do, if you let yourself think about it, is wonder and worry. And you should worry, for the Bible is full of this. It says again and again that `every one of us shall give account of himself to God.'"
Strangely and suddenly this man's bravado was all gone. His chin began to quiver. His voice faltered. And then, of course, I had the great pleasure of breathing into his ears the wonderful gospel of the wonderful grace of God.
GOD'S WRATH REVEALED Before men can truly appreciate the grace of God they must recognize the wrath of God.
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold [Lit., restrain, or suppress] the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom. 1:18).
Just a casual look at the facts will confirm to us this declaration from God's Word. His wrath against ungodliness (spiritual wrong) and unrighteousness (moral wrong) is revealed in many ways. Not only does God's Word say that His anger is kindled against sin, but He visits it, even here and now, with trouble and misery, sorrow and death. Moreover the conscience, when awakened, can so trouble the sinner as to make him completely miserable though no one but he and God know about his sins. So unbearably wretched have some men become about their hidden sins that they have been driven to confess them even though faced with long imprisonment or death.
But God's wrath against sin is most clearly and solemnly revealed at Calvary's Cross and in the "lake of fire."
At Calvary a just and holy God unsheathed His sword and smote even His own beloved Son, as He took our sins upon Himself. The Cross was at the same time, however, the crowning demonstration of God's mercy and love to sinners, and those who reject or ignore this love will suffer the sorrows of "the second death," the "lake of fire."
Regarding the essential nature of the lake of fire, Dr. Joseph A. Seiss has said: "What that `lake of fire' is, I cannot tell, I do not know, and I pray I may never find out." One thing, however, is clear. It is an expression of divine anger over love spurned. Here those who have rejected God's gracious payment for sin will have to pay the price themselves--and take an eternity to do it.
GOD'S WRATH INFINITE We are aware of the fact that many people, even many religious leaders, reject the Bible doctrine of everlasting punishment, but their arguments are not valid.
First they fail to recognize the infinite character of sin. If I smite a stranger unprovoked I have committed a grave sin. If I smite a friend, my sin is much more grievous. If I smite my brother, still more so; if my mother, it is multiplied again; if the ruler of my nation, it is multiplied still further and I stand guilty of unspeakable wrongdoing. Yet the stranger, my friend, my brother, my mother, and the ruler of my country are all themselves poor, finite, sinful, dying creatures. It immediately becomes evident, then, that sin against a holy and infinite God takes on infinite proportions, and warrants an infinite penalty.
But second, those who deny eternal punishment fail to recognize the infinite character of God. Strangely, unbelievers are glad to acknowledge that God is infinite in everything except in His wrath against sin. They know He must be infinite in wisdom and power. All one needs is a microscope and a telescope to see that. Generally they also readily agree that He is infinite in love and mercy. But if this is so, must we not conclude that He is infinite and that therefore He must be infinite in every respect and in all His attributes: in wisdom and power, in love and mercy and grace--and in His wrath against sin?
If God's grace is beyond our finite comprehension, does it not logically follow that this must be equally so with respect to His wrath? Is it not altogether fitting that as we stand amazed at God's grace, so we should stand aghast at His wrath? Should we revel in His infinite mercy and love, but tone down His wrath to fit our finite notions? Should we rejoice that "God is love," but ignore the fact that "our God is a consuming fire"? (See I John 4:16; Heb. 12:29).
Does some reader object that in writing thus we are departing from our God-given calling to preach grace? We reply that it is impossible to truly proclaim the grace of God apart from the wrath of God. It is Paul, the apostle of grace who, commenting on a list of sins, warns:
"Let no man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience" (Eph. 5:6).
This he repeats in Colossians 3:6 and elsewhere, while in Romans 2:5 he declares that those who are hard and impenitent as to sin "treasure up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath."
GOD'S WRATH UNDILUTED But God's wrath against sin is not only revealed every day, and at the Cross and in the lake of fire; it will also be revealed historically in His dealings with men here on earth. This coming time of God's wrath will mark the end of the day of man, described in Daniel 2:31-43, and the beginning of "the day of the Lord," so often referred to in prophecy, and will follow soon after the close of the present "dispensation of the grace of God."
First God will allow man, with his "clever solutions," to bring his own troubles to a head, as it were. Man will have his Antichrist (see John 5:43; II Thes. 2:3-12) and seemingly all will go well, until it becomes evident what he has done to them. Then God will begin to intervene directly. Both the prophet Daniel and our Lord described this period of time as one of unprecedented trouble.
"And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time" (Dan. 12:1).
"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matt. 24:21).
These are only two of many Scripture passages on this subject which indicate that the coming "great tribulation" will mark the total collapse of civilization. As we consider the present world-wide spirit of lawlessness and rebellion, and the unbelievably fast pace at which great nations are falling before the forces of evil--as we consider all this, does it not appear that the world is even now racing recklessly toward this very time when God, in His wrath, will finally intervene?
It is the Book of the Revelation, principally, that describes, often by signs and symbols, this dreadful day of God's wrath. If anything is clear, as we study this book, it is the fact that God does not take sin lightly, especially presumptuous sin. He does not give sin a slap on the wrist, so to speak. Rather, those who have lived on in sin, resisting God's love and grace, will then have to suffer His undiluted wrath here on earth, long before they are called to appear at the "Great White Throne."
"Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved," says II Thessalonians 2:10, they will be given over to Antichrist, who will deceive them with "power and signs and lying wonders," and they will "believe a lie,"
"That they all might be damned [Lit., judged] who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (II Thes. 2:12).
Let us see what we find as to this when we turn to the Book of the Revelation.
In Revelation 6:15-17, which describes the conditions existing more than one thousand years before the judgment of the "Great White Throne" (See Rev. 20:6-12), we read these terrible words:
"And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, 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 said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
"For the great day of His wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?"
This phrase, "the wrath of the Lamb," is most significant. Our Lord died as a lamb for our sins, but He arose again and, "rejected of men," ascended to the Father's right hand, where the Father welcomed Him with these words:
"Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool" (Psa. 110:1 cf. Acts 2:32-38).
For nearly 2,000 years now the Son has remained a voluntary Exile, sending His ambassadors forth in grace to offer reconciliation to His enemies.1 But this will not go on forever. One day, who knows how soon, our Lord will recall His ambassadors and the day of grace will be brought to a close. Then, not many years after, He will be "revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (II Thes. 1:7,8).
It is solemnly significant in Revelation 6:15-17 that even as men see this event approaching they will cry to the rocks and mountains to "fall on them" and hide them from "the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb."
Fearful as all this is to contemplate, it is but a foretaste of the sufferings that the worshippers of Antichrist will have to endure. In Revelation 14:10 we read of every such worshipper:
"The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation."
In that day it will be clear to all that it is not enough merely to be religious, or to "have faith in something or someone," as we are so often told. Indeed, in Revelation Chapters 16-18 we find God dealing with Babylon, the headquarters of the great ecumenical Church that will emerge after the true Church has been taken to glory. This Church will be composed largely of professed, but apostate "Christians," who never knew Christ and will then be red-ripe for the worship of Antichrist. Our Lord calls this Church, not "the Bride," but "the harlot" and "the mother of harlots," and in Revelation 16:19 we read:
"And great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath."
It makes one shudder to read the full account of the fall of Babylon, and to see how God will force the leaders and constituents of this false Church of the future to drink the cup of His wrath.
Let us not suppose, then, that it is enough to belong to some church. The true Church, which will be caught away before this awful time of wrath, is made up solely of those who have been reconciled to God through faith in Christ as their personal Savior from sin.
Finally, in Revelation 19:11-15, we have the actual return of Christ to earth. The symbolism is most expressive.
This time He does not come "meek and lowly," and "sitting on an *** 's colt." Rather He appears on "a white horse," to "judge and make war"2 (Ver. 11), and the armies of heaven follow Him (Ver. 14). This time He does not go submissively to Calvary. Rather He returns from Calvary with "a vesture dipped [drenched] in blood" (Ver. 13). This time He does not go about in compassion, preaching good news and healing the sick and afflicted. Rather His eyes are "as a flame of fire," and on His head are "many crowns" (Ver. 12).
"And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations; and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God" (Ver. 15).
Thus, as the Mosaic dispensation demonstrated historically the total depravity of man and his utter inability to obey God's law, and as the Pauline dispensation demonstrated historically the infinite grace of God to sinners, so the day of God's wrath, coming before the kingdom reign of Christ, will demonstrate historically that God does not tolerate sin. His wrath against sin is not diluted by leniency, tolerance or indulgence. Men are either "justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24) or they must suffer the just consequences of their sins.
WHAT THE GOSPEL IS The foregoing should help us to understand more fully what the gospel of the grace of God is. It is not a promise that God will be lenient with our sins, or that He will forgive if we are deeply sorry for our sins, or if we repent, or pray, or pay, or say, or do anything whatsoever to make amends for our wrongdoing. It is rather the good news that the infinite penalty for our sins has been paid by Christ at Calvary. In Romans 1:16 the Apostle Paul declares:
"I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth...."
We believers have experienced the blessed truth of this statement, but why is the gospel "the power of God unto salvation"? Wherein lies its mighty power to save? The answer to this question is found in the next verse:
"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed..." (Ver. 17).
You say: "I thought that the love of God was revealed in the gospel," and you are right. For this the apostle expresses his gratitude again and again. But what made him so amazed about the gospel is the fact that it tells how Christ died to pay the just penalty for our sins, and therein is the righteousness of God revealed. He could now, "at this time," declare "His righteousness," as well as His love, in dealing with sin, "that He might be just, and the Justifier of him that believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:26). And to these words he appropriately adds: "Where is boasting then? It is excluded" (Ver. 27).
This is why the apostle was so careful "lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect" by "wisdom of words" or by the addition of a religious work once required for salvation (See I Cor. 1:17).
"For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God" (Ver. 18).
It is because the Cross demonstrates the righteousness of God in dealing with sin, that the apostle declares:
"God forbid that I should glory [boast], save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal. 6:14).
Paul had nothing to boast of3--except what our blessed Lord had accomplished at the Cross in dealing justly and completely with the sin question. This is why he calls his message "the preaching of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18,23).
As we follow Paul in this, thank God, we too can tell the vilest sinner with profound pride: "The sin question has been justly and fully dealt with by the death of Christ at Calvary. All that remains for you to do is to acknowledge Him as your Lord and Savior, accepting eternal life as `the free gift of God.'"
GOD'S GRACE INFINITE We have already seen that God is infinite in all His attributes, simply because He is infinite. Thus His grace too is infinite in character, scope and extent. This is why Paul's epistles have so much to say about God's lavish dealings with believers, whether from among the chosen race or from among the Gentiles whom He had previously "given up" (Rom. 1:24,26,28).
"For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:12,13).
Thus we read in Ephesians 1:7 that even now, in this present life, we may rejoice that,
"We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace."
And in Ephesians 2:7 the apostle looks forward into the distant future and declares that it is God's purpose:
"That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
It must always be remembered that this present "dispensation of the grace of God" is not mentioned in the prophetic Scriptures. In Ephesians 3 the apostle distinctly states that it was a "mystery" (Vers. 2,3), which "in other ages was not made known" (Ver. 5) and that it was first revealed to him, the chief of sinners saved by grace.
This is why he exults in Verse 8 of the same chapter:
"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ."
This too, is why he refers in Colossians 1:26,27 to "the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints" and declares that,
"God would make known [to His saints, Ver. 26] what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you [Gentiles] the hope of glory."
How unspeakably sad that so few of God's people have any real conception of this "mystery" and its "riches of glory," when God emphatically declares that He would have us understand it!
GOD'S GRACE UNDILUTED But as God's grace in dealing with sin is infinite in scope and extent, it is also undiluted and must, in the nature of the case, remain so. It cannot be mixed or watered down with religion or works. Acknowledging our utter depravity and unworthiness, we must accept salvation as the gift of God's grace alone, and not try to pay Him for it. The apostle is very emphatic about this in Romans 4:5, where he does not merely say that justification is not to him that worketh, but that it is "to him that worketh not."
"To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
This means that to be saved we must stop trying. We must come to the end of ourselves and trust in Him alone to take care of the whole matter for us. This is brought out again and again in the epistles of Paul.
As God still lingers in mercy, we pray that He will convict His saints of the importance of proclaiming the pure, powerful "gospel of the grace of God," as it is found in His Word, rightly divided. Also, we urge those who have not yet accepted salvation by grace, through faith in Christ, to do so without delay. We close this article with a few passages from the Word itself, praying that the Spirit will apply them to each heart. Note as you read, that God's grace is never mixed with human merit or religion or works. It is always presented to us pure and undiluted.
"If by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work" (Rom. 11:6).
"I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead [has died] in vain" (Gal. 2:21).
"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and [His own] grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (II Tim. 1:9).
Finally, in Ephesians 2 the apostle, by the Spirit, sums it all up beautifully. Making it clear that we were the "full grown sons" [Gr., huios] of disobedience,4 and therefore "the children [Gr., teknon, born ones] of wrath, even as others" (Vers. 2,3) he goes on to say:
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us,
"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved),
"And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
"That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
"For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
"Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:4-9).
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
CaliforniaLyme
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I believe in the Sound of Music kind of godliness. Dancing around in meadows singing about whiskers on kittens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I also believe in the stern kinda godliness which means love everyone, the hardcore love everyone thing.
My favorite book in the whole world is-
Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed SUBTITLE: How Goodness Happened There) by Philip P. Hallie
"At seven o'clock in the evening of February 13, 1943, an official black automobile stopped not far from the protestant pres of Le Chambon..." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- List Price: $14.00 Price: $11.20 & eligible for FREE Super Saver
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
Moving, challenging, insightful, June 25, 2000 Reviewer: A reader
Hallie is a brilliant writer and researcher who tells an amazing story of courage and faith. In it he demonstrates how "decent" people who stay inactive out of cowardice and indifference--when around them human beings are humiliated and destroyed--are the most dangerous people in the world. I didn't need his closing thoughts on ethics, and I would like to have learned more about what the villagers themselves did to protect the refugees. But the parts the author did well were so astonishing, it still gets five stars. It left me asking myself, "What exploited people groups can I help and how?"
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5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
A Flawed Tale of a Flawed Man, June 4, 2006 Reviewer: Challies Dot Com (Oakville, Ontario) - See all my reviews
It is said that, during World War Two, the village of Le Chambon in southern France was the safest place in Europe. It was this small village where Andre Trocme, a Protestant pastor, charged his church and his entire village with the task of protecting refugees, and primarily the Jewish refugees who were fleeing Nazi oppression. The story of this man and, to a lesser extent this village, is told in Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed, written by Philip Hallie, a philosopher and ethicist whose study of the horrors of the Second World War had driven him to near despair.
Across all these studies, the pattern of the strong crushing the weak kept repeating itself and repeating itself, so that when I was not bitterly angry, I was bored at the repetition of the patterns of persecution. When I was not desiring to be cruel with the cruel, I was like a monster--like, perhaps, many others around me--who could look upon torture and death without a shudder, and who therefore looked upon life without a belief in its preciousness. My study of evil incarnate had become a prison whose bars were my bitterness towards the violent, and whose walls were my horrified indifference to slow murder. Between the bars and the walls I revolved like a madman. Reading about the damned I was damned myself, as damned as the murderers, and as damned as their victims. Somehow over the years I had dug myself into Hell, and I had forgotten redemption, had forgotten the possibility of escape.
But in his own search for redemption, Hallie found a story that finally broke through the walls of bitterness and anger. He found the story of Le Chambon and of Andre Trocme. When he found out about this town and this man, he knew he had to write about it, not as an example of goodness or moral nobility; not for an abstract end. Rather, he was going to use "the words of ethics to help me understand my deeply felt ethical praise for the deeds of the people of Le Chambon."
And so Hallie shares the story he discovered. And it is an amazing story, the subject of which is a small village of men and women, the vast majority of whom were of Huguenot stock. Andre Trocme, their pastor and leader, was clearly a strange and unorthodox man. He seems to have been driven primarily by his love for Jesus and his respect for the teachings of Jesus, especially as they related to peace. Trocme was a pacifist whose standards of morality were strict. While he might carry a forged identity card, he would refuse to give a false name for himself. He was morally opposed to the war and to all violent forms of resistance. Yet at the same time he was a man of violent temper who often quarrelled loudly and angrily with his wife. And yet he was a man who was more than willing to lay down his life for those who were in danger.
Like many biographies of Christians that are written by unbelievers, it is difficult to know just what to believe about the man. Naturally, an author who is not filled with the Holy Spirit cannot fully understand one who is. I know little of Trocme other than what Hallie tells about him, yet if Hallie is to be believed, Trocme rarely preached about anything other than pacifism. He loved Jesus, but rarely seemed to discuss many of the great truths of the Christian faith. Is this the truth or is this merely Hallie's understanding of the truth? Did Trocme understand the gospel or was he merely a "good man?" Were his actions an expression of the Spirit's work in his life? It is difficult to know and this book offers few definitive answers.
What we do know is that Trocme was, in many ways, a tortured individual. Sadly, the death of his eldest son, the one whom he expected to carry on his work, left Trocme deeply suspicious of God so that he lived the last thirty years of his life after the war with a terrible skepticism. "[N]ever again would he believe that God protects precious life. Never again could he pray to a Protector-God. From now on, God and Jesus were to him powerless, suffering, limited. God was still the Father, but He was as powerless as Trocme the father was. God could only join us in our grief, not save us from it. He never recovered from the loss of his son and, tragically, never did his wife who, it seems, never did turn to Christ as her Savior. At this time she "turned her back on all religion, and on her husband as pastor, so that their marriage for a while was very painful, and later her criticisms of religion went back to their old severity."
Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed is a book that is at the same time inspiring and tragic. The hero of the story is courageous, but deeply flawed. Motivated by his desire to emulate Christ, he accomplished much and saved hundreds or even thousands of lives, all the while holding up the strict standards of morality he felt Christ required of him. This book is a study of character and a study of morality and ethics within the context of great tribulation. While it is not a Christian book and is not written by a Christian author, it does show what God can do through flawed, imperfect people. Sadly, the author seems to have missed the power of God displayed in it. He concludes by saying, "For me, that awareness [of the preciousness of human life] is my awareness of God. I live with the same sentence in my mind that many of the victims of the concentration camps uttered as they walked to their deaths: Shema Israel, Adonoi Elohenu, Adonoi Echod (Hear, oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One). For me, the word Israel refers to all of us anarchic-hearted human beings, and the word God means the object of our undivided attention to the lucid mystery of being alive for others and for ourselves." Surely Hallie's hero Andre Trocme would disagree.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
More powerful than evil, August 15, 2005 Reviewer: Richard Menninger (Ottawa, KS USA) - See all my reviews
Philip Hallie, a Jewish philosopher, had slipped in to a state of depression as a result of his research of human cruelty, especially regarding the Holocaust. He felt as though he was a prisoner in that he wished harm on evil doers and had himself become untouched by suffering. He was doing research when he noticed something unusual, he was weeping. The reason? He had come across a short article about a village in France, which had resisted Hitler during the French Occupation (1940-1944). The village was the pacifistic Le Chambon.
The book at hand is the result of Hallie's research (conducted in mid 1970's) into the events surrounding this village. He visited Le Chambon and interviewed several people. The main character of the resistance was Andr� Trocm� (deceased in 1971), a Protestant pastor, who with help of many-including his wife, Magda-provided a safe haven for Jews (especially Jewish children). The book essentially covers the years 1934-1944, with many anecdotes and observations. The bottom line for Hallie is that `ethics' can only make a difference if action is taken. The people of Le Chambon simply helped the Jews because `it was the right thing to do.'
This book is an easy read yet one that will make the reader think. There is an implicit religious basis for the peoples' ethics but a strength of the book is that there are no saints. Especially prevalent is Andr� Trocm�'s humanity; he struggles immensely with death, especially of his mother and one of his sons. If you are looking for a morality based on deep and explicit theology you will not find it here. But everyone should take the following from this book: if your ethical stance is to lessen the evil in this world, then helping those who are in harm's way is as powerful, if not more so, than any show of violence.
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1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
inspiring story, but fragmented writing, December 6, 2004 Reviewer: R. Martin "boblaura9" (Mauldin, sc United States) - See all my reviews
The true story told in this book is amazing, inspiring, and miraculous. More people should know about it!! Pastor Trocme was the leader of the resistance, and much of the book is about him and his family. He was Pastor in a little Protestant town in France, and he and his townspeople saved the lives of hundreds of Jewish children. However, I think the book could have been better written. I hesitate to recommend the book to others because I think they would have a hard time getting through it. The story is fragmented. It is not really told chronologically. Each chapter tells a different part/aspect of the overall story. By the time you finish reading the book, the different parts of the puzzle have come together...but its telling is not smooth. To give the author some credit, he did have a challenging job to write this book so long after the fact. He had to piece together many pieces...through research, reading old diaries and letters, interviewing the handful of still-living people involved in the story, etc. But I still think it could have been "put together" in a better way. Perhaps someone should write a shorter, less-detailed narrative about this town - that way it might have a wider reading audience. Again, it is an incredible and inspiring story that needs to be told!
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8 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
A poor look at ethical wealth, October 7, 2002 Reviewer: jkelly - See all my reviews I was asked to contrast this book to Christopher Browning's _Ordinary Men_ for a class in Comparative Religious Ethics. While this proved to be an intresting exercise, Philip Hallie's unpolished tale of Le Chambon, a stop on France's "Underground Railroad" for WWII refugees, suffers in the comparison. Hallie makes tentative steps towards a biography of Andre Trocme (the town's pastor), a specific and narrow history of a French town in WWII, a case study in ethics, and a testimony of praise for people he grew to admire in his research. None of these directions arrive at any satisfying destination, leaving the narrative feeling disorganized and lacking the import the story might have held.
In spite of the ways Hallie's approach disappointed me, I would still recommend this book to those people who enjoy reading simple modern morality tales told in terms of "good vs. evil", or those who want some rather saccharine optimism about human nature in their histories of WWII.
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14 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
Assigned reading, January 22, 2000 Reviewer: Reve Sylvan (Pennsylvania, USA!) - See all my reviews I am a Junior in High School, and we were assigned to read this and write a paper on it (which, coincidentally, is due monday, so I'd better get started!) about any of the multiple themes that run through it. It is a very rich book, and some of the scenes are deeply poignant. I highly recommend this book, but I hold back the fifth star because it became redundant nearing the end. Read this book, you will enjoy it!
-------------------- There is no wealth but life. -John Ruskin
All truth goes through 3 stages: first it is ridiculed: then it is violently opposed: finally it is accepted as self evident. - Schopenhauer Posts: 5639 | From Aptos CA USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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California Lyme: thank you for the book reviews. ``Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed'' sounds like something I would like tor read.
Tree Patrol: thanks for all the Scriptures.
I am either blessed or cursed with a questioning mind. It just rattles on constantly, scrutinizing everything. Really, I don't mean to offend by questioning deeply held beliefs. I do come from the perspective that no Eternal Truth will leap forth from such conversations. We're only human after all, but that is what makes it so interesting. Let me tell you, I got my come uppence recently. I was rattling on to someone who is way serious Zen and I came up with my ``I understand intellectually but I don't feel it'' business. He said I don't think you do understand it intellectually, because if you did you would feel it. So much for my efforts. Our egos do rear their stubborn heads don't they? As far as moral, ethical behavior and religion goes, it seems logical that we can't achieve reunion with God if we have greed, and hatred and running after sensual pleasures or avoidance of pain for that matter dominating our thoughts. This just creates more barriers. So purification is a big deal. ``Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.'' But again renunciation can't be forced or desire will come at us in a sneaky way. We can't stomp it out by will power alone. As one Swami put it ``Desire for worldly pleasures must drop from the mind like ripe fruit from a tree. It is not a matter of giving up this or that. More intellectualizing: Maybe I'm just slow to develop spiritually, but insistence that it's true because it's written in the scriptures doesn't help much. That's like my Mom telling me when I was a little kid : Do it because I say so! And I was never one to just accept orders. I can fully accept the Miracles, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the body and blood sacrifice of a Holy One for the sake of all. It is the one time and one time only--either take it or leave it--precept of Christian doctrine that drives me away. This seems illogical, and to my mind it appears to be based on the concept of linear time. That is, events progress in an ever forward motion from Creation to the End Times--no going back or sideways or multi-dimensional. I view time as just a human measurement of specific physical events, and when St Augustine came up with the new calendar year which the entire world uses currently, he thought the Sun moved around the earth. If planet earth is destroyed in a lake of fire but humanity manages to hunker down on another planet, does that make the end of time? It's the end of time as measured by the earth revolving on an imaginary axis while orbiting around the sun, I'm fairly certain of that. If the human species becomes extinct will that be the end of time, even if the earth continues orbiting around the sun without any human beings left to record the movement? I think about this stuff a lot. The one spiritual ideal that I cling to is that God is eternally present. We just have to lift the veil of our limited human perceptions to know this. Easier said than done. Peace out, Cuttlefish
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treepatrol
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Its Gods Grace its a free gift if it wasnt a free gift then it would be by works.
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
heiwalove
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Member # 6467
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i am a skeptic too, cuttlefish. personally, i think that's healthy. we all need to find our own truths. no religion or spiritual doctrine can possibly work for everyone on earth; that's why there's such a huge plethora of spiritual traditions and beliefs on this planet. and i'm sure new ones are being dreamed up all the time.
if i had to pinpoint it, i'd say my beliefs are some amalgamation of buddhism, paganism, judaism, goddess worship, and native american earth-based worship. how's that for specific?
treepatrol
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The Greatest Veteran of All This is from a preacher friend of mine he preaches grace its pretty good.
Every nation in the world honors those men and women who have fought for their country, especially those who have given their lives in those battles. Scripture also speaks of a veteran of a battle, a battle that is greater than any battle that has ever been fought here on the earth. This battle is a battle for possession and control of the entire universe.
The Battle for the Universe
And he [Melchizedek] blessed him [Abram], and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. Genesis 14:19,20
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Isaiah 14:13,14
These two passages of Scripture set forth the basis for the tremendous battle that is raging all around us. It is a battle that began in eternity past and will not be concluded until one of the parties involved is ultimately victorious in eternity future. The battle lines of this war are set forth in the title given to God in Genesis 14 and claimed by Lucifer in Isaiah 14. The title "most high God" is a title that carries with it certain rights and privileges. As the most High, God has the right to claim possession of, and authority over, the universe. It is interesting to note that this is the exact title that Lucifer is seeking to gain in his rebellion against God. Lucifer set out to be "like the most High". That is, Lucifer set out to take possession, and therefore control, of the universe away from God.
Scripture leaves no doubt about the fact that God the Father and His son, Jesus Christ, are worthy of having the title "most high God". This is true because it is God the Father who created the universe and the person He used to do the creative work was Jesus Christ.
Who [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Colossians 1:15-17
Notice that the above passage focuses on the fact that the power structures, the seats of authority, in the universe were created by Jesus Christ. Because He created the thrones, and dominions, and principalities, and powers, He has the ultimate authority over them.
One of those beings and positions of power that Jesus Christ had created chose to rebel against God's authority and claim it for himself. We read of this claim in the passage from Isaiah 14 quoted above. Scripture also tells us something about the position that Lucifer held before he chose to rebel against God.
Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus [Lucifer], and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 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. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. Ezekiel 18:12-15
One of the most telling phrases in the passage above is, "the day that thou wast created". Although Lucifer was clearly a very beautiful and powerful being, he was nonetheless a created being. As a created being, he was obligated to give praise and glory to his Creator. Instead, he chose to elevate himself above the Creator. This attitude of self-worship was planted in the human creation by Satan and is described by the Apostle Paul in Romans One.
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. Romans 1:25
Satan's plan of conquest will reach its climax when he actually presses the claim that he is God, the possessor of heaven and earth, and therefore deserving of worship.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. II Thessalonians 2:3,4
Obviously, there can be only one "most high God". The battle for the universe involves these two competing forces, God, and Satan, each pressing their claim to that title.
Attacking the Seed
One of the first steps that God took in His effort to put down the rebellion of Satan was to create man. Man was created to "subdue" the earth (Genesis 1:28), to bring it back under God's authority and dominion.
Even after man had fallen into sin and joined the Satanic rebellion against God's authority, God gave a promise that through the Seed of the woman a Being would one day come that would crush the rebellion of Satan.
And I will put enmity between thee [the serpent; Satan] and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15
With God's statement in Genesis 3:15 Satan knew that the key to his defeat was the Seed of the woman and he set about to try to prevent that promised Seed from coming. One of the more inventive and spectacular ways that Satan went about attacking the Seed of the woman was to try to corrupt the human bloodline. We see this plan unfold in Genesis 6.
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. Genesis 6:1-4
Space does not permit a detailed study of this topic but suffice it to say that the above passage is a reference to the angelic creation (sons of God) entering into sexual relationships with the daughters of men and producing a race of "giants" on the earth. These angels are referred to in the book of Jude as having "left their own habitation" (Jude 6). This bold attempt of Satan to corrupt the Seed of the woman was ended with the coming of the flood and the destruction of all flesh from the face of the earth. God started anew after the flood with Noah and his sons and their uncorrupted bloodline.
As time progressed, Satan learned more about the Seed that was to come. From the prophet Nathan, he learned that not only would the Seed be the Seed of the woman, it would also be the seed of David.
And when thy [David's] days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. II Samuel 7:12,13
Again, Satan saw his opportunity and acted. Satan so corrupted the kingly line that came from David that eventually the prophet Jeremiah pronounced a far reaching curse on that line.
As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah [also know as Jeconiah] the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; . . . Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah. Jeremiah 22: 24,30
This curse on Jeconiah may not seem to have much significance in the battle for the universe until we look at the lineage and ancestry of Christ.
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; . . . And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: . . . And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. Matthew 1:1,2,11,16
Notice that that same Jeconiah [Jechonias] that was cursed by Jeremiah in an ancestor of Joseph. How then can Christ legitimately sit upon the throne of David if he is a descendent of Joseph, who was a descendent of Jeconiah? The answer is given in verse 16 above. Joseph was not the father of Jesus. Joseph had not begotten him as had the fathers in all the previous generations. Joseph was simply the husband of Christ's mother, Mary. In the virgin birth God had foiled Satan's plan to destroy the Christ's right to reign on David's throne.
Clearly, Satan was totally unsucessful in preventing the seed from coming, but that didn't stop him from continuing the battle.
Destroying the Seed
In spite of all that Satan had done to try to prevent it, the Seed had come just as God said it would. Satan's plan then became to try to destroy the Seed.
When Jesus Christ was still only a child Satan tried to destroy him through the decree of Herod.
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Matthew 2:16
Despite Herod's attempt to find and kill the promised Seed, God provided a way of escape.
And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. Matthew 2:13
During Christ's public ministry Satan continued to seek to find a way to destroy him, but as with Herod's efforts, each attempt fell short of its mark.
And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way, Luke 4:28-30
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 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 8:58,59
It is not until Satan enlisted the assistance of Judas Iscariot to betray Christ that he finally gained the upper hand and found a way to destroy the Seed.
When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. . . . Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. John 13:21,26,27
This betrayal by Judas ultimately led to the crucifixion of Christ, the destruction of the Seed of the woman.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. John 19:30
Finally, after thousands of years of battle, Satan had won the war. He had destroyed the Seed of the woman that had come to earth to destroy him. He had destroyed the one who was to bruise his head. He had proven himself worthy of the title "most high God". He had won the ultimate victory ? or had he?
Triumphing over Satan in the Cross
Although the cross would certainly seem to be a crushing defeat for Jesus Christ, it is actually the means whereby He defeated, once and for all, the false claims of Satan. Notice the view that Paul gives us of this seemingly disastrous event.
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. . . . Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. I Corinthians 2:1,2,6-8
Paul tells us that the true meaning and significance of the cross was hidden from the princes of this world, including Satan, so that they would unwittingly assist in their own destruction. He also tells us that if they had realized all that God was going to accomplish through the cross they would never have crucified Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory. In fact, Paul reveals to us that it is that very crucifixion that has raised Jesus Christ to a position of authority above heaven and earth and will one day cause every knee to bow in His worship and adoration.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 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. 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. Philippians 2:5-11
As we see the true meaning of the cross revealed, we might ask why God went through all of this elaborate plan to defeat Satan. Why didn't he simply destroy him and be done with it? The answer to this question is found in Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, Ephesians 3:8-10
The revealing of the true meaning of the cross, and how Satan was utterly outwitted and outsmarted by God, puts God's wisdom on display for the entire universe to see. God's purpose in the cross was not to show His great power, but to show His great wisdom. In doing so, He showed the utter foolishness of Satan.
The Victorious Veteran
Throughout the long battle for possession and control of the universe, God's "front line" soldier was Jesus Christ. It is Christ that fought the battle and paid the ultimate price for victory. It is the cross work of Christ that was the Father's "secret weapon" to defeat Satan. It is Christ that could say, "It is finished", as He won the ultimate victory. It is Christ that could then go home to His Father a victorious warrior. And it is Christ that will one day receive the praise of every tongue as they "confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father".
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
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I couldn't agree more! And I thought I was the only one. I keep telling the Lord to hurry up!!!![[Smile]](smile.gif)
in all this mess.
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