@medullah saidCorrect. There are no other teachings that give eternal life in the Kingdom of God. The teachings of Paul and the Apostles are supplements to Christ, not replacements. Many Christians now have removed Christ totally from Christianity and sonship subscribes to that doctrine.
I agree with Rajk about the teachings of Christ. There can be no other teachings, and if he hasn't taught it I don't think we take some as implied (trinity is a good example, as it doesn't appear in the bible and is not defined as it was by men in the various creeds).
@medullah saidI would say neither. The critical thing about this mark is that it represents idolatry and worship of some entity other than God. God does not condemn people for having to mark their skin, neither would God condemn someone for wanting to trade or buy and sell. However idolatry, worshiping other beings is condemned and is referred to as the unpardonable sin.
** Here is a question to anyone, is it the mark itself that is the problem, or what you have to go through to get it? ** I think there 4 or 5 warnings in revelation against taking it, but it's a question that pops into my mind a lot these days.
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At 22:08 you say "Our hope is not in the political systems of the dying age." I agree!! So we should keep out of politics. I believe that our obligation, apart from doing what we are told by Jehovah (his name isn't "God" but I'm also happy with YHWH) and his son Jesus (I have come to prefer Yeshua but wouldn't quibble), a great gathering must take place (workers in the fields et) so I feel that we must be telling others about the promises to come, and get them out of Satan's system bound for destruction.
Though the Christian's hope is not in the political system, like Daniel in Babylon or the Medo-Persian empire the Christian can bear testimony in the highest realms of government. You recall that Daniel became very high up in the government. And he had a reputation of being the servant of the God.
Some were envious of him. And they jealously plotted to stop him from praying and get him killed. This is not a flesh and blood matter. This is the spiritual warfare behind the scenes. This is the evil spiritual powers inciting men to act on their political jealousies to stop a man of God from his powerful intercessions and prayers.
We have all known of the story of Daniel in the lion's den. And we admire his faith and God's preserving saving of Daniel from the lions.
But it is easy to lose track of the big picture. Daniel knew the prophecy of Jeremiah. He know some would return from Babylon and go back to Jerusalem and the Holy Land to RESUME God's plans for Israel. He knew that in seventy years God would fulfilled this promise.
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Daniel did not simply WAIT for Jeremiah's 70 year prophecy to be fulfilled. Nor did he simply look for signs and indications that the time was coming. But Daniel PETITIONED God, PRAYED to God, Interceded for the Babylonian exiles, and ASKED God to fulfill His word. And he did this at the cost of his life. That is why refusing to cease praying he was thrown into the den of lions.
All the while Daniel was in charge of much of the affairs of state. Here is a man in position of political power. And he was good at what he did - too good in fact. He prayed three times a day by habit for God to accomplish His purposes.
This is a good model for Christians. They can be involved in any reasonable profession including statesmanship. They should have a good reputation. And they should be prayer warriors for God's plans and not just calendar watchers.
Remember Daniel, called by the king as the servant of God whom he served continually. What a reputation he had with the government. Yet his heart and prayers were for God to fulfill His prophetic utterances.
I hope you do get a chance to view maybe the last half of that link if not the whole.
@sonship saidWhere does the bible say that the saints inherit the earth?
1.) Rapture is a strategic move in spiritual warfare of the saints who ARE going to inherit the earth. Far from being only an escape ( it has that aspect also ), it is strategic defeat of Satan and his hosts FOR the warfare over the earth.
To me the saints (e.g. the apostles, Paul et al) are those that die AFTER Christ and are called to heaven. Paul refers to what you seem to be calling the rapture as the metamorphosis of those that die on the earth and then take their places in the heavens, that change their state "in the twinkling of an eye?" The bible does not say that everyone goes to heaven (the meek will inherit the earth). Matt 5:5, Psalms 37:11
@medullah saidNice post. There is a difference between the righteous before Christ [referred to as the partiachs of old], and the righteous after Christ who are the elect of God who will rule with Christ. These go to be with Christ as you said.
Where does the bible say that the saints inherit the earth?
To me the saints (e.g. the apostles, Paul et al) are those that die AFTER Christ and are called to heaven. Paul refers to what you seem to be calling the rapture as the metamorphosis of those that die on the earth and then take their places in the heavens, that change their state "in the twinkling of an eye?" The ...[text shortened]... does not say that everyone goes to heaven (the meek will inherit the earth). Matt 5:5, Psalms 37:11
The bulk of Christian do not fall into this group
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@medullah saidHi,
Sorry for the delay
Son, dealing with your split points. @ 21:57 your basic message (condensed) would appear to be trust in Jesus and when it gets tough Christians will get raptured. Rapture is not taught in the Bible, it is a term used to cover the experience of those going to heaven, but a large contingent stays on the earth (The meek shall inherit the earth). Now you t ...[text shortened]... in the UK) Bank Holiday. There's a topic, the coldest April on record - all down to global warming?
I apologize, I can see how I wasn’t clear at all. I was talking about the people that Jesus has placed in front of congregations to teach, guide and watch over them. What I was trying to imply is as time goes by and if things worsen I feel Jesus will place people who are more in tune with the current times because there will be many lost and saved. I felt correctly or incorrectly that this is something the other person had missed.
@medullah saidOK, well I try to resist the temptation to use the expression 'go to heaven', because Jesus siad no man has ascended to heaven. So I say that they go to be with Christ. These elect rule with Christ. However the Christian notion that all who profess faith will rule with Christ is utter nonsense and that doctrine can only be believed if you leave out 75% of the writings of the Apostles.
@Rajk999
Thank you :-)
I first bumped into this when I discovered that John The Baptist didn’t go to heaven Matt 11:11.
Here is an interesting passage about John the Baptist
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. (Matthew 17:11-13 KJV)
The disciples believed that John the Baptist was Elias, and Jesus did not correct them. So it is possible that this is true.
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@sonship saidIf we sprout from God, are we not already in God?
By muscle?
By fighting?
Does the Bible say man can get into God?
If so how can man get into God?
Or if we sprout in God's Magic Crystals and Seamonkeys Tank, are we still not already in God?
How can God be elsewhere, if God is the Omnipresent, the Originator, The Creator, The Flourisher?
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When some people of this or perhaps other planets and venues of life try to "get into God", it is they who separate themselves by their very localized conceptions.
They are already "in God" and should just relax into God and God's Cosmos and treat others as fellow sprouts in God.
Looking forward to random peeps quoting scriptures from the Pablomalarkey or the Harajralam to dispute this observation on some minutely localized basis.
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If we sprout from God, are we not already in God?
Our origins are grounded in the supernatural according to Genesis.
Though we were CREATED as His creatures we were neutral not yet in God though we were "very good" in an unfallen created state.
When God created all of our first parents - Adam and Eve they were not in God.
But they were created very good. But God was not in them or they in God.
Adam and Eve were neutral between two sources.
One would put them in union with their Creator - "the tree of life".
The other would put them in union with the enemy of the Creator - "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
Man not in God was therefore between two choices in a neutral position.
Adam and Eve were enticed to eat the forbidden tree - the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This disobedient action brought them into union with God's enemy. And this also caused the possibility for them to get into God to be cut off from them.
"And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now lest he put forth his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever - " (Gen. 3:22)
"So He drove the man out, and at the east of the garden of Eden He placed the cherubim and a flaming sword which turned in every direction to guard the way to the tree of life." (v.24)
This is when man was "alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18)
The rest of the Bible is about God working to open the way again for man to be redeemed from this fall into union with Satan and brought back to being able to receive God into himself and for him to enter into God.
This has to be very brief. I hope it helps you to see that the action of entering into God was a choice Adam our forefather was to take. He chose wrongly and until Christ's salvation arrives we were "alienated from the life of God". God's life and our life could not mingle, unite, combine, and be mutually indwelling until He went to the cross to prepare a way for fallen sinners to get into God.
Or if we sprout in God's Magic Crystals and Seamonkeys Tank, are we still not already in God?
How can God be elsewhere, if God is the Omnipresent, the Originator, The Creator, The Flourisher?
My reply here has to be concise and short. When Jesus died on the cross the veil of the temple was torn from top down to the bottom. This supernatural tearing of the separating veil dividing the Holy Place in the temple from the innermost Holy of Holies represents the way had been OPENED for man to get into God.
Christ had to first satisfy the demand of God's righteousness, God's holiness, and God's glory before redeemed man can enter into God.
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@medullah saidYour question must be replied to briefly, concisely.
Where does the bible say that the saints inherit the earth?
To me the saints (e.g. the apostles, Paul et al) are those that die AFTER Christ and are called to heaven. Paul refers to what you seem to be calling the rapture as the metamorphosis of those that die on the earth and then take their places in the heavens, that change their state "in the twinkling of an eye?" The ...[text shortened]... does not say that everyone goes to heaven (the meek will inherit the earth). Matt 5:5, Psalms 37:11
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5) refers to the people of the kingdom of the heavens. Those are the chosen, redeemed, victorious saints. The kingdom of the heavens is not the kingdom in heaven really, but the kingdom whose origin is from heaven and not of the fallen world. The administration is from Heaven.
Here the kingdoms of the world become those of the Lord and of His Christ on earth.
"And the seventh angel trumpeted; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever." (Rev. 11:15)
That is the kingdom of Christ on the planet earth.
"And they sing a new song, saying; You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain and have purchased for God by Your blood men out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
And have made them a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign on the earth." (Rev. 5:9,10)
Where do these co-kings of Christ and His priests reign? "they will reign on the earth".
Many Psalms speak of the Messianic kingdom on the earth.
And Daniel's prophecy concerned a stone hitting the feet of the image and growing into a mountain filling the whole earth. (Dan. 2:35)
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The rapture of the overcomers is to prepare to return to the earth as an army with Christ to Armageddon to defeat antichrist and his armies.
This early rapture and co-reigning with Christ is a prize to a remnant of the church. The majority will not participate. Now notice that when the disciples ask WHERE the raptured are being taken, Jesus says they are as a gathering of birds of prey to devour the defeated and killed Antichrist on the earth.
"Two men will be in the field; one is taken and the other is left.
And they answered and said to Him, Where, Lord? And He said to them, Where the body is, there also will the vultures be gathered together." (Luke 17:36,37)
Matthew 24:28 says similarly: "For just as the lightning comes forth from the east and shines to the west so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will be gathered together."
The footnote for this verse in the Recovery Version includes these words.
" . . . the vultures here, being predatory birds of the eagle kind, refer undoubtedly to Christ and His overcomers, who will come as a swift, flying army to war against Antichrist and his armies and destroy them at Armageddon, thus executing God's
judgement upon them. This indicates not only that at His appearing, Christ with His overcoming saints will appear in the place where Antichrist is with his armies, but also that Christ with His overcomers will appear swiftly from the air like vultures. This corresponds with the flash of lightning in the foregoing verse."
So three and one half years after the rapture of the watching early overcomers Christ will return WITH them from Heaven to the Holy Land for a battle against the Antichrist. This will somehow be noticed all over the world.
Antichrist is pictured as a stinking corpse (or body) of death. He will be the culmination of all the spiritual and actual death of fallen rebellious mankind. He is "the corpse" that the army of saints with Christ will come to devour (defeat in warfare).
This had to be brief medullah. But the raptured overcomers of victory come down from heaven with Christ to establish His kingdom on the earth.
Some of the nations will survive to be the peoples transferred from this age into the next age to be reigned over as kings and served as priests by the sons of God and the saved Israeli Jews, again - on the earth.