Originally posted by sonshipDo you believe the New Jerusalem is in the shape of a cube, a pyramid, or something else.
The New Jerusalem is deified humanity. In a very real sense in her man has become God in life and nature but not in His Godhead.
This means that all that is communicable of God's being is dispensed into God's people. Those attributes which are not communicable man does not become. But those attributes of God which He can and will communicate into man's ...[text shortened]... ountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God." (v.10) [/b]
Originally posted by RJHinds
I have trouble completely understand Revelations and I don't know if New Jerusalem is a literal city or if it represents something else. I'll just leave that speculation alone at this time.
I have trouble completely understand Revelations and I don't know if New Jerusalem is a literal city or if it represents something else. I'll just leave that speculation alone at this time.
We have difficulty with well understanding Revelation because we Christians suffer from the damage of degraded Christianity. We are influenced by the traditions of fallen religion and need to be recovered back to a normal church experience in many regards.
WE can always begin to pray and ask God to begin to recover us and open more our eyes. We should consider this a process from which we will not "graduate" from until we see the Lord in His return.
www.lordsrecovery.org
Originally posted by RJHindsI do not think that this physical aspect of a 1500 mile high physical city should be taken literally in that sense.
Do you believe the New Jerusalem is in the shape of a cube, a pyramid, or something else.
The gates are of pearl. The size of the oyster which could produce a pearl that large would have to be Godzilla like.
But if I am wrong, I feel I have lost nothing. That is because I am far more impressed with the sign and its rich meanings, meanings which are all based on plain teaching in the New Testament elsewhere.
Only if I were bored with or unimpressed with the spiritual significances of these signs would I be disappointed with John's vision and be preoccupied with physical features.
Men like Morris, and even Hugh Ross get hung up with trying to scientifically account for the size and shape of a huge cube hovering above the surface of the earth, and how many people it can hold.
Dear brother Henry Morris ( whether Senior or Junior, not sure) got preoocupied with calculating the average physical space each person would have.
This is the wrong road to go down in my opinion RJ.
Revelation 1:1 - "The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to Him to show to His slaves the things that must quickly take place; and He made it known by signs ..."
Many things in the book of Revelation are made known to us "by signs" .
We have to have some skill to tell what is to be understood literally and what should be understood as symbolic. And I do not mean to suggest this is "a piece of cake" (so to speak) or easy.
Originally posted by RJHindsRJ, Look at the list of Audio Messages here from the Life Study of Revelation .
Do you believe the New Jerusalem is in the shape of a cube, a pyramid, or something else.
If you feel to, select a program of interest and listen. You will not get the entire message by Witness Lee but you will get important portions with helpful discussion from the radio announcer and his guest.
This will help you.
http://www.lsmradio.com/audio/revelation.html
Originally posted by sonshipSo is it your opinion that Rajk999 is completely wrong to suggest that the New Jerusalem is in the shape of a physical cube because this vision is symbolic of a spiritual reality only?
I do not think that this physical aspect of a 1500 mile high physical city should be taken literally in that sense.
The gates are of pearl. The size of the oyster which could produce a pearl that large would have to be Godzilla like.
But if I am wrong, I feel I have lost nothing. That is because I am far more impressed with the [b]sign and ...[text shortened]... stood as symbolic. And I do not mean to suggest this is "a piece of cake" (so to speak) or easy.[/b]
Originally posted by sonshipI had a friend at least 30 years ago tell me about a dream she had that
Christianity has become degraded and the vision of the church and the New Jerusalem has been lost. But in these last days the Holy Spirit is recovering the vision which has been robbed from degraded Christianity.
If we are not enlightened to the goal of God's ultimate building of Himself into man we will think many other things are the most important thi ...[text shortened]... ]New Jerusalem. All the little houses must go for the building of this ultimate goal of God.[/b]
I have never forgotten.
In her dream she said that her and a few others were standing outside
and the clouds started parting, she could see Jesus coming back and
those with her could see Him too.
There were others that were standing next to a church building and when
they looked all they could see was the building.
I had no reason to believe she would lie about that dream, and it seemed
to me to tell a powerful story. We need to stop looking at our churches
and focus instead on Jesus Christ. I did not take that to mean we need
to leave our churches, only that our hearts need to be on God and not
what men tell us, which isn't always true. People get lead astray a lot
by powerful speakers that have nothing to do with God.
Kelly
Originally posted by KellyJayIf you die in 2048 and Jesus comes to the clouds of Earth in 2232 to judge who is worthy of heaven and who needs hell, where does your essence reside in the intervening 184 years as your physical body decays in the grave?
In her dream she said that her and a few others were standing outside
and the clouds started parting, she could see Jesus coming back and
those with her could see Him too.
Originally posted by Paul Dirac IIJesus spoke of this place " Abraham's bosom" Luke 16:21-23, now I've
If you die in 2048 and Jesus comes to the clouds of Earth in 2232 to judge who is worthy of heaven and who needs hell, where does your essence reside in the intervening 184 years as your physical body decays in the grave?
heard people say that after Jesus rose things changed. Either way it is
some place else, we do not hang around here.
Kelly
Luke 16:
21 and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Originally posted by KellyJayI believe this reference explains the version after the resurrection of Christ:
Jesus spoke of this place " Abraham's bosom" Luke 16:21-23, now I've
heard people say that after Jesus rose things changed. Either way it is
some place else, we do not hang around here.
Kelly
Luke 16:
21 and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, th ...[text shortened]... ll he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
1. Paul was writing to these believers to instruct them about those who had died. The term "fall asleep" refers to those who had died. Paul doesn't want those left behind to sorrow as those who have no hope.
2. The reason they don't have to sorrow as others without hope is given in verse 14. Those who have died in the Lord are with Christ. The souls (immaterial part) of departed Christians are with God and Jesus is going to bring them back with Him when He comes for His Church.
3. The rest of Scripture teaches us the same thing.
II Corinthians 5:6-8 tells us that when we Christians die, we go immediately to be with God. To be "absent from the body-present with the Lord."
Philippians l:23 Paul tells us when we depart from this life, we are with Christ.
3. We need not sorrow then as others who have no hope because the authoritative Word of God promises the believer an immediate reception in glory--"absent from the body present with the Lord. II Corinthians 5:8"
But not only does the Bible promise the Christian an immediate reception in glory but . . .
The Bible Promises
the Believer a Resurrection of His Body
1 Thessalonians 4:15-16
1. These verses promise that the bodies of our Christian loved ones will be raised from the dead.
2. The Bible teaches the sleep of the body, not the sleep of the soul.
3. These verses teach us that those bodies of Christians that are sleeping in the graves will one day come forth--be resurrected when Christ comes back. In vs. 16 we see that the souls of the believers (who are now with Christ) will be reunited with their resurrected bodies at Jesus' coming for His church.
4. And that body will be a body described in Rev. 21:3-4 as:
free from pain
free from sorrow, crying, tears
free from sin
free from death
5. The Christian's soul goes immediately to the presence of the Lord. The Christian's body rests in the grave until the day the Lord comes back for His church when it will be resurrected into a glorious body and be reunited with the soul.
6. We need not sorrow as others who have no hope for the Christian is promised: (a) an immediate reception in glory; and (b) a resurrection of his body. But there is more . . . for not only does the Christian who dies have the certainty of an immediate reception in glory and a resurrection of his body but . . .
The Bible Promises
a Reunion With Christ and With Loved Ones
I Thessalonians 4:17
https://bible.org/seriespage/promises-bible-1-thessalonians-4
Originally posted by RJHindsLike I said, we are some place else, being with the Lord is far better
I believe this reference explains the version after the resurrection of Christ:
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
1. Paul was writing to these believers to instruct them about those who had died. The term "fall asleep" refers to those who had died. Paul doesn't want those left behind to sorrow as those who have no hope.
2. The reason they don't have to sorr ...[text shortened]... ved Ones
I Thessalonians 4:17
https://bible.org/seriespage/promises-bible-1-thessalonians-4
than anywhere else.
Kelly
Originally posted by KellyJay😀 .. somebody is finally getting some balls... standing up to sonship.
I had a friend at least 30 years ago tell me about a dream she had that
I have never forgotten.
In her dream she said that her and a few others were standing outside
and the clouds started parting, she could see Jesus coming back and
those with her could see Him too.
There were others that were standing next to a church building and when
they looked ...[text shortened]... rue. People get lead astray a lot
by powerful speakers that have nothing to do with God.
Kelly
Anyway .. good post .. I agree with your conclusion.
Originally posted by RJHindsI would agree with this as it is all clearly written in the Bible, except for the part which implies that it applies to all Christians. Those who are 'in Christ', their soul goes to be with Christ. As for who is 'in Christ', it certainly cannot be all of the 2 billion people who call themselves Christians.
I believe this reference explains the version after the resurrection of Christ:
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
1. Paul was writing to these believers to instruct them about those who had died. The term "fall asleep" refers to those who had died. Paul doesn't want those left behind to sorrow as those who have no hope.
2. The reason they don't have to sorr ...[text shortened]... ved Ones
I Thessalonians 4:17
https://bible.org/seriespage/promises-bible-1-thessalonians-4