May you see this: your reply is already gone. I will keep it short in respect of others.
Much of Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 focuses on the end times. If we look closer, some of what Jesus told the four was specifically for their time. First, back then, they didn't even understand that Jesus was going to be executed, as shown in Luke 9:44-45 and Luke 18:31-34. We also see how they reacted after Jesus was crucified; they did not believe Mary and the other women who had seen Jesus.
When Jesus spoke about the temple, he said that not one stone would be left on top of another, which describes what happened in AD 70. There was a church in Jerusalem led by James and other Christians in Judea during this period. History records that they escaped to a city called Pella. Many link the phrase "abomination of desolation" to the end times, the antichrist, and the false teaching of the rapture. However, Jesus isn't referring to Daniel 9:27 but to the prophecy in Daniel 11:31 and Daniel 12:11.
Wording in Daniel 9:27, "for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate," Daniel 11:31, "the abomination that maketh desolate." Daniel 12:11 "the abomination that maketh desolate set up,"
Antiochus IV Epiphanes carried out this act in 167 BC; this is the abomination of desolation Jesus is talking about. Jesus is warning them that the same event will happen before the temple's destruction in AD 70. History records this; it did happen, the warning Luke gave in Luke 21:20. If we look at Daniel 9:27, it says that for the abominations, He, who is Jesus, will make it desolate, referring to Matthew 23:36-38.
Just something you may study, I feel you and I try to study in prayer without preconceived assumptions.
There is around us battles of every sort being waged; mainly lost in regard to overall success and victory of the church at least here in the West; yet the war is won. The Rapture is one official notice as it were giving sudden victory; or that is the salvation of our bodies from this fallen world into heaven itself. We know the war was won over sin because Jesus had the victory over death and hell which is eternal death at the cross. This ensures that we are all alive in Christ and our souls live forever sealed in the Spirit which resides in every true saint of God.
Now some have had dramatic salvation experiences; and I am sure my own hardened heart took away much of what I should have experienced back in May 1982 when I made a true confession of faith in Christ to save me from my sins and "accept" Him as personal Savior and Lord. I don't like that terminology of course since He is Lord whether we accept it or not. The issue was my sin; as it was correctly indicated that without Him I would end up in hell. The description of hell had certain claims of torment which may or may not be warrented in scripture but nonetheless I can say that my conversion was genuine and I took seriously not turning the back on the plow ( Luke 9:62). As with any situation; we can't be too extreme in the sense that a verbal confession is an end all; because there is no guarantee our vow is genuine; and also true sanctification makes sin clearer as we grow so in some way it seems we are worse than before. This seems like a paradox but as more sin is revealed; or another layer exposed we find ourselves more dependent. In reality it is just making clearer how all along our plight was absolute and desperate but it isn't all clear right away. This involves as one of the hardest things for me and I suspect others giving up all affections and love that seems innocent and good but rooted in this world. Much of that comes from music; more in the next post.
We see this in Matthew 16:24. But then again in Luke 9:23 it says that we are to do this daily. Basically, Jesus is giving conditions of discipleship. He starts out by saying that if anybody desires to come after Me. This means to come behind Him and follow Him wherever He goes. This would be the opposite of someone saying I believe in you and then going their own way. If anybody desires to come after me (that's the first condition), let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
The word "deny" means to reject. After a person surrenders to Christ, their human nature, ego, and desires continue to function. The Bible tells us that human desires (flesh) come up against, and attack the things of the Spirit as He is trying to lead us in our life.
Jesus said if you're going to make a decision to come after me and follow me, then you are going to have to reject yourself. Whatever we think, or feel, we're going to keep thinking; we are going to keep feeling, but whatever it is, we are going to have to reject it!
Secondly, and to your question on "take up his cross daily," this literally means day after day. What this is making reference to, and we see this in Romans Chapter 6 which tells us that Jesus died our death. In Galatians Chapter 4, it says that those who are of Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Paul said in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ lives in me." You see, when Jesus substituted Himself to die our death on the cross for our sins, that was our death. The Bible says we were crucified with Him.
This is what He crucified. I have died, but I keep living because Christ is in me. So, I find that my daily battle is not against Satan. I find that my personal life is trying to get down off that cross and back into circulation in the world again. But Jesus said take up his cross daily. That's what we are to do.
My final thoughts on the matter of Kingdom message compared to the Salvation through Faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross, with heavenly blessings and a heavenly hope.
The "kingdom message" preached by Peter and the other apostles-particularly in the early chapters of Acts-was primarily directed to Israel and centered on the offer of the earthly Messianic kingdom promised in the Old Testament. This message called the nation to repentance and faith in Jesus as the risen Messiah and King, with the expectation that if Israel as a nation responded, Christ would return and establish His kingdom on earth ( Acts 3:19-21). Peter's sermons (e.g., Acts 2 and 3) emphasized Jesus' fulfillment of prophecy, His resurrection, and His role as the promised Davidic King. The apostles preached "the gospel of the kingdom," which was consistent with what Jesus proclaimed during His earthly ministry ( Matthew 4:17; Luke 9:1-6).
However, this message was rejected by the nation of Israel, culminating in the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7. It is after this national rejection that God raised up Paul as the apostle to the Gentiles ( Acts 9; Romans 11:13). Through Paul, God revealed the "mystery" of the body of Christ-a previously hidden truth ( Ephesians 3:1-9; Colossians 1:24-27). The body of Christ is not a continuation of Israel's kingdom program but a new entity in which there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile ( Galatians 3:28). Paul's message was the gospel of the grace of God ( Acts 20:24), focused not on an earthly kingdom, but on salvation through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross, with heavenly blessings and a heavenly hope.
In summary, the kingdom message was not meant for the body of Christ. It was directed to Israel, offering a literal kingdom on earth. The body of Christ, a new creation revealed through Paul, operates under a different gospel and program-centered on grace, not law or kingdom promises.
Hi dear Christian. Some words come to me when I read your post. It is in the entire letter to James. It is a good study, try and get some time for yourself and read the letter. You must demand of those you live with that you will be able to go for yourself and seek the Lord. He is your Life, your joy and everything. And be filled with the holy spirit. Sometimes it is actually the case that the Lord also needs attention from us. If it could help you then try giving thanks, giving God glory in Jesus' name.
It hurt me and reading about your family. but it can also be proof that you have a completely different spirit than they have. Then you get resistance, you see. Always resistance when the Lord can do something for us, and the people around. Because we are tested. And this is where He wants us to stand faithful in faith that what we ask for will be given to us in the name of Jesus Christ. You know that if you love someone, that love cannot just go to you. All this has to go both ways. So my advice is for breaking these troubles of yours is: Preach Jesus to all those you get resistance from. If they don't accept it, then it's none of your business. Here you should also feel in your spirit that it is the right thing to do. Remember, be as innocent as a dove and as cunning as a serpent. Cigarettes are a trouble for you and you know it: Stop it now! In Jesus' name we pray. Throw the cigarettes out of the house in Jesus' name! That's right, you have to be determined about it and believe it. Don't spare a single one. Then you will get rid of an accusing spirit. And if you think it is sin to you, then it is a sin. Maybe you think I'm cold and ugly now. But I seriously mean that you have to try this for love of Jesus. No one else should have the honor when you do something in the name of the Lord. Love u in Christ and be strong and brave. U can do it. Many ppl in the world do it every day and always give thanks to the Lord Jesus. Luke 9:51-62
Thank you for your answer dear Jesse. Yes, we fully hope that we can come closer to Him for whom we long. Jesus Christ who walked through the Heavens for our sake. We live in the last days and it will be more difficult. More delusion and confusion. But we know who we can go to in all situations, Jesus Amen.
Glory we are children of God, peacemakers, happy at times, simple as doves and cunning as serpents. And as the word I received today. May we remind ourselves that we do not know what the spirit can do. Jesse I have experienced so much with Jesus and He would fill the whole earth with His experiences. And I am following Him who has done so much for me. In these times I have experienced that it is important to pray for those who have been taken-away. And of course everyone else so we do what we can, not rush. Have a blessed summer and we can rejoice in the Lord, Amen in Jesus Christ.
Dear God Father in Heaven. Thank you that we can come to You. And honor You, praise You for Your faithfulness and Your righteousness. Hallelujah Amen! We pray that You hear our prayer and ask You to bring healing for Jacqueline, take away her ailments, then everything will be fine, in Jesus' name, Amen. Dear God, You came with Your wisdom and guidance, for she needs it in all things Lord. And we ask for Your strength to endure all that we face now in the last days. In the holy name of Jesus Christ above all other names. Jesus who has all power in Heaven and on Earth, He IS the King of kings and Lord of lords, Amen
We thank you in advance for your answer to our prayers and bring thanksgiving and praise to you Lord from now on and forevermore. Amen
Dear "E" What does Jesus say to his disciples when they are not received somewhere? Luke 9:5 It can take a toll. But we know that He is with us and when we do the best we can, we can do no more. We have had sleepless nights, we pray and live in disgrace. We know it well when we have to go.
So dear God in Heaven strengthen our sister "E" that she finds a place, and may live there for a time in peace and quiet to seek Your Face Lord. Turn Your ear to us and give her rest from her labor Almighty Father and creator in Jesus Christ holy Name above all other names, Amen
Hallo again "Dddsam87" Thanks for your reply, my first impulse was of course to call you, :) but that's something we should never do. But now we have a thread here and can use it. Of course I believe that you have Jesus. That being said, there are many ways to approach Jesus. In short, I will give some key words. Congregation, make one or find one. We in a congregation pray for everyone every day and night. Right now I am in the state church. Because I have a long way to drive. But there are people who take Christianity seriously there too and they fold their hands and pray. And I believe that all the people here on the web pray for me, as I do for them. next
Praise the Lord, Love the Lord and have respect for everything God has created and fear God. Pray and be prepared, because right now it feels like you are a little off the beaten path. Pray that all the lost will come home to God. We are living in the last hour. You know it is only in God's word and through the Holy Spirit that you can be trained to become the men God wants you to be. And then it takes practice, in your practice lies boldness. Confession always remember and stand up before the Lord wherever you are. So when you have had all this work seriously, then you should also have received gifts. Spiritual Gifts 1 Corinthians 13. And where the love of God and spiritual gifts are in you, it means that then there can be no spiritual obsession other than that which works for God, Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit. The gifts you have then are so strong that you can chase out every unclean thought in your mind. As said earlier, Jesus says where such things come from. Matthew 15:19 and it is frightening for anyone who has been enlightened. Guard your heart above all else! So as a believer, I recommend you to become a believer. Stand up for yourself and confess to the world that you are a believer. I got one word for you today Luke 9:1-6 Take God'swordseriouslyandeverything willworkoutforyouasthe Lord Jesus want
Hi again Just want to remind you in all the time we don't have, that your reference to scriptures here has rules on how they should glow red. So that we can see scriptures without looking them up. You ref. to John:51-56 it is not in the King James, at least not in mine. When you mention the time when Jesus rebuked his disciples because they did not know what spirit they were of. So it says in Luke 9:54. Thank you for your attention. And may the Lord Jesus give us light as the day is.
ps. it's easier to read you now, thanks. Exodus 12:29-30
Hello Nstew. I believe you're referring to one or both instances recorded in Matthew 16:27,28 and Luke 9:26,27. I have to admit that this is a very difficult portion to properly understand, since nothing more is recorded about it or referencing back to these Words of Jesus to His disciples.
My own understanding: is that Jesus was instructing His disciples of what would be a foretaste of the coming Kingdom of God. Soon after (within a week or so), three of Jesus' disciples saw Jesus transfigured (or, transformed) revealing His Glory ( Matthew 17:1,2; Luke 9:28,29); that Glory which He would receive back after laying it aside for humanity's sake ( Philippians 2:5-9). That would have been the first taste given to His disciples of the coming Kingdom of God.
Then of course, through His Death, Resurrection & Ascension into Heaven, the disciples had further confirmation of both the Truth of Jesus' Words (while He taught them) and the institution of God's Kingdom. It is true, that what we would normally understand and expect of the Kingdom of God (i.e. when Jesus returns to the World in His second Coming) didn't happen then as it hasn't happened till now, we can still see that His disciples were given a foretaste of that coming Kingdom which would never end until Christ comes - and beyond.
They saw His Glory at the mount, they were witnesses of His resurrection ( Luke 24:24-40), and they were witnesses of His Ascension ( Luke 24:50-53). And the disciples (and also to all those who love the Lord Jesus & would serve Him), would receive power to live the Christ-centered, Christ-crucified life, declaring to all that truly God had now visited sinful man & offered him so great salvation through His Son. Yes, the Kingdom of God is potentially within all mankind ( Luke 17:20,21), where, even if those unbelieving Pharisees would only put their faith in Jesus, the reality of the God's Kingdom could also be theirs when God would do a new work in them ( Ezekiel 11:19,20). GBU.
Jesus met with Moses and Elijah who discussed His coming death (see Luke 9:31). Peter, James and John were the three that came up with Him as I mentioned earlier ( Matthew 17:1). Verse 12 indicates that Elijah had come already as a type of forerunner in the spirit or likeness as it were of John the Baptist (verse 13).
Elijah must come first before Christ returns the second time (verses 10-11; see Malachi 4:5-6). This seems to make certain that he is one of the two prophets mentioned in Revelation 11. I would argue strongly against Moses since scripture indicates he died ( Deut. 34:7) and personally my view is that the verse Hebrews 9:27 that would indicate to me that Enoch is the second prophet.
Restoring all things in the middle of the Tribulation would tie in with Romans 14 in that "all Israel will be saved". ( Romans 11:26). In one sense it is hard to fathom the invincibility and power of the two prophets that end up being killed but makes sense in light of the claim of the Beast in Revelation 13; in that those who tormented the whole earth will be killed; and this will make Antichrist seem to be superior along with his apparent resurrection. I won't get further into that for now.
Matthew 16:27-28 seems to indicate the transfiguration; but full Preterists seem to think that means Christ would return by 70 AD and somehow is here physically but hidden in plain sight. Again I won't go in length on that but will say if He is here physically it makes His claims of returning as lightning from the east to the west ( Matt. 24:27) and Revelation 19 seem to be rather insignificant not to mention the control on the insanity in the world at present would be questionable.
His countenance as the sun reminds us of John's vision in Revelation 1. We can ponder on His humanity in verse 7 when He says do not be afraid. Again this revelation He wanted kept from public domain (verse 9). Nothing was to stop His upcoming death
I would surmise there are several reasons that Jesus at this point was switching His focus in ministry from healings and casting out demons to what apparently was His only way of speaking to the crowds at this point in parables. First of all most in Israel had seen firsthand if not actually directly experienced a miracle from Jesus personally; or the Disciples and others doing things in His Name. Secondly; the time for His death was near. The message had to transition as Jesus wouldn't be with anyone including His Disciples much longer and He had to probably focus most of His attention to them so that they would be able to continue afterwards. Thirdly; the consequence after the Resurrection would be the birth of the church at Pentecost; and it was important then and thereafter to have the Word firmly rooted in His followers as persecution was about to come big time.
In light of this last reason; the concept of tares with the wheat surely would be understood soon with the betrayal of Judas Iscariot. This would work to favor God's predestined plan for Jesus to die on the cross much to Satan's rage. I am reminded of verses such as Luke 9:62 about not turning back when working the plough. This means family and even certain church members can't be controlling or manipulating us and our love for the Lord must be paramount. I look at it as being having our eyes fixed on Him and focusing our lives on eternal truths and heavenly places; still caring when we can for those in our lives and whenever possible living peaceably. Jesus demonstrates these concepts in His own life and His admonitions to keep priorities straight. I would conclude as I often say that the biggest resistance is often in our own camp so to speak. If the enemy can cause havoc to divide the church or in our personal lives then he can damage our witness. Overall as we read the Gospels we see His love but also His constant boldness in exposing evil.
My last post brought out the fact that indeed Gentiles were part of God's plan; and we can further see this in many other O.T. scriptures ( Isaiah 49:6; etc). Man's pride couldn't square the suffering servant made so clear in describing Christ's first coming in Isaiah 53 as characterizing the Messiah. They even denied that their heritage came from people that were enslaved numerous times in their history! ( John 8:33). Even if they called Him teacher being a good man wasn't enough to save them from their sins; but of course when He made such claims they called it blasphemy! ( Luke 5:21).
Let's do an introductory overview of Christ's many itineraries which He had to fulfill the purposes God intended in His ministry. Some of these things are unique to Him but certainly lessons can be learned as to how we plan our days in service to the King.
1. Doing all things the Father willed. John 5:19 perhaps sums this up the best. In His mission there was the inevitable death on the cross on His mind following a perfect sinless life; albeit brief walking on the earth for 33 or so years as the perfect Man. ( Luke 9:22 and many similar verses in the Gospels).
2. Salvation by forgiveness of sin was a theme that overrided any of His miracles; nonetheless there is no clear statement that everyone He healed became saved. (see John 8:45 with deliberate disobedience in His command not to start a media "circus" as a result of healing). It was imperative that Messiah forgive men's sins but then they would have to realize that He was indeed the "I am" ( John 8:48-59 further on in the passage of John quoted above).
3. Coming to display obedience to His family before the predestined time to reach full manhood and the onset of public ministry.
Jesus had no obligation to be obedient in this way; and it was not in order to simply give in to His parents wishes but to do God's will. He was the perfect worker; brother and son.
If we search the Sermon on the Mount; there are several layers to the meanings. General statements of those persecuted being blessed; along with peacemakers; etc. could certainly be applied to people such as Ghandi and others who were clearly not of the Christian faith IF we take only the surface level to this. The higher concept is that only the love of Christ allows us to love our enemies unconditionally; and this is at least partly due to the fact we realize in true faith that we all were once enemies of God reconciled by the cross at Calvary as the atonement for our sins.
How many out there have been told you're a "good person". My unbelieving Aunt said that to me in regard of the care I gave to my mom and now my dad who is in a Memory Care facility; and not too happy about it. He says that I am crazy; have him imprisoned there; etc. My relatives understand that to care for him and for his safety I had to get him placed there; but this is something my unbelieving Cousin had to do for her mom who is now in Hospice Care. God did give me strength to do things but I have no inherent goodness. My Christian friend also said not to be too hard on myself and thinks highly of me. I take it as the same as being told I am a hypocrite as my mom would say to me when she was still alive; or those who cursed me when sharing the scripture with them from someone in my High School in 1982 to those on the street witnessing a few years back.
I say all this; hopefully to prove a point; that we as believers have a responsibility to care for our families but also Christ has to be our top priority. Thus; I see the very real risk of losing touch with my whole mom's side of the family who is Jewish as I don't have the heart to attend my Aunt's funeral since she isn't a believer. "let the dead bury their own dead". ( Luke 9:60).
To study scripture with open eyes we have to believe ALL scripture and not cherry pick
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. My interpetation: Blessings of restoration Romans 6:23 KJV
'For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.'
Jesus Christ is God that is forgiveness of sins.A God that is a free gift that is better then nothing(zero) I did myself too
(A God that is forgiveness of sins, A God that is a free gift. Matthew 7:7-8 KJV)
If only we would honor God's intentions he will give us authority same as position of authority.
These scriptures say and has giving me authority to believe God ( Romans 10:9-10) identifying as Christian. Luke 9:1 KJV, Luke 10:19 KJV
Luke 9:1 KJV
Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
Luke 10:19 KJV
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Me being Christian and honoring God has blessed me with authority&restoration by spending time with God, prayer, worship, gratitude, using my God-given gifts,talents,abilities to serve others. Making God number one in my heart.Being generous,treating others with dignity.
My identity being Christian helped me in life listening to God ( John 10:18 KJV) honoring God is symbolic of both a literal and spiritual kingdom.
John10:18 KJV
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
9/8/24AMEN
Interpetation and Word spoken by REDAPPLETREATY4MEONLY
Luke 9:60 - Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
I want to point something out here because Luke 9:59 in our English text would lead us to believe that this man's father had died, which is not the case
And then we get to this verse, and Jesus wouldn't even let him bury his father. That is kind of tough! Well, we know from the scriptures, in Deuteronomy 21:23, it tells us that once a person died, they had to be buried before sunset, on the day of the death.
So, if this man's father had already died, he would not be out listening to the teachings of Jesus. He would be attending the funeral and burying his father.
But rather, as Matthew's account tells us, that the phrase itself in the Greek text represents the Hebraism, that basically says "let me go back until my father dies so I get my inheritance."
You see, in those days you stayed around the house. And when the father died, then you took over the business, and you took over the estate.
And what he what he saying is "I'm really not free to leave. I have got some financial interests that I cannot leave. You see if I leave now, I leave all my inheritance, and so I can't do that!"
Do you understand what's happening here? Jesus is fixed towards Jerusalem. He is telling the disciples that you get fixed on Jesus and you follow Him.
But look at all the things that challenge that relationship. You have got conveniences. You've got, "Gee, I have waited my whole life to get the inheritance from my father, and now Jesus is asking me to follow Him, and if I do, I am going to lose all that inheritance." Yup! Let the spiritual dead bury their own dead. You go preach the Kingdom!
Luke 9:31 - Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.
Literally, the Greek word for decease is the word exodus. It's the word death. It's the same word used in Hebrews 11:20 to talk about the children of Israel and their exodus out of Egypt. That's exactly what this word is supposed to make a reference to. The Lord's exodus is the fulfillment of the exodus in the Old Testament.
Luke 9:51 - And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem! The word steadfastly in the Greek means a fixed established position. When it was time to go and die, Jesus was fixed to go to Jerusalem. You couldn't get Him off track.
Luke 9:3 - And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.
The word staves mean walking sticks. And scrip means money bag.
Luke 9:26 - For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.
The word ashamed in Greek means to withdraw. That is what people do when they are ashamed or embarrassed, they kind of withdraw. So, Jesus says you withdraw from me and my word, when you stand before me in judgment, I will withdraw from you.
Luke 9:29 - And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.
Now here's where the Greek text really brings out the meaning of this verse:
And as he was praying, the fashion, (literally outward appearance), of his countenance, or face, was altered. Here in the Greek text, it just uses the word HETEROS. His face became different.
But even with the Greek word HETEROS, meaning different in kind than He was before. It wasn't a physical change. It was a physical change into a Spiritual change.
Matthew uses the word METAMORPHOSIS, meaning completely transformed. So, he went from the physical to the Spiritual. And then it says about His clothing, it says that His raiment, or His clothing was white and glistering.
The Greek word for glistering represents emitting a light, not reflecting but emitting. The light was actually coming out from Him. And it is the word that is used to describe lightening.
So, you can imagine what the scene was like. It was not reflected light. It was not a spotlight coming out of heaven to shine on Jesus. He was literally transformed into His body of glory in front of them.
God grants repentance which leads to salvation; and godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to life. There is no way of getting around it; that we must repent and believe; and both true desires come from God. Judas Iscariot had worldly sorrow because it lead to death; He had no understanding of Christ being God in the flesh just having offended an innocent man. He didn't want to seek forgiveness and repent for his sins; his pride wouldn't give him that option apparently.
At this point we have belief; and in order to confess with our mouth and believe in our heart we have to also do a public act of identification and show how we are dying to ourself. Jesus made it clear that if we are ashamed of Him He will be ashamed of us when He comes with His Holy angels ( Luke 9:26; following Luke 9:25 about gaining the world and losing one's soul). I would identify Baptism as being associated with belief and therefore in conjunction with it but immediately after true faith is established. Any church in good standing would ensure a person believes before submitting to the authority of Christ and symbolically being part of the Body of Christ; dead buried and raised with Him.
Believing as the initial step must be more than a mental affirmation of Christ as Lord for even the demons believe and under compulsion everyone on heaven and earth will bow in submission to this fact. To be our Lord and Savior also means a change of who our master is; rather than the god of this world Jesus is our true Master. There are actions therefore that must accompany any true profession of faith; albeit rare circumstances like the thief on the cross who didn't have time to be baptized.
There is no good reason when it can be done to wait; then one has to doubt the sincerity of one's profession.
I would say believing and being born again are pretty much simultaneous; therefore AFTER repentance and remittance from sin with Baptism to follow.
Luke 22:36 states: Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
Luke 9:54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
I am not going to take this posting to decide to support one viewpoint over the other as to having a weapon of protection or relying just on prayer. I will simply state that different circumstances may merit different approaches. I also will add that in the case of the passage in Luke; we are looking at defending ourselves along paths where dangerous criminals tend to hang out so that long term travel after the Lord went to heaven would necessitate this wisdom at times according to Christ. When it comes to the government; we don't see any evidence in scripture in the New Testament of active resistance but just one or two occasions when Paul appealed his beatings as a Roman citizen; which probably was primarily to continue to allow others in the same position as himself to continue to preach the Gospel for a time.
We also see that in the church age the Lord works differently then in other times. When Elijah comes as one of the two end time prophets he and the other prophet WILL indeed cause fire to come down and kill anyone resisting them. We have; therefore the final dispensation that the Lord will use signs and wonders gifts; the complete fulfillment of Joel 2 started at the time of Pentecost. (sorry about that d word it isn't necessarily favored by some but I don't know a better way of describing two such distinct periods of time)
We also see a difference; of course with the Tribulation saints who say "how long" until vengeance is given for their martyrdom ( Rev. 6:10). I am sure that since the death of all saints is precious in His sight ( Psalm 116:15) all martyrs are avenged.
More thoughts on life after death and our identity as Christians
There is no doubt that this series of posts is going to generate a lot of buzz; and some major backlash. I can only be as transparent as I can in regard to my past experience when it seemed I sensed the presence of my grandmother who now has been gone the better part of 40 years. I had a quick dream for a few seconds the night before she passed with me telling her she was about to stand before God. As far as I know she was unsaved. Even if there was some last minute repentance it isn't something I would have known about her. There was much surrounding her in terms of possessions and photos and things that I cannot have as keepsakes.
Again; for those who are saved it is in the new identity as a believer that one becomes part of the Body of Christ; this takes us from what in some sense is Satan's body; if not his dominion ( Eph. 2:2). To the lost world it would seem we lose our freedom; and our individuality in such an identity where we die to our old self. But there are many facets like a jewel which we are compared to in Malachi 3:17; the Lord has made us to uniquely minister in and through Him and we shall rule and reign with Him as well.
I did want to say if anyone is still reading this at this point that I believe children before they can understand sin will by God's grace enter heaven. Also when considering the only scriptural example we have of a lost man in hades; we see how he wanted to warn his family not to go there; hence we should in that sense be further emboldened to share the Gospel.
I am not here to try to convince anyone to think this way. On one hand Jesus said "let the dead bury their own dead" ( Luke 9:60); on the other hand someone who compassionately has taken care of a rebel all their life who passes certainly can mourn.
It is only when such a loss keeps us stunted permanently in our growth in God that we need to step back to evaluate ourselves.
Genesis 18 involves a conversation with the Lord (likely the incarnate Christ) about the fate of Sodom. Since technically a conversation with God is a prayer (but these days God doesn't appear and have interaction with us in that way) it can be said this is a prayer. The discussion itself was more of a "tit for tat" inquiry or inquisition as it were. This "testing" of God of course can be a dangerous thing; but we must keep in mind first and foremost Lot would have been on his mind; particularly in light of the destruction to come announced by the two angels who had just departed to see what was going on on the ground as it were.
Since Abraham was not privy to God delivering FROM disaster at this point and perhaps was too afraid to state the obvious he whittled down a righteous total to 10 and stopped; with God assuring him that the city would remain if 10 righteous people could be found. Perhaps he was counting on the son in laws if he was aware of them; the same ones who would ridicule the angels when the message was dellivered. He may have also thought SURELY SOMEONE else besides Lot and his immediate family would be justified; perhaps being as removed as he was from the wholesale depravity that had become the lifestyle of everyone in Sodom. He was desperate; no doubt. What he didn't realize; of course is that he stopped just ABOVE the true number of righteous there; in fact Lot's wife would famously turn back and Luke 9:62 seems a fitting epitaph for this pathetic woman who turned into a pillar of salt.
In this case; of course we had a pagan nation God had determined was time to destroy. We see a similar request of intercession after the idolotry in Exodus 32. Moses interceded in verses 11-13 and God relented. We might say that he THROUGH the power of the Spirit interceded and Christ would have foreseen through his future atonement how to cover their sin. This shows the mystery of the Godhead.
the dead know nothing at all must be read in its context." For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion./For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten." Dead and the living. For to him (Christ) that is joined to all the living there is hope. (Jesus Christ-"I am the Life") Those who have found life know there is a physical death. Hence they keep themselves pure unspotted from the world. They are like the tree planted by the river (Ps.1) and their hope is like an anchor. Jesus explained who the dead are. Luke 9:60 The dead may be workaholic, socially active, volunteers to every politically correct causes.But after soul is cast to hell there would be no remembrance and tey are blotted out of the book of life and book of the lamb. A woman who lives in pleasure is dead.
"And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us./ But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me./For he that is not against us is on our part." Lucan gospel also gives this incident.( Luke 9:48-50)
Principle of Association is reconciling all things in heaven and on earth. "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;/And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."(Col.1:10) The Mind of Christ is to see in his light so his name is preeminent whether persons places or events, whichever is named is subject to him. For this reason he rebuked Peter who was viewing his master as one who must be protected from all harm. "Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men."(7:33)
Jesus Christ was anointed the Christ above all others." Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre./Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."(Ps.45:6-7) As a Son he chose all those who were called and as the Son of man he made manifest grace and truth. So he would after transfiguring before the three disciple tell them, "And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead."(v.9)
The disciples did not understand its significance. They had to go a longway in their discipleship.
Please pray for my outreach witness this coming Easter week. That I preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick Luke 9:2. The fields are white already unto harvest please pray that I may reap for the Lord. That i reflect the love of Jesus to lost searching needy souls.
No, both ARE NOT the same person, of course, that theory is of spiritism, spiritists believe in reincarnation. What GOD made was to give the same spirit of Elijah to John the Baptist, by the way, John was/is an angel of the Lord, he was born by the Word of GOD, I mean by prophecy, according Isaiah 4O and Malachi 3.
By your better understanding, GOD had made the same with Elisha. 2Kings 13-15
13 Elisha took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord GOD of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
Luke 9:29-30
29 And as JESUS prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistering.
30 And, behold, there talked with Him two men, which were Moses and Elijah:
31 Who appeared IN GLORY, and spake of His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem.
Luke 9:60, "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
About my knee injury actually I needed a break from work, I was feeling very tired lately. But hope to get back soon.
GBU
May you see this: your reply is already gone. I will keep it short in respect of others.
Much of Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 focuses on the end times. If we look closer, some of what Jesus told the four was specifically for their time. First, back then, they didn't even understand that Jesus was going to be executed, as shown in Luke 9:44-45 and Luke 18:31-34. We also see how they reacted after Jesus was crucified; they did not believe Mary and the other women who had seen Jesus.
When Jesus spoke about the temple, he said that not one stone would be left on top of another, which describes what happened in AD 70. There was a church in Jerusalem led by James and other Christians in Judea during this period. History records that they escaped to a city called Pella. Many link the phrase "abomination of desolation" to the end times, the antichrist, and the false teaching of the rapture. However, Jesus isn't referring to Daniel 9:27 but to the prophecy in Daniel 11:31 and Daniel 12:11.
Wording in Daniel 9:27, "for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate," Daniel 11:31, "the abomination that maketh desolate." Daniel 12:11 "the abomination that maketh desolate set up,"
Antiochus IV Epiphanes carried out this act in 167 BC; this is the abomination of desolation Jesus is talking about. Jesus is warning them that the same event will happen before the temple's destruction in AD 70. History records this; it did happen, the warning Luke gave in Luke 21:20. If we look at Daniel 9:27, it says that for the abominations, He, who is Jesus, will make it desolate, referring to Matthew 23:36-38.
Just something you may study, I feel you and I try to study in prayer without preconceived assumptions.
God bless,
RLW
There is around us battles of every sort being waged; mainly lost in regard to overall success and victory of the church at least here in the West; yet the war is won. The Rapture is one official notice as it were giving sudden victory; or that is the salvation of our bodies from this fallen world into heaven itself. We know the war was won over sin because Jesus had the victory over death and hell which is eternal death at the cross. This ensures that we are all alive in Christ and our souls live forever sealed in the Spirit which resides in every true saint of God.
Now some have had dramatic salvation experiences; and I am sure my own hardened heart took away much of what I should have experienced back in May 1982 when I made a true confession of faith in Christ to save me from my sins and "accept" Him as personal Savior and Lord. I don't like that terminology of course since He is Lord whether we accept it or not. The issue was my sin; as it was correctly indicated that without Him I would end up in hell. The description of hell had certain claims of torment which may or may not be warrented in scripture but nonetheless I can say that my conversion was genuine and I took seriously not turning the back on the plow ( Luke 9:62). As with any situation; we can't be too extreme in the sense that a verbal confession is an end all; because there is no guarantee our vow is genuine; and also true sanctification makes sin clearer as we grow so in some way it seems we are worse than before. This seems like a paradox but as more sin is revealed; or another layer exposed we find ourselves more dependent. In reality it is just making clearer how all along our plight was absolute and desperate but it isn't all clear right away. This involves as one of the hardest things for me and I suspect others giving up all affections and love that seems innocent and good but rooted in this world. Much of that comes from music; more in the next post.
We see this in Matthew 16:24. But then again in Luke 9:23 it says that we are to do this daily. Basically, Jesus is giving conditions of discipleship. He starts out by saying that if anybody desires to come after Me. This means to come behind Him and follow Him wherever He goes. This would be the opposite of someone saying I believe in you and then going their own way. If anybody desires to come after me (that's the first condition), let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
The word "deny" means to reject. After a person surrenders to Christ, their human nature, ego, and desires continue to function. The Bible tells us that human desires (flesh) come up against, and attack the things of the Spirit as He is trying to lead us in our life.
Jesus said if you're going to make a decision to come after me and follow me, then you are going to have to reject yourself. Whatever we think, or feel, we're going to keep thinking; we are going to keep feeling, but whatever it is, we are going to have to reject it!
Secondly, and to your question on "take up his cross daily," this literally means day after day. What this is making reference to, and we see this in Romans Chapter 6 which tells us that Jesus died our death. In Galatians Chapter 4, it says that those who are of Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Paul said in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ lives in me." You see, when Jesus substituted Himself to die our death on the cross for our sins, that was our death. The Bible says we were crucified with Him.
This is what He crucified. I have died, but I keep living because Christ is in me. So, I find that my daily battle is not against Satan. I find that my personal life is trying to get down off that cross and back into circulation in the world again. But Jesus said take up his cross daily. That's what we are to do.
Hope this helps.
God Bless!!!
My final thoughts on the matter of Kingdom message compared to the Salvation through Faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross, with heavenly blessings and a heavenly hope.
The "kingdom message" preached by Peter and the other apostles-particularly in the early chapters of Acts-was primarily directed to Israel and centered on the offer of the earthly Messianic kingdom promised in the Old Testament. This message called the nation to repentance and faith in Jesus as the risen Messiah and King, with the expectation that if Israel as a nation responded, Christ would return and establish His kingdom on earth ( Acts 3:19-21). Peter's sermons (e.g., Acts 2 and 3) emphasized Jesus' fulfillment of prophecy, His resurrection, and His role as the promised Davidic King. The apostles preached "the gospel of the kingdom," which was consistent with what Jesus proclaimed during His earthly ministry ( Matthew 4:17; Luke 9:1-6).
However, this message was rejected by the nation of Israel, culminating in the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7. It is after this national rejection that God raised up Paul as the apostle to the Gentiles ( Acts 9; Romans 11:13). Through Paul, God revealed the "mystery" of the body of Christ-a previously hidden truth ( Ephesians 3:1-9; Colossians 1:24-27). The body of Christ is not a continuation of Israel's kingdom program but a new entity in which there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile ( Galatians 3:28). Paul's message was the gospel of the grace of God ( Acts 20:24), focused not on an earthly kingdom, but on salvation through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross, with heavenly blessings and a heavenly hope.
In summary, the kingdom message was not meant for the body of Christ. It was directed to Israel, offering a literal kingdom on earth. The body of Christ, a new creation revealed through Paul, operates under a different gospel and program-centered on grace, not law or kingdom promises.
Blessings to all!
It hurt me and reading about your family. but it can also be proof that you have a completely different spirit than they have. Then you get resistance, you see. Always resistance when the Lord can do something for us, and the people around. Because we are tested. And this is where He wants us to stand faithful in faith that what we ask for will be given to us in the name of Jesus Christ. You know that if you love someone, that love cannot just go to you. All this has to go both ways. So my advice is for breaking these troubles of yours is: Preach Jesus to all those you get resistance from. If they don't accept it, then it's none of your business. Here you should also feel in your spirit that it is the right thing to do. Remember, be as innocent as a dove and as cunning as a serpent. Cigarettes are a trouble for you and you know it: Stop it now! In Jesus' name we pray. Throw the cigarettes out of the house in Jesus' name! That's right, you have to be determined about it and believe it. Don't spare a single one. Then you will get rid of an accusing spirit. And if you think it is sin to you, then it is a sin. Maybe you think I'm cold and ugly now. But I seriously mean that you have to try this for love of Jesus. No one else should have the honor when you do something in the name of the Lord. Love u in Christ and be strong and brave. U can do it. Many ppl in the world do it every day and always give thanks to the Lord Jesus. Luke 9:51-62
Glory we are children of God, peacemakers, happy at times, simple as doves and cunning as serpents. And as the word I received today. May we remind ourselves that we do not know what the spirit can do. Jesse I have experienced so much with Jesus and He would fill the whole earth with His experiences. And I am following Him who has done so much for me. In these times I have experienced that it is important to pray for those who have been taken-away. And of course everyone else so we do what we can, not rush. Have a blessed summer and we can rejoice in the Lord, Amen in Jesus Christ.
Luke 9:51-56 All Glory to Him.
We thank you in advance for your answer to our prayers and bring thanksgiving and praise to you Lord from now on and forevermore. Amen
Luke 9:51-56
nor do they fit into a stereotype shaped by religion.
God has no exclusive contract with anyone ( Luke 9:23).
He calls, equips, and uses whomever He pleases.
It won't be long before we begin to witness a scene where
many unlikely women will rise-
we women as unlikely as the Samaritan woman.
In this chapter, I want to draw your attention to the profile
of the woman God is raising up.
Surely, we women already carry some of these qualities ( Psalm 68:11);
others, however, may need to be developed or learned.
What matters is that God knows who you are
and how He formed you.
He will place within you the desire to grow and learn
so that you may become the woman He created you to be-
the woman He had in mind when you were first formed.
This is the profile of the woman God raises.
Part - 2
So dear God in Heaven strengthen our sister "E" that she finds a place, and may live there for a time in peace and quiet to seek Your Face Lord. Turn Your ear to us and give her rest from her labor Almighty Father and creator in Jesus Christ holy Name above all other names, Amen
Praise the Lord, Love the Lord and have respect for everything God has created and fear God. Pray and be prepared, because right now it feels like you are a little off the beaten path. Pray that all the lost will come home to God. We are living in the last hour. You know it is only in God's word and through the Holy Spirit that you can be trained to become the men God wants you to be. And then it takes practice, in your practice lies boldness. Confession always remember and stand up before the Lord wherever you are. So when you have had all this work seriously, then you should also have received gifts. Spiritual Gifts 1 Corinthians 13. And where the love of God and spiritual gifts are in you, it means that then there can be no spiritual obsession other than that which works for God, Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit. The gifts you have then are so strong that you can chase out every unclean thought in your mind. As said earlier, Jesus says where such things come from. Matthew 15:19 and it is frightening for anyone who has been enlightened. Guard your heart above all else! So as a believer, I recommend you to become a believer. Stand up for yourself and confess to the world that you are a believer. I got one word for you today Luke 9:1-6 Take God'swordseriouslyandeverything willworkoutforyouasthe Lord Jesus want
ps. it's easier to read you now, thanks. Exodus 12:29-30
Please stay calm in Jesus name.
My own understanding: is that Jesus was instructing His disciples of what would be a foretaste of the coming Kingdom of God. Soon after (within a week or so), three of Jesus' disciples saw Jesus transfigured (or, transformed) revealing His Glory ( Matthew 17:1,2; Luke 9:28,29); that Glory which He would receive back after laying it aside for humanity's sake ( Philippians 2:5-9). That would have been the first taste given to His disciples of the coming Kingdom of God.
Then of course, through His Death, Resurrection & Ascension into Heaven, the disciples had further confirmation of both the Truth of Jesus' Words (while He taught them) and the institution of God's Kingdom. It is true, that what we would normally understand and expect of the Kingdom of God (i.e. when Jesus returns to the World in His second Coming) didn't happen then as it hasn't happened till now, we can still see that His disciples were given a foretaste of that coming Kingdom which would never end until Christ comes - and beyond.
They saw His Glory at the mount, they were witnesses of His resurrection ( Luke 24:24-40), and they were witnesses of His Ascension ( Luke 24:50-53). And the disciples (and also to all those who love the Lord Jesus & would serve Him), would receive power to live the Christ-centered, Christ-crucified life, declaring to all that truly God had now visited sinful man & offered him so great salvation through His Son. Yes, the Kingdom of God is potentially within all mankind ( Luke 17:20,21), where, even if those unbelieving Pharisees would only put their faith in Jesus, the reality of the God's Kingdom could also be theirs when God would do a new work in them ( Ezekiel 11:19,20). GBU.
Jesus met with Moses and Elijah who discussed His coming death (see Luke 9:31). Peter, James and John were the three that came up with Him as I mentioned earlier ( Matthew 17:1). Verse 12 indicates that Elijah had come already as a type of forerunner in the spirit or likeness as it were of John the Baptist (verse 13).
Elijah must come first before Christ returns the second time (verses 10-11; see Malachi 4:5-6). This seems to make certain that he is one of the two prophets mentioned in Revelation 11. I would argue strongly against Moses since scripture indicates he died ( Deut. 34:7) and personally my view is that the verse Hebrews 9:27 that would indicate to me that Enoch is the second prophet.
Restoring all things in the middle of the Tribulation would tie in with Romans 14 in that "all Israel will be saved". ( Romans 11:26). In one sense it is hard to fathom the invincibility and power of the two prophets that end up being killed but makes sense in light of the claim of the Beast in Revelation 13; in that those who tormented the whole earth will be killed; and this will make Antichrist seem to be superior along with his apparent resurrection. I won't get further into that for now.
Matthew 16:27-28 seems to indicate the transfiguration; but full Preterists seem to think that means Christ would return by 70 AD and somehow is here physically but hidden in plain sight. Again I won't go in length on that but will say if He is here physically it makes His claims of returning as lightning from the east to the west ( Matt. 24:27) and Revelation 19 seem to be rather insignificant not to mention the control on the insanity in the world at present would be questionable.
His countenance as the sun reminds us of John's vision in Revelation 1. We can ponder on His humanity in verse 7 when He says do not be afraid. Again this revelation He wanted kept from public domain (verse 9). Nothing was to stop His upcoming death
I would surmise there are several reasons that Jesus at this point was switching His focus in ministry from healings and casting out demons to what apparently was His only way of speaking to the crowds at this point in parables. First of all most in Israel had seen firsthand if not actually directly experienced a miracle from Jesus personally; or the Disciples and others doing things in His Name. Secondly; the time for His death was near. The message had to transition as Jesus wouldn't be with anyone including His Disciples much longer and He had to probably focus most of His attention to them so that they would be able to continue afterwards. Thirdly; the consequence after the Resurrection would be the birth of the church at Pentecost; and it was important then and thereafter to have the Word firmly rooted in His followers as persecution was about to come big time.
In light of this last reason; the concept of tares with the wheat surely would be understood soon with the betrayal of Judas Iscariot. This would work to favor God's predestined plan for Jesus to die on the cross much to Satan's rage. I am reminded of verses such as Luke 9:62 about not turning back when working the plough. This means family and even certain church members can't be controlling or manipulating us and our love for the Lord must be paramount. I look at it as being having our eyes fixed on Him and focusing our lives on eternal truths and heavenly places; still caring when we can for those in our lives and whenever possible living peaceably. Jesus demonstrates these concepts in His own life and His admonitions to keep priorities straight. I would conclude as I often say that the biggest resistance is often in our own camp so to speak. If the enemy can cause havoc to divide the church or in our personal lives then he can damage our witness. Overall as we read the Gospels we see His love but also His constant boldness in exposing evil.
My last post brought out the fact that indeed Gentiles were part of God's plan; and we can further see this in many other O.T. scriptures ( Isaiah 49:6; etc). Man's pride couldn't square the suffering servant made so clear in describing Christ's first coming in Isaiah 53 as characterizing the Messiah. They even denied that their heritage came from people that were enslaved numerous times in their history! ( John 8:33). Even if they called Him teacher being a good man wasn't enough to save them from their sins; but of course when He made such claims they called it blasphemy! ( Luke 5:21).
Let's do an introductory overview of Christ's many itineraries which He had to fulfill the purposes God intended in His ministry. Some of these things are unique to Him but certainly lessons can be learned as to how we plan our days in service to the King.
1. Doing all things the Father willed. John 5:19 perhaps sums this up the best. In His mission there was the inevitable death on the cross on His mind following a perfect sinless life; albeit brief walking on the earth for 33 or so years as the perfect Man. ( Luke 9:22 and many similar verses in the Gospels).
2. Salvation by forgiveness of sin was a theme that overrided any of His miracles; nonetheless there is no clear statement that everyone He healed became saved. (see John 8:45 with deliberate disobedience in His command not to start a media "circus" as a result of healing). It was imperative that Messiah forgive men's sins but then they would have to realize that He was indeed the "I am" ( John 8:48-59 further on in the passage of John quoted above).
3. Coming to display obedience to His family before the predestined time to reach full manhood and the onset of public ministry.
Jesus had no obligation to be obedient in this way; and it was not in order to simply give in to His parents wishes but to do God's will. He was the perfect worker; brother and son.
Multiple meanings.
If we search the Sermon on the Mount; there are several layers to the meanings. General statements of those persecuted being blessed; along with peacemakers; etc. could certainly be applied to people such as Ghandi and others who were clearly not of the Christian faith IF we take only the surface level to this. The higher concept is that only the love of Christ allows us to love our enemies unconditionally; and this is at least partly due to the fact we realize in true faith that we all were once enemies of God reconciled by the cross at Calvary as the atonement for our sins.
How many out there have been told you're a "good person". My unbelieving Aunt said that to me in regard of the care I gave to my mom and now my dad who is in a Memory Care facility; and not too happy about it. He says that I am crazy; have him imprisoned there; etc. My relatives understand that to care for him and for his safety I had to get him placed there; but this is something my unbelieving Cousin had to do for her mom who is now in Hospice Care. God did give me strength to do things but I have no inherent goodness. My Christian friend also said not to be too hard on myself and thinks highly of me. I take it as the same as being told I am a hypocrite as my mom would say to me when she was still alive; or those who cursed me when sharing the scripture with them from someone in my High School in 1982 to those on the street witnessing a few years back.
I say all this; hopefully to prove a point; that we as believers have a responsibility to care for our families but also Christ has to be our top priority. Thus; I see the very real risk of losing touch with my whole mom's side of the family who is Jewish as I don't have the heart to attend my Aunt's funeral since she isn't a believer. "let the dead bury their own dead". ( Luke 9:60).
To study scripture with open eyes we have to believe ALL scripture and not cherry pick
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. My interpetation: Blessings of restoration Romans 6:23 KJV
'For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.'
Jesus Christ is God that is forgiveness of sins.A God that is a free gift that is better then nothing(zero) I did myself too
(A God that is forgiveness of sins, A God that is a free gift. Matthew 7:7-8 KJV)
If only we would honor God's intentions he will give us authority same as position of authority.
These scriptures say and has giving me authority to believe God ( Romans 10:9-10) identifying as Christian. Luke 9:1 KJV, Luke 10:19 KJV
Luke 9:1 KJV
Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
Luke 10:19 KJV
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Me being Christian and honoring God has blessed me with authority&restoration by spending time with God, prayer, worship, gratitude, using my God-given gifts,talents,abilities to serve others. Making God number one in my heart.Being generous,treating others with dignity.
My identity being Christian helped me in life listening to God ( John 10:18 KJV) honoring God is symbolic of both a literal and spiritual kingdom.
John10:18 KJV
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
9/8/24AMEN
Interpetation and Word spoken by REDAPPLETREATY4MEONLY
Luke 9:60 - Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
I want to point something out here because Luke 9:59 in our English text would lead us to believe that this man's father had died, which is not the case
And then we get to this verse, and Jesus wouldn't even let him bury his father. That is kind of tough! Well, we know from the scriptures, in Deuteronomy 21:23, it tells us that once a person died, they had to be buried before sunset, on the day of the death.
So, if this man's father had already died, he would not be out listening to the teachings of Jesus. He would be attending the funeral and burying his father.
But rather, as Matthew's account tells us, that the phrase itself in the Greek text represents the Hebraism, that basically says "let me go back until my father dies so I get my inheritance."
You see, in those days you stayed around the house. And when the father died, then you took over the business, and you took over the estate.
And what he what he saying is "I'm really not free to leave. I have got some financial interests that I cannot leave. You see if I leave now, I leave all my inheritance, and so I can't do that!"
Do you understand what's happening here? Jesus is fixed towards Jerusalem. He is telling the disciples that you get fixed on Jesus and you follow Him.
But look at all the things that challenge that relationship. You have got conveniences. You've got, "Gee, I have waited my whole life to get the inheritance from my father, and now Jesus is asking me to follow Him, and if I do, I am going to lose all that inheritance." Yup! Let the spiritual dead bury their own dead. You go preach the Kingdom!
Luke 9:31 - Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.
Literally, the Greek word for decease is the word exodus. It's the word death. It's the same word used in Hebrews 11:20 to talk about the children of Israel and their exodus out of Egypt. That's exactly what this word is supposed to make a reference to. The Lord's exodus is the fulfillment of the exodus in the Old Testament.
Luke 9:51 - And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem! The word steadfastly in the Greek means a fixed established position. When it was time to go and die, Jesus was fixed to go to Jerusalem. You couldn't get Him off track.
Luke 9:3 - And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.
The word staves mean walking sticks. And scrip means money bag.
Luke 9:26 - For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.
The word ashamed in Greek means to withdraw. That is what people do when they are ashamed or embarrassed, they kind of withdraw. So, Jesus says you withdraw from me and my word, when you stand before me in judgment, I will withdraw from you.
Luke 9:29 - And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.
Now here's where the Greek text really brings out the meaning of this verse:
And as he was praying, the fashion, (literally outward appearance), of his countenance, or face, was altered. Here in the Greek text, it just uses the word HETEROS. His face became different.
But even with the Greek word HETEROS, meaning different in kind than He was before. It wasn't a physical change. It was a physical change into a Spiritual change.
Matthew uses the word METAMORPHOSIS, meaning completely transformed. So, he went from the physical to the Spiritual. And then it says about His clothing, it says that His raiment, or His clothing was white and glistering.
The Greek word for glistering represents emitting a light, not reflecting but emitting. The light was actually coming out from Him. And it is the word that is used to describe lightening.
So, you can imagine what the scene was like. It was not reflected light. It was not a spotlight coming out of heaven to shine on Jesus. He was literally transformed into His body of glory in front of them.
At this point we have belief; and in order to confess with our mouth and believe in our heart we have to also do a public act of identification and show how we are dying to ourself. Jesus made it clear that if we are ashamed of Him He will be ashamed of us when He comes with His Holy angels ( Luke 9:26; following Luke 9:25 about gaining the world and losing one's soul). I would identify Baptism as being associated with belief and therefore in conjunction with it but immediately after true faith is established. Any church in good standing would ensure a person believes before submitting to the authority of Christ and symbolically being part of the Body of Christ; dead buried and raised with Him.
Believing as the initial step must be more than a mental affirmation of Christ as Lord for even the demons believe and under compulsion everyone on heaven and earth will bow in submission to this fact. To be our Lord and Savior also means a change of who our master is; rather than the god of this world Jesus is our true Master. There are actions therefore that must accompany any true profession of faith; albeit rare circumstances like the thief on the cross who didn't have time to be baptized.
There is no good reason when it can be done to wait; then one has to doubt the sincerity of one's profession.
I would say believing and being born again are pretty much simultaneous; therefore AFTER repentance and remittance from sin with Baptism to follow.
Luke 22:36 states: Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
Luke 9:54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
I am not going to take this posting to decide to support one viewpoint over the other as to having a weapon of protection or relying just on prayer. I will simply state that different circumstances may merit different approaches. I also will add that in the case of the passage in Luke; we are looking at defending ourselves along paths where dangerous criminals tend to hang out so that long term travel after the Lord went to heaven would necessitate this wisdom at times according to Christ. When it comes to the government; we don't see any evidence in scripture in the New Testament of active resistance but just one or two occasions when Paul appealed his beatings as a Roman citizen; which probably was primarily to continue to allow others in the same position as himself to continue to preach the Gospel for a time.
We also see that in the church age the Lord works differently then in other times. When Elijah comes as one of the two end time prophets he and the other prophet WILL indeed cause fire to come down and kill anyone resisting them. We have; therefore the final dispensation that the Lord will use signs and wonders gifts; the complete fulfillment of Joel 2 started at the time of Pentecost. (sorry about that d word it isn't necessarily favored by some but I don't know a better way of describing two such distinct periods of time)
We also see a difference; of course with the Tribulation saints who say "how long" until vengeance is given for their martyrdom ( Rev. 6:10). I am sure that since the death of all saints is precious in His sight ( Psalm 116:15) all martyrs are avenged.
There is no doubt that this series of posts is going to generate a lot of buzz; and some major backlash. I can only be as transparent as I can in regard to my past experience when it seemed I sensed the presence of my grandmother who now has been gone the better part of 40 years. I had a quick dream for a few seconds the night before she passed with me telling her she was about to stand before God. As far as I know she was unsaved. Even if there was some last minute repentance it isn't something I would have known about her. There was much surrounding her in terms of possessions and photos and things that I cannot have as keepsakes.
Again; for those who are saved it is in the new identity as a believer that one becomes part of the Body of Christ; this takes us from what in some sense is Satan's body; if not his dominion ( Eph. 2:2). To the lost world it would seem we lose our freedom; and our individuality in such an identity where we die to our old self. But there are many facets like a jewel which we are compared to in Malachi 3:17; the Lord has made us to uniquely minister in and through Him and we shall rule and reign with Him as well.
I did want to say if anyone is still reading this at this point that I believe children before they can understand sin will by God's grace enter heaven. Also when considering the only scriptural example we have of a lost man in hades; we see how he wanted to warn his family not to go there; hence we should in that sense be further emboldened to share the Gospel.
I am not here to try to convince anyone to think this way. On one hand Jesus said "let the dead bury their own dead" ( Luke 9:60); on the other hand someone who compassionately has taken care of a rebel all their life who passes certainly can mourn.
It is only when such a loss keeps us stunted permanently in our growth in God that we need to step back to evaluate ourselves.
Genesis 18 involves a conversation with the Lord (likely the incarnate Christ) about the fate of Sodom. Since technically a conversation with God is a prayer (but these days God doesn't appear and have interaction with us in that way) it can be said this is a prayer. The discussion itself was more of a "tit for tat" inquiry or inquisition as it were. This "testing" of God of course can be a dangerous thing; but we must keep in mind first and foremost Lot would have been on his mind; particularly in light of the destruction to come announced by the two angels who had just departed to see what was going on on the ground as it were.
Since Abraham was not privy to God delivering FROM disaster at this point and perhaps was too afraid to state the obvious he whittled down a righteous total to 10 and stopped; with God assuring him that the city would remain if 10 righteous people could be found. Perhaps he was counting on the son in laws if he was aware of them; the same ones who would ridicule the angels when the message was dellivered. He may have also thought SURELY SOMEONE else besides Lot and his immediate family would be justified; perhaps being as removed as he was from the wholesale depravity that had become the lifestyle of everyone in Sodom. He was desperate; no doubt. What he didn't realize; of course is that he stopped just ABOVE the true number of righteous there; in fact Lot's wife would famously turn back and Luke 9:62 seems a fitting epitaph for this pathetic woman who turned into a pillar of salt.
In this case; of course we had a pagan nation God had determined was time to destroy. We see a similar request of intercession after the idolotry in Exodus 32. Moses interceded in verses 11-13 and God relented. We might say that he THROUGH the power of the Spirit interceded and Christ would have foreseen through his future atonement how to cover their sin. This shows the mystery of the Godhead.
the dead know nothing at all must be read in its context." For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion./For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten." Dead and the living. For to him (Christ) that is joined to all the living there is hope. (Jesus Christ-"I am the Life") Those who have found life know there is a physical death. Hence they keep themselves pure unspotted from the world. They are like the tree planted by the river (Ps.1) and their hope is like an anchor. Jesus explained who the dead are. Luke 9:60 The dead may be workaholic, socially active, volunteers to every politically correct causes.But after soul is cast to hell there would be no remembrance and tey are blotted out of the book of life and book of the lamb. A woman who lives in pleasure is dead.
"And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us./ But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me./For he that is not against us is on our part." Lucan gospel also gives this incident.( Luke 9:48-50)
Principle of Association is reconciling all things in heaven and on earth. "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;/And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."(Col.1:10) The Mind of Christ is to see in his light so his name is preeminent whether persons places or events, whichever is named is subject to him. For this reason he rebuked Peter who was viewing his master as one who must be protected from all harm. "Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men."(7:33)
Jesus Christ was anointed the Christ above all others." Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre./Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."(Ps.45:6-7) As a Son he chose all those who were called and as the Son of man he made manifest grace and truth. So he would after transfiguring before the three disciple tell them, "And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead."(v.9)
The disciples did not understand its significance. They had to go a longway in their discipleship.
I'm Jesus Name I claim souls for the Kingdom.
Greetings in Christ JESUS
No, both ARE NOT the same person, of course, that theory is of spiritism, spiritists believe in reincarnation. What GOD made was to give the same spirit of Elijah to John the Baptist, by the way, John was/is an angel of the Lord, he was born by the Word of GOD, I mean by prophecy, according Isaiah 4O and Malachi 3.
By your better understanding, GOD had made the same with Elisha. 2Kings 13-15
13 Elisha took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord GOD of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
Luke 9:29-30
29 And as JESUS prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistering.
30 And, behold, there talked with Him two men, which were Moses and Elijah:
31 Who appeared IN GLORY, and spake of His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem.
GOD bless