Showing posts with label englishtexts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label englishtexts. Show all posts

Tuesday 29 June 2010

Focus on Charles Taze Russell

http://ctr.reslight.net/
Focus on the Biblestudent Russell who was not the founder of Jehovah’s Witnesses, nor did ever believe in such an authoritarian organization.

Wednesday 23 December 2009

Christ begotten through the power of the Holy Spirit

Christ was begotten by the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. Unlike human beings, He had no physical father. What we can glean from this event, however, is that the Holy Spirit is the means by which the Father begets His sons. Just as Christ was begotten by the Father, Christians also are begotten by Him. The only difference is that Christians are begotten outside the womb. We do not possess the Holy Spirit until after baptism (Acts 2:38). Once we are baptised and receive the Holy Spirit, we become begotten sons of God.

It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that God teaches us: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, [it] shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). “Howbeit when [it], the Spirit of truth, is come, [it] will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13).

A mind without the Holy Spirit cannot comprehend spiritual things and has no hope of understanding God’s Word — the Bible. It is only through the indwelling of the Spirit that one is able to understand the mind of God. Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 2:9-16.

The above scriptures, including 1 Corinthians 2:9-16, can be summarized in the following way: Those who are being guided by the Holy Spirit can understand spiritual things, and those who are not being led by the Holy Spirit cannot understand — it is impossible! Just as you cannot know the thoughts and ways of another man, neither can you know the thoughts and ways of God. If one could somehow “project” his spirit into the mind of another person, then he could know that person’s thoughts. In a sense, it could be said that the “projection” of God’s Spirit into our minds is what allows us to comprehend “the things of God.”

The Holy Spirit also strengthens Christians in a number of important ways. It describes how God’s Spirit directly empowers — strengthens — those who have it: “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…” (Ephesians 3:16-20).

Christ gives His servants the strength needed to overcome what could be called the three “S’s”—self, Satan and society, which are the three things that produce a fourth “S,” sin. All real overcoming is done by the power of the Holy Spirit. Just as Christ could only overcome by the Father dwelling within Him through the Spirit, it is through that Spirit dwelling within a person, that overcoming anything spiritual is made possible.

Clearly the Spirit is not a person, but it is the action and the power. You must be willing to admit that the realm of traditional Christianity (and the world in general) has remained ignorant of what the Holy Spirit is. Naturally, this has directly contributed to why the nature of God so completely escapes their comprehension.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Christus verwekt door de Kracht van de Heilige Geest

Wednesday 7 October 2009

The days are coming

"When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will show myself holy through them in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD."
Ezekiel 39:27-29

Mosaic of the 12 Tribes of Israel. From Givat ...
Mosaic of the 12 Tribes of Israel. From Givat Mordechai synagogue wall in Jerusalem. Top row, right to left: Reuben, Judah, Dan, Asher Middle: Simeon, Issachar, Naphtali, Joseph Bottom: Levi, Zebulun, Gad, Benjamin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

"The days are coming," declares the LORD, when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them, says the LORD your God."
Amos 9:13-15

"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. The days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess, says the LORD."
Jeremiah 30:2-3

"Hear the word of the LORD, O nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd."
Jeremiah 31:10

"I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before."
Jeremiah 33:7

"I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms."
Ezekiel 37:21-22

"Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind."
Ezekiel 39:28

"I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in."
Romans 11:25

"I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."
Matthew 5:18

"... I can tell you that for the first time in the history of the Jewish people since the Second Temple period, in the next decade and a half the majority of the Jewish people will live in the Jewish land. If this is not the materialisation of prophecy, then nothing is."
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
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Feast of the Tabernacles Conference
English: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright...
English: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (C), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (R) in Houghton House at the Wye River Conference Center, during the Wye River Memorandum talks עברית: מזכירת המדינה מדלן אולברייט (מרכז), ראש ממשלת ישראל בנימין נתניהו (שמאל) ויו"ר הראשות הפלסטינית יאסר ערפאת בשיחות לקראת הסכם ואי. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(International Christian Embassy)
October 5, 1998
+++
2013 udate

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Wednesday 26 August 2009

God receives us on the basis of our faith

"In the sight of God all are sinners and their goodness is inadequate to justify them in His presence. There is only one standard of righteousness, holiness and justice, and that is God’s standard, and God will not at any time compromise that standard in order to accommodate the fickleness of men and women. Sin today is no less sinful than it was in the days of Noah or Eve. God has not evolved from a God who hates sin to a God who merely overlooks it. Human goodness compared with God’s standard of righteousness is stunted and impoverished. It is no good coming to God with our ‘scorecard’ which testifies that we are decent people, we pay our debts and never harm our neighbours. In the context of respectability this may be important, but in the context of salvation it is paltry. Our bit of righteousness is no passport to God’s favour. The Bible teaches that we have to repudiate our own withered morality and confess that we do not measure up to God’s standard. This is called Repentance.

Since men and women cannot be received on the basis of their natural goodness, which is inadequate and unfair, God receives them on the basis of their faith. The faith they show is counted by Him as righteousness. This is the great doctrine of justification by faith and explains why it is impossible to come to God faithless, and why those who come must believe. In order to show how the great principle operates the Apostle Paul takes the case of one man, Abraham. Abraham received certain promises from God which, at the time they were spoken, appeared, humanly speaking, to be impossible of fulfilment. But Abraham had faith in the promises in spite of adverse appearances and God counted this for righteousness:

"He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Romans 4:20-25).

Paul insists that the principles which operated in the case of Abraham are true for every man who will come to God for salvation."

-------
Dennis Gillett
One Bible, Many Churches - Does it Matter What We Believe?

Thursday 20 August 2009

2001 Translation an American English Bible

Next to the already existent English translations of the Aramaic
The 2001 Translation uses Jehovah because a.o. they found it in many Hebrew writings and because they questioned whether the use of God’s Name was considered as offensive prior to Jerusalem’s destruction by the Roman armies (70-C.E.).(יהוה Jehovah not in the form κύριος [Lord]) [Yahweh (yah-h-Wĕh), Yahwah (yah-h-Wah), or Yehwah (yĕh-h-Wah)] It is a translation of the Bible, written in the commonly spoken vernacular of our time, which doesn’t follow the written rules of fifty or one hundred years ago. That isn’t a radical departure for the Bible, since the early disciples of Jesus wrote their words in the ‘common’ Aramaic (and Greek) of their day, and they spoke it with a Galilean accent (see Matthew 26:73). But their goal was to produce a Bible that is easy and pleasing to read, while conveying a very accurate meaning. the added words to make a sentence easy to read are put in brackets [ ] as in the New World Translation. So you can straight ahaid see what is been added to the text.
 
Another unique feature of this Bible is that in portions that were originally written in a poetic style (such as the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, etc.), they have tried to maintain the original richness of the texts by translating them poetically wherever possible. This has required some rearrangement, as well as additions and deletions of extraneous words, but you will find that they hope to have faithfully maintained the meanings of the texts.

It is strange that for their English version they based it on the Septuagint of which they could not find an accurate and easy-to-read English text.  They say that no one by them was qualified to translate the Hebrew and Aramaic texts  (their expertise being ancient Greek), though for the Dutch translation Egbert Nierop uses the Aramaic. This gives naturally a big difference between the English and Dutch translation of the same website.
 
For the English version they say: Its content is the work of more than fifty online contributors, and the dedicated efforts a few translators and editors who have spent more than fifteen-thousand hours (to date) in creating this enormous work, and whose only interest is in helping others to understand what the Bible truly says.

The New Testament from the Aramaic in Dutch:> Peshitta in Dutch

Example of translation: Exodus 6:2-4
http://www.2001translation.com/Exodus.htm 2 And God said to Moses: ‘I am Jehovah… 3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I was their God. However, I didn’t show them My Name Jehovah, 4 when I established My Sacred Agreement with them [and promised] to give them the land of the CanaAnites… the land they were visiting and living in as strangers.

Thursday 13 August 2009

Biblical Ambiguity on Death?

Biblical Ambiguity on Death?

The claim is made that on the fundamental issue as to what happens after death, the Bible is totally ambiguous.
...
The Bible is very plain in its statement that the “dead don’t know anything” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) and that all of us, good or bad, are on our way to the Bible hell, where “there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom.” (Ecclesiastes 9:1-3,10)

Wednesday 12 August 2009

God has visited His people

On one of the forums I am debating I was presented the following:

Ahem*

Luke 6:11

Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Naim; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.
Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

Just sayin'.
I replied:
Luke 6:16: Lu 7:16 Now everyone was overcome with fear and they began to glorify the God, saying: “A great prophet has been raised up among us, and The God has visited His People!” (MHM)
Lu 7:16 All were awe-struck, and they gave glory to God—some saying, "A Prophet, a great Prophet, has risen up among us." Others said, "God has not forgotten His People." (Williams)
‘God did look upon His people.’ (YLT), and God has turned his face towards his people." (Phil), "God has given thought to his people." (BBE), “God has come to help his people.” (Cjb), "God has taken care of his people." (GWV)


“God has visited His people.” or in a few more translations: "God has seen his people" or "God has taken care of His people" / looked back (HSVNTPS in translation) (WV 95) (Afr) "payed attention" (LEI) "and God looked back at His ecclesia" (NB) "and God cared about Hs people" (Nbv) "and God looked mercifully down at his people" (Willibrord 78), "Looked in grace" (AlbNT), "Today we have seen what God can do" (Book) "God has taken care of his people" (GNB)

Like in Luke 5 people were astonished and praised God. It is because a prophet has come down, or a spokesman from God that they can say that it was the God who came unto them. In other translations it is clear that they agreed that it was God who looked at them (from there: "joined them")

God did not forget them and send them a prophet. God also has visited the people because it was God who raised the dead boy. Jesus did not claim that he raised him from the dead. Because God had done that, He really came to join His people. 

-_-_-

Who can help me further out with answers?

+++
2013 update:



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The Real Christ

"The Real Christ"

Hard copies of this book are now available from Carelinks representatives in the UK, USA and Australia. You can view the text online and see ordering details at
www.realchrist.info . The book seeks to not only deconstruct Trinitarian and 'pre-existence' thinking but to positively present a picture of who the Lord Jesus really was and is as a personality.

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Friday 17 July 2009

Engelse Linken

Hieronder kan u enkele linken naar doorverwijzingspagina's vinden aangaande verschillende thema's:

The administrator of Restoration Light Bible Discussions created tinyurls which can also be of interest for you: (we thank him for his work)

1 Thessalonians 5:23
http://tinyurl.com/rl-1thess5-23

age to come
http://tinyurl.com/rl-agetocome

Armageddon
http://tinyurl.com/ctr-armageddon

deity
http://tinyurl.com/rl-deity

end of world
http://tinyurl.com/rl-endofworld

ehyeh
http://tinyurl.com/rl-ehyeh

faithful and wise servant
http://tinyurl.com/rl-fws

firstborn creature
http://tinyurl.com/rl-firstborncreature

Gentile Times
http://tinyurl.com/rl-gentiletimes

God of Abraham
http://tinyurl.com/rl-godofabraham

hades sheol
http://tinyurl.com/rl-hades-sheol

hellenistic
http://tinyurl.com/rl-hellenistic

Holy Name
http://tinyurl.com/rl-holyname

John 1:1
http://tinyurl.com/rl-john1-1

John 8:58
http://tinyurl.com/rl-john8-58

John 10:30
http://tinyurl.com/rl-john10-30

judgment day
http://tinyurl.com/rljudgmentday


kosmos
http://tinyurl.com/rl-kosmos

kurios
http://tinyurl.com/rl-kurios

last day
http://tinyurl.com/rl-lastday

lake of fire
http://tinyurl.com/rl-lofire

miracle wheat
http://tinyurl.com/rl-mwheat

new covenant
http://tinyurl.com/rl-newcovenant

pas all things
http://tinyurl.com/rl-pas-all-things

ransom for all
http://tinyurl.com/her-ransomforall

resurrection judgment
http://tinyurl.com/rl-resurrectionjudgment

second death
http://tinyurl.com/rl-seconddeath

soul dies
http://tinyurl.com/rl-souldies


Universalism
http://tinyurl.com/her-universalism

===============================
AGS-CONSULTING

accountable for sin: http://tinyurl.com/ags-accountabilitysin

denominationalism: http://tinyurl.com/ags-denominationalism

future probation: http://tinyurl.com/ags-futureprobation

Gentile Times
http://tinyurl.com/ags-gentiletimes

sectarianism: http://tinyurl.com/ags-sectarianism

Wednesday 22 April 2009

Russell himself never claimed to be a prophet.

Charles Taze Russell (although he stated his views firmly as his beliefs) was never dogmatic about his beliefs on chronology and time prophecy, nor did he demand of the Bible Students associated with him or anyone else accept his beliefs.
 His statements were:
“Our own views are not prophecy, but interpretations of the holy prophets of old.” (Watch Tower, October 1890, page 8)
“Neither must you lean upon the DAWN and the TOWER as infallible teachers. If it was proper for the early Christians to prove what they received from the apostles, who were and who claimed to be inspired, how much more important it is that you fully satisfy yourself that these teachings keep closely within their outline instructions and those of our Lord; — since their author claims no inspiration, but merely the guidance of the Lord, as one used of him in feeding his flock.” (”The Watch Tower”, June, 1893)
...
What one will not find anywhere in Russell’s writings is that he claimed that his writings were a direct revelation from God, or that his predictions were directly from God.

> Read full article >Did Russell Claim Direct Revelation From God?

Saturday 11 April 2009

Risen With Him

RISEN WITH HIM

“If you then are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God.” - Col. 3:1

      Soon the whole Western world will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Such a celebration will call for inspiring music, altars decked with lilies, and sermons from pulpits proclaiming the victory of life over death. The pageantry of Easter attracts millions to their respective churches. Unfortunately, a day or two later, all will be more or less forgotten by most in their renewed pursuit of the various needs, wants, and ambitions of this present life.

      Nevertheless, to every true believer, the death and resurrection of our Lord is a very fundamental truth, for it holds a promise of eternal life. “As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Christ’s resurrection is therefore the guarantee of our resurrection. The Apostle Paul, in this connection, prayed that the eyes of our understanding be enlightened in order that we might understand and appreciate the superlative height and glory to which we are called, a call to glory, honor and immortality (Romans 2:7).

      The resurrection of our Lord, then, is significant to us, for it is a reminder of the glorious hope, based on precious promises, of one day living and reigning with the Lord in His Kingdom and being with Him for all eternity. This should stimulate us to set our affections on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. It should cause us to focus our eyes of faith steadily on this lovely vision, being the  goal of our lives, despite the afflictions, setbacks, disappointments, and losses, which befall all the children of God.

      What does it mean to be “risen with Christ?”  This means that we are now dead to self, and are alive as new creatures in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17). We are walking in a newness of life (Rom. 6:4). Col. 1:12, 13 tell us, “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.”

      This,  then,  is the Easter message to us who are  following  in the footsteps of our beloved Master.  Remembering  His  resurrection increases our faith and brightens our hope, and thus the things of this earth become dim in our sight and unattractive to us. Thus inspired, we seek first and foremost the Kingdom of God and its righteousness. We redeem the time that God has allocated us and remind ourselves of the Apostle Peter’s words, “What manner of  persons ought you to be in all conduct and godliness?” (2 Pet. 3:11), seeing that we are risen with Christ and are seeking to lay up all our treasures in heaven and are no longer concerned for the things of this earth.  

      Let us also remember that one of the first instructions that the angel gave the women who had come to the tomb was to go and tell others the Good News that He was no longer dead, but risen (Matthew 28:7). What a great and wonderful message it was for them to share this “good news” with the others.

      The Risen Lord tells His disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). This command is still in effect today and thus it is still appropriate for us to carry this wondrous message near and far. The joy, which the knowledge of the Risen Lord brings to our hearts, will be greatly increased if we share these glad tidings with others. Yes, our Master is still saying to His disciples, you and me, “Go…and tell.”  Are we doing this for Him? If we have been slack in sharing the Good News, why not make a fresh start, beginning with this Easter Sunday? There could be no better time.
                                                                                           G. Boccaccio
So Send I You
“…As the Father hath sent Me, so send I you.” - John 20:21

                        So send I you to bind the bruised and broken,
                        O’er wand’ring souls to work, to weep, to wake,
                        To beat the burdens of a world so weary,
                        So send I you to know My love alone.
                          So send I you to hearts made hard by hatred,
                        To eyes made blind because they will not see,
                        To spend, though it be blood, to spend and spare not
                        So send I you ~ to taste of Calvary.
                                                                            E. Margaret Clarkson

From
Christian Millennial Fellowship's
New Creation Magazine
A Herald of Christ's Kingdom

Friday 27 March 2009

Preferring to be a Christian





What more can I wish than that, while my brief term on earth shall last, I should be the servant of Him who became the Servant of servants for me?
I can say, concerning Christ's religion, if I had to die like a dog, and had no hope whatever of immortality, if I wanted to lead a happy life, let me serve my God with all my heart; let me be follower of Jesus, and walk in His footsteps. If there were no hereafter, I would still prefer to be a Christian, and the humblest Christian minister, to being a king or an emperor, for I am persuaded there are more delights in Christ, yea, more joy in one glimpse of His face than is to be found in all the praises of this harlot-world, and in all the delights which it can yield to us in its sunniest and brightest days. And I am persuaded that what He has been till now, He will be to the end, and where He had begun a good work, He will carry it on.


In the religion of Jesus Christ, there are clusters even on earth too heavy for one man to carry; there are fruits that have been found so rich that even angel lips have never been sweetened with more luscious wine; there are joys to be had here so fair that even cates ambrosial and the nectared wine of Paradise can scarcely excel the sweets of satisfaction that are to be found in the earthly banquets of the Lord. I have seen hundreds and thousands who have given their hearts to Jesus, but I never did see one who said he was disappointed with Him, I never met with one who said Jesus Christ was less than He was declared to be. 

When first my eyes beheld Him, when the burden slipped from off my heavy-laden shoulders, and I was free from condemnation, I thought that all the preachers I had ever heard had not half preached, they had not told half the beauty of my Lord and Master. So good! so generous! so gracious! so willing to forgive! It seemed to me as if they had almost slandered Him; they painted His likeness, doubtless, as well as they could, but it was a mere smudge compared with the matchless beauties of His face. All who have ever seen Him will say the same. I go back to my home, many a time, mourning that I cannot preach my Master even as I myself know Him, and what I know of Him is very little compared with the matchlessness of His grace. Would that I knew more of Him, and that I could tell it out better!

Charles Spurgeon

 
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2013 update:

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Tuesday 24 March 2009

Times of the Gentiles

Ronald of the
Restoration Light Bible Study Services
gives an answer to the question:
What is the times of the Gentiles?

By the term "Gentile Times," many Bible students in general understand Jesus to refer to the times, or years, in which the Gentile kingdoms were to be permitted to rule the world, and demonstrate whether they could bring universal peace and blessing. The Gentile Times began 2520 years ago,
when God took away the typical kingdom from the family of David. He then declared that He would overturn it until Messiah should come, and set up the antitypical Kingdom of God. - Ezekiel 21:26,27.


These Gentile Times should not be confused with the 2 1/2 times spoken of in Revelation. The book of Revelation is not speaking of the physical Jerusalem, but it is speaking symbolically. Generally speaking, many Bible Students believe that the Gentile Times began in 607 BC (606 BC counted as whole years from autumn to autumn) and ended in 1914 AD, a period of 2520 years, "seven times" (7 X 360, twice the 2 and a half times of the book of Revelation).

Some studies on this, two from Russell, and an extended study by Julian Gray (see his studies on the Gentile Times):

http://www.agsconsulting.com/htdbv5/htdb0088.htm
http://www.agsconsulting.com/htdbv5/r5328.htm
http://tinyurl.com/d9xe7r

Brother David Rice uses a different chronology, but still has the Gentile Times ending in 1914.

http://www.heraldmag.org/olb/contents/doctrine/time.pdf

Christian love,
Ronald

Babylon is fallen

A Woman Rides the Beast - Dave Hunt

Are you missing half the story about the last days?

Most of the discussion of the end times focuses on the coming Antichrist - but he is only half the story. Many are amazed to discover in Revelation 17 that there is also another mysterious character at the heart of prophecy - a woman who rides the beast. Who is the woman? Tradition says she is connected with the church of Rome. But isn't such a view outdated? After all, today's Vatican is eager to join hands with evangelicals [unchanging Rome has changed again] and all religions worldwide. "The Catholic church has changed." is what we hear. Or has it? In "A Woman Rides the Beast", biblical truth and global events present a well - defined portrait of the woman and her powerful place in the Antichrist's future empire. At least ten remarkable clues in Revelation 17 and 18 prove the woman's identity beyond any reasonable doubt.

 The Berean Call PO Box 7019 Bend OR 97708-7019
www.thebereancall.org
Orders only 1-800-937-6638
Uploaded by permission from The Berean Call.


Tuesday 24 February 2009

Your Sins Are Forgiven

In a sense it is true that none could forgive sins but God alone, except as his
anointed and authorized agent and representative, and in his appointed way.  The divinely appointed way for the cancellation of sins was by means of the ransom as the legal settlement of the penalty, and faith in Christ the Redeemer.  — Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22; 1 Timothy 2:5,6.
The forgiveness of sins was one thing, and the healing was another; and Luke’s words as recorded in Luke 5:17 lets us know that the same divine authority that was necessary to the forgiveness of sins was also necessary to the healing; and that if the forgiveness of sins was blasphemy, so also was the healing.
...
It will be observed that all the healings performed by our Lord were both instantaneous and complete, showing the fullness of his authority and power, and they included the worst forms of disease — leprosy, paralysis, blindness from birth, and even awakenings from death.
...
And God had given authority to Christ to forgive sins.

> Find more at the RL Weekly Bible Lessons 'Your Sins Are Forgiven'

A study of Luke 5:17-26.

You may view the latest post at
http://lessons.reslight.net/?p=130

Wednesday 4 February 2009

Antichrist

Consider what John as well as Peter had to say about such false Christs or "anti-Christs"


(1 John 2:18-21) 18 Young children, it is the last hour, and, just as YOU have heard that antichrist is coming, even now there have come to be many antichrists; from which fact we gain the knowledge that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of our sort; for if they had been of our sort, they would have remained with us. But [they went out] that it might be shown up that not all are of our sort. 20 And YOU have an anointing from the holy one; all of YOU have knowledge. 21 I write YOU, not because YOU do not know the truth, but because YOU know it, and because no lie originates with the truth.

(1 John 4:2-3) 2 YOU gain the knowledge of the inspired expression from God by this: Every inspired expression that confesses Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh originates with God, 3 but every inspired expression that does not confess Jesus does not originate with God. Furthermore, this is the antichrist’s [inspired expression] which YOU have heard was coming, and now it is already in the world.

(2 Peter 2:1-3) 2 However, there also came to be false prophets among the people, as there will also be false teachers among YOU. These very ones will quietly bring in destructive sects and will disown even the owner that bought them, bringing speedy destruction upon themselves. 2 Furthermore, many will follow their acts of loose conduct, and on account of these the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively. 3 Also, with covetousness they will exploit YOU with counterfeit words. But as for them, the judgment from of old is not moving slowly, and the destruction of them is not slumbering.

It appears the "signs and wonders" are such that some within the congregation, as well as without, will listen to them. Their teaching and exposition of belief seems to be from God. Yet their message is  really opposed to what God wishes taught and practiced.

Think of the larger churches that attract so many today. They come from among those claiming to be Christ's brothers or "Christianity"
. They are not cults or sects that have no claim of fellowship or brotherhood with Christians.

We can see a first century example here:

(Revelation 2:14-16) 14 “‘Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, that you have there those holding fast the teaching of Ba´laam, who went teaching Ba´lak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication. 15 So you, also, have those holding fast the teaching of the sect of Nic·o·la´us likewise. 16 Therefore repent. If you do not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will war with them with the long sword of my mouth.

Tuesday 27 January 2009

The Conclusion of the System of Things

Travelingman wrote:

One day, "while (Jesus) was sitting upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately, saying: "Tell us, When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?" (Mt. 24:3)

Many who are familiar with this account know that Jesus didn't simply give them a date as to when the conclusion of the system of things would be. That is because at that time, "concerning that day and hour nobody (knew), neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father." (Mt. 24:36)

But in the following scriptures, Jesus did give signs that would show the time period of "the sign of (his) presence and of the conclusion of the system of things." Many of these signs we are all aware of: "earthquakes", "food shortages", "increasing of lawlessness", the preaching of the good news of the kingdom in all the inhabited earth, etc. All of these signs we have seen in significance in the time that we live in.

However, one of the signs that Jesus foretold then, I have not noticed in a significant measure and yet it was one sign that not only did Jesus mention first of all, but twice:

4 "And in answer Jesus said to them: "Look out that nobody misleads YOU; 5 for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, `I am the Christ,' and will mislead many."
And:

23"Then if anyone says to YOU, `Look! Here is the Christ,' or, `There!' do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones.
I realize that there have been false prophets and false Christs in recent memory. But they have only been small-time crack-pots who have in sporadic incidents, misled only a relatively few people. Yet, Jesus foretold "many" being mislead, giving "great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones".
Am I merely placing more importance to this sign that is necessary, or is this a sign that we will see more prominently in the future?

To wich I reply:

Mr. Moon says he is the returned Christ, and he has a lot of followers all over the world. Followers are commonly referred to as the Moonies (after the cult's founder and leader, Sun Myung Moon). Some followers object to the name, claiming it is meant as an insult. However, the name was coined and used by members of the Unification Church itself.Currently the Unification Church goes by the name "Association of Families for Unification and World Peace," or "Family Federation for World Peace and Unification." However, the Unification Church operates under numerous names and business fronts.

I agree all other strange people who said they were the Lord, had just local followers, though some of them got also up to 2500 followers or more.

Paul Leonard writes:
The word "Christ" is the same as "anointed". You could say that many will claim to be anointed or the FDS. Basically all churches say they are "anointed/born again" and used by God. However this could be specific to the evil slave or apostate anointed as well.

Sunday 4 January 2009

Gaza in Bible Prophecy

Does Gaza have a significant role to play at the "time of the end"?

As if there were not enough problems in the world to occupy the minds of its inhabitants, such as widespread economic woes, cholera in Zimbabwe, the consequences of climate change and the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, there is now the spectacle of escalating violence in the Middle East.
Israel has been bombarded by thousands of Qassam missiles from Gaza, the first being fired in 2001. However, since the Israeli communities of Gaza were destroyed and the Jews forcibly removed in 2005, the missile fire has become much worse.
...
At this time many may be wondering what kind of role, if any, Gaza may play in Bible prophecy. Gaza or the Philistines is featured in "the word of the Yahweh which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles", starting in Jeremiah in 46. Gaza is mentioned in chapter 47. However, this is not a latter day prophecy.

The Philistines are listed in Psalm 83 as one of the groups that say: "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance." The Psalm is very clear that this campaign ends in the destruction and desolation of these nations. They are to become as "dung for the earth", "as stubble before the wind", they are to be filled with shame and the Psalmist says: "Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish". From this Psalm we definitely cannot expect the Gazians to have any great victories over Israel, rather we can expect them to be put to shame. Psalm 83 is a Psalm of Asaph and makes special reference to the "children of Lot". This is strongly connected with 2 Chronicles 20 where the children of Lot - Moab and Ammon - along with Mount Seir attack Judah. The victory is lead by Jahaziel a son of Asaph who with the singers goes before the army and takes up a refrain from a Psalm of Asaph in verse 21 and the battle is fought by Yahweh. The battle in 2 Chronicles 20 is typical of the time of the end.

Another prophecy that speaks about the area of Gaza is Joel chapter 3.  In Joel 3:4, the prophet speaks of "all the coasts of Palestine".

Read more > Bible in the news
Audio, 10.25 minutes Listen in MP3 Format

Of interest > 'Prophecies for the Era of Muslim Terror'
Rabbi analyzes the long-standing Arab-Israeli quagmire in light of the Torah
The uneasy six-month truce between Israel and the Hamas government in Gaza ended 22nd December 2008. > Signs of the times


Tuesday 23 December 2008

There shall appear for you a star arising from Jacob in peace

There shall appear for you a star arising from Jacob in peace.  And a man shall come forth who is my heir, like the sun of righteousness, walking amongst the sons of men in gentleness and righteousness, and there will be no sin found in him.  And the heavens will rain down upon him the spirit as a blessing from the Holy One.  And he will pour out the spirit of grace upon you.  This is the shoot of the most high God; the water of life for all humanity.  He will shine his light upon the sceptre of my kingdom, and from your root will arise the shoot, and through it will stem forth the rod of righteousness for the nations, to judge and to save all who call upon the Lord”.
From: The Testament of Judah

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