Psalm 35 nkjv

Tobit

2023.06.09 20:09 AdministrativeHope60 Tobit

Tb 11:5-17 Anna sat watching the road by which her son was to come. When she saw him coming, she exclaimed to his father, "Tobit, your son is coming, and the man who traveled with him!"
Raphael said to Tobiah before he reached his father: "I am certain that his eyes will be opened. Smear the fish gall on them. This medicine will make the cataracts shrink and peel off from his eyes; then your father will again be able to see the light of day."
Then Anna ran up to her son, threw her arms around him, and said to him, "Now that I have seen you again, son, I am ready to die!" And she sobbed aloud.
Tobit got up and stumbled out through the courtyard gate. Tobiah went up to him with the fish gall in his hand, and holding him firmly, blew into his eyes. "Courage, father," he said. Next he smeared the medicine on his eyes, and it made them smart. Then, beginning at the corners of Tobit's eyes, Tobiah used both hands to peel off the cataracts.
When Tobit saw his son, he threw his arms around him and wept. He exclaimed, "I can see you, son, the light of my eyes!" Then he said:
"Blessed be God, and praised be his great name, and blessed be all his holy angels. May his holy name be praised throughout all the ages, Because it was he who scourged me, and it is he who has had mercy on me. Behold, I now see my son Tobiah!"
Then Tobit went back in, rejoicing and praising God with full voice for everything that had happened. Tobiah told his father that the Lord God had granted him a successful journey; that he had brought back the money; and that he had married Raguel's daughter Sarah, who would arrive shortly, for she was approaching the gate of Nineveh.
Tobit and Anna rejoiced and went out to the gate of Nineveh to meet their daughter-in-law. When the people of Nineveh saw Tobit walking along briskly, with no one leading him by the hand, they were amazed. Before them all Tobit proclaimed how God had mercifully restored sight to his eyes. When Tobit reached Sarah, the wife of his son Tobiah, he greeted her: "Welcome, my daughter! Blessed be your God for bringing you to us, daughter! Blessed is your father, and blessed is my son Tobiah, and blessed are you, daughter! Welcome to your home with blessing and joy. Come in, daughter!" That day there was joy for all the Jews who lived in Nineveh. Responsorial Psalm Ps 146:1b-2, 6c-7, 8-9a, 9bc-10 R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul! or: R. Alleluia. Praise the LORD, O my soul; I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live. R. Praise the Lord, my soul! or: R. Alleluia. The LORD keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets captives free. R. Praise the Lord, my soul! or: R. Alleluia. The LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the just. The LORD protects strangers. R. Praise the Lord, my soul! or: R. Alleluia. The fatherless and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts The LORD shall reign forever, your God, O Zion, through all generations! Alleluia. R. Praise the Lord, my soul! or: R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 14:23 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 12:35-37 As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said, "How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said:
The Lord said to my lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet.'
David himself calls him 'lord'; so how is he his son?" The great crowd heard this with delight.
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2023.06.09 15:28 TheTalkedSpy "Dating" by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Source: Growing Up in the Lord: A Study for Teenage Boys (Ch. 7, 1994)
If you haven’t done so already, you will soon decide to take a girl out on a date. Dating a girl is a good time to enjoy the companionship of someone else. Women have a different perspective on life.
When you take different girls out on a date, you have a chance to see who is available. You also have a chance to firm up in your own mind what you will be looking for in a wife. Most boys go through a phase where they cannot stand any girl, except mothers who are tolerated within limits. When these boys reach adolescence, they quickly realize that girls can be interesting.
Taking a girl out on a date gives you a chance to practice getting along with women. Girls do not enjoy being treated the same way you treat other boys. The time you spend dating gives you a chance to learn how to act around a girl.
You need to be choosy about whom you will be going out with. Some girls will understand that, because you are a Christian, there are certain things that you will not do. Many girls will enjoy the fact that they don’t have to be constantly on their guard while they are with you. However, there are girls who will use every opportunity they can find to try to get you to do things that are sinful. It is a challenge for them to see how far they can get you to go. For your own soul’s sake, you are better off not dating such a girl. David warns us, in Psalms 1:1, not to associate with sinners. By continually exposing yourself to sin, you are tempted to commit a sin. That is why Paul said evil companions will corrupt your good morals (I Corinthians 15:33).
Group dates are a good way to start out dating when you are young. If you pick your companions wisely, there will be fewer temptations in your way. A group gives you a chance to get acquainted with several people at once. You can also observe how the other guys treat their dates. Perhaps your first date won’t be so awkward when it is shared with others. Some good outings with a group may be to go bowling, play a few rounds of putt-putt golf, go canoeing, have a picnic and play softball or volleyball, or gather a group of young people together after church to eat ice cream.
Before you head out, spend some time thinking about what you will talk about during your date. In our society, boys tend to think and talk in terms of actions. Girls tend to think and talk about feelings. For example, if a boy and a girl were talking about an Olympic event, the boy would be interested in the score and the types of moves the athlete made. The girl would be interested in how the athlete was handling the stress and the athlete’s reaction to the scoring. Neither viewpoint is good or bad. They are just different. It is those differences that make conversation on your first date so difficult. Spend some time thinking about what you would like to know about this girl you are dating.
One day, all too soon, you will begin dating to find someone suitable to be your lifetime companion. If you want a companion, you must learn to be companionable. Talk about your interests and find out about hers. Do you enjoy similar things? If the two of you don’t have anything to talk about, what would marriage to such a person be like?
Make plans for the evening in advance and let your parents know where you expect to be. I know that many of you would rather keep your plans between you and your girlfriend, but you never know when an emergency may come up. Telling your parents also gives you a chance to see if your plans are respectable and appropriate. If you are too embarrassed to tell your folks, then perhaps you are planning something that a Christian ought not to do. Continue to carefully examine your motives.
Once you are out on your date, avoid changing your plans at the last minute. Don’t let your emotions lead you to making a little detour to a quiet place where you can be alone with your girlfriend. It is a great temptation to go too far when there is no one around to see what you are doing. Don’t go parking in the dark. Even if the first few times you don’t do anything shameful, it is continually tempting to go a little farther and to get a little closer. If you want time to talk, find a well-lighted place with other people around. It will encourage you to act respectfully. Finally, don’t spend time at your house or hers when no one else is around. Many boys and girls find their own home comfortable and safe, so they relax their guard and do things they would not do in public. Most teenage pregnancies come about because a boy and a girl had sex at home. Somehow, people convince themselves there is no harm done if no one will see them. Don’t let Satan fool you!
In a few years, one person that you have dated will stand out among the others. You will find yourself going out with her more often than anyone else. You may even decide to stop dating anyone else. Dating only one person is called “going steady.” Going steady with a girl for a while is a logical step before asking her the big question. It gives you a little more time to finally decide if this is really the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. Just don’t rush into it too soon. You can’t make a good decision if you only dated one person your whole life. There are plenty of years ahead of you, so don’t limit yourself to one person too soon.
You know you are ready to go steady with a girl when you have dated other girls but you prefer this person’s company over everyone else. When you want to spend more time with this person and dating someone else will interfere with your time, then perhaps it is time to go steady.
However, if you feel pressure to date one person exclusively because everyone else is doing it, then you should reconsider. Some boys rush into going steady because they fear there won’t be anyone else. This is another poor reason to go steady with a girl. There are hundreds of girls in the world with whom you could happily live. Don’t get the idea that there is just one right person for you. Take your time. Marriage is a lifetime commitment, so don’t rush the preliminary stages. Another bad reason for going steady is to hold on to a “good catch.” Some people pride themselves on having the prettiest or smartest girl in school as their exclusive girlfriend. Remember our discussion about the pride of life. Date a girl because you like her and not because you like the admiration of the other boys.
As you get comfortable with that special girl, keep in mind that there is a real temptation to take liberties with her that you would not take with other girls. Now is not the time to break God’s law because you allow your emotions get the better of you. Far too many teenagers allow their emotions to flare and find themselves tempted to have sex during their date.
A common excuse given for having sex on a date is that you need to find out before hand if you are compatible or not. You could have sex with any girl. How familiar you are with having sex has nothing to do with compatibility. You should not be looking for a bed partner while you are dating. You should be looking for someone to share the rest of your life with. Once you and your girlfriend are married, you will have plenty of opportunity to learn how to have sex. There is no benefit gained by breaking God’s law and having sex before you are married.
What is Love?
I’ve often told you in this book that various feelings and reactions are not love. Having an erection doesn’t mean you are in love. Wanting to have sex with someone doesn’t mean you are in love. The actual act of sex is not love, although it is called “making love” in today’s slang. To understand what love really is, we need to turn over to I Corinthians 13:1-7.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophesy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. I Corinthians 13:1-7
Paul is explaining what true love between Christians is like. The description also beautifully describes what the love between a husband and wife should be like.
When you love someone, you are willing to put up with their faults. You understand that people make mistakes and that changes take time, if they come at all. Even when she says something mean to you, you will only return kindness back. Love involves trusting the other person with all your heart. You don’t envy her when she gets a big promotion at work or is honored for the things she has done in the community. Instead, you rejoice with her. A loving husband doesn’t boast about how good he is and ignores his wife’s accomplishments. What you do is much less important to you than what she does. If you truly love someone, you won’t say things that will hurt her feelings. She is much more important to you than your own concerns. As a result, you will keep a tight reign on your anger and not lash out when things don’t go your way.
Loving couples don’t accuse each other of wickedness. Too many marriages are broken because the husband saw a man leave the house or found some note and immediately leaped to the conclusion that his wife is having an affair. However, sometimes it is obvious that sin is taking place. When this happens, a loving husband will stand firm with the Lord. He will do everything possible to bring his wife back to the way of righteousness.
Being in love means you are optimistic. You are always hoping that things will get better. That hope helps you to get over the many rough times that you and your wife will face together.
Most of all, love doesn’t fail. Planning to marry someone for a time to see if it will work out means you are not in love. You don’t fall in and out of true love. Love holds on through good times and through bad times.

The Difference Between Love and Infatuation

Many people confuse being infatuated with someone for being in love with someone. Each of us has a mental picture of the ideal companion. That mental picture is usually based on various physical attributes. She should be so tall, with a pretty nose, brown eyes, etc. Occasionally you meet someone who closely matches your mental ideal. You get excited and believe you have fallen in love at first sight.
This is not really love, but infatuation. You can tell the difference, because infatuation dies over time. I guarantee that while you are moonstruck with a girl you won’t believe that it will ever end, but it usually does. As you get to know the girl and find out about her likes and dislikes, you realize that she is not as perfect as you imagined her to be. The word “imagined” is the key word. You have no idea what a person is like when you first meet them. Getting to know a person takes time.
Over time an infatuation will either die off or be replaced by true love. When you are truly in love, you will be aware of a person’s flaws, but you have made a rational decision that you can live with them. A person who is infatuated with someone will either be totally unaware of the flaws in that person, pretend that those flaws are not there, pretend that those flaws don’t matter, or believe that they can change that person over time. The last attitude can be disastrous for a relationship. People do change at times, but it is not very often and it is rarely because someone caused them to change. People change themselves because they want to make the change. When you choose a woman to be your wife, you should look at who she is and not who you think you can make her into. If you do not like who she is today, you are taking a big risk thinking she will be different tomorrow. In other words, if she doesn’t change before marriage, then she certainly won’t change after marriage.
Talk freely with your intended companion. Some men are afraid to tell their girlfriend everything they are thinking for fear of driving them away. If your true thoughts would drive your girlfriend away, then the two of you were probably not cut out for each other. Both of you would be better off looking for someone else. Nothing could be worst than to find out you have made a lifetime commitment to someone who can’t stand you.
In summary, true love is based on reality. Infatuation is based on fantasy. Before committing yourself to someone, make sure you both have a firm grip on reality.

A Small Exercise

Take a sheet of paper and write down the things that you hope to find in the woman you will one day marry. Is it important that she be good looking? Does it matter to you if she is taller than you? Do you hope she is a good cook? Should she like children? How many children do you hope to raise? Give it serious consideration and don’t base your answers on someone you are dating at the moment. It would be better to work on this when there is no one in particular competing for your heart. Talk to your dad or an elder or the preacher about it, but make sure that it is your list showing what is important to you.
Try ranking your points. What is the most important? Which things would be nice, but really don’t matter that much?
It may seem a little early to start thinking about whom you plan to marry. After all, marriage is still several years off. However, if you know what you are looking for, then when you finally meet the girl of your dreams, you can be confident that you are making a sound decision that you will never regret.
Have a rough list done before you start chapter 8. Through the years, continue to revise your list. The things that are important to you at 13 may seem childish at 18, so continue to think about these things.
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2023.06.08 02:56 ArchaicChaos What scriptures or topics would you like to see?

Currently, my index consists of the following list, I have a few extra articles I plan to bring over to reddit, but what articles would you like to see posted on this sub? What would you like an article on? The current list:
Anyone want to give me a list of texts they would want an article on? So far my list has:
Genesis 1:26
Psalm 110:1
Isaiah 9:6
Isaiah 44:24
Micah 5:2
Malachi 3:1
Matthew 3:3
Matthew 5:48
Matthew 19:17
Matthew 22:41-46
Matthew 28:19
Mark 1:3
Mark 10:18
Mark 12:35-37
Luke 3:4
Luke 18:19
Luke 20:41-44
John 1:1
John 1:2
John 1:3
John 1:14
John 1:23
John 2:19
John 3:13
John 3:31
John 6:38
John 6:62
John 8:23
John 8:58
John 10:17-18
John 10:30-36
John 14:5-11
John 14:16-17
John 14:26
John 15:26
John 16:7
John 16:13-14
John 16:28
John 17:5
John 20:28
Acts 20:28
Galatians 4:4
Colossians 1:15-18
Colossians 2:9
Titus 2:13
Hebrews 1:1-14
Hebrews 2:7-9
Hebrews 13:8
2 Peter 1:1
Jude 1:5
Revelation 4-5
Revelation 5:13
Revelation 19:13
Also additional articles on:
Gregory of Nyssa's on not three God's,
Explaining the Trinity and the Incarnation,
Worship of Jesus,
Jesus "our only lord"
Analysis of the Pharisees,
Granville Sharp Rule,
Open debate for Unitarianism,
The Logical problem of the Incarnation debate,
Jesus is not God debate,
Jesus was not existing in the OT,
AMA Unitarianism,
Purgatory,
Ecclesiology 101,
Pneumatology 101,
Anthropology 101,
The Trinity 101,
Prayer 101,
Book List of the Trinity, Incarnation, Unitarianism, and some general study references.
What's missing? Thanks.
Edit: the discord added Zechariah 12:10. So this suggestion is already in.
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2023.06.07 20:35 Potemkinvillage42 If you believe Jesus did not say to sell your possessions, you are committing the unforgivable sin

These scriptures clearly show that all these sins, greed, hate, adultery, etc., are equal in the eyes of God.
There is a difference in sins, but this pertains to transgressions, iniquity and blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It is important to understand this because blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the only unforgivable/unpardonable sin.
Matthew 12:31 – And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Mark 3:28-30 – Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” 30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”
Luke 12:10 – And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
To ‘blaspheme the Holy Spirit’ means to twist the teachings of Jesus. To make what is wrong, right through manipulation and compromise, to suit yourself.
Hebrews 10:26-29 – If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
Trampling on the son of God underfoot means to reject his teachings by compromising them with exceptions due to our lack of faith.
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit means to twist and compromise the words and teachings of Jesus so that what is right, is twisted to be wrong. By doing this, you are calling the Holy Spirit a liar and rejecting the teachings of Jesus. This is an unforgivable sin which cannot be forgiven in this age or the next.
This is how we deliberately keep on sinning; by adding exceptions and justifications to the teachings of Jesus or by annulling scripture(s) that does not suit our own purposes.
Deuteronomy 4:2 – Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.
Deuteronomy 12:32 – See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.
Joshua 1:7 – Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
Proverbs 30:6 – Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.
Revelation 22:18-19 – I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
The word of God stands forever and never changes.
Psalm 119:89 – Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
Isaiah 40:8 – The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
1 Peter 1:24-25 – All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.
We must not take away from the teachings of Jesus to suit ourselves.
Matthew 24:35 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Mark 13:31 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Luke 21:33 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
We annul scriptures and add exceptions so that we can continue sinning without guilt rather than asking for forgiveness and confessing our sin to God.
1 John 1:8-10 – If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
We must admit our sin instead of covering it up with justifications and compromise, so that we may appear innocent and sinless. Once we twist the truth and change right from wrong within our understanding, there is no coming back from this.
Hebrews 6:4-8 – It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
By rejecting the teachings of Jesus in this way, we are having the exact same attitude as the Jewish people who rejected Jesus as the Messiah and crucified him. Rejecting his words are the same as denying him.
Mark 8:38 – If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Luke 9:26 – Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Matthew 10:33 – but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Luke 12:9 – But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God.
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2023.06.06 23:44 InternetTraumatized An overview of the eschatology of some early saints

St. Justin Martyr (Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 80-81) says that there will be a first resurrection of the righteous where they dwell in a rebuilt Jerusalem for 1,000 years (keep in mind that Jerusalem had recently been destroyed due to the failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt), based off Isaiah 44 and 65 ("There shall be the new heaven and the new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, or come into their heart; but they shall find joy and gladness in it, which things I create. For, Behold, I make Jerusalem a rejoicing, and My people a joy; and I shall rejoice over Jerusalem, and be glad over My people ... According to the days of the tree of life shall be the days of my people," understanding the days of the tree of life to refer to 1,000 years since Genesis 5-11 shows the years of mankind decreasing further and further away from the number 1,000 corresponding to life in Paradise) as well as Revelation 20:4-6,9 ("And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years ... They [the nations] went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city"). Justin, however, also points out that some Orthodox Christians believe in this and some don't, and it's a matter of opinion alone. He doesn't say what the alternative might be however.
St. Irenaeus of Lyons (Against Heresies 5, ch. 25-36) says that at the end an unlawful and evil king will come, Antichrist, the summary of all demonic apostasy in history, who will take his seat in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 24:15-21, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
Because the apostasy of Antichrist will recapitulate all apostasy, these events will also be the recapitulation of world history, and happen around the 6,000th year of creation; Genesis 1 must be understood as a prophecy, since one day is as a thousand years for the Lord (Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8). The first advent was halfway through the 6th day; the coming of Antichrist and the last great tribulation will be at the end of the 6th day as the culmination of everything that happened before. This is signified by the name of Antichrist, 666. 666 also signifies this by how, at the time of the apostasy leading to the flood, Noah was 600 years old (Genesis 7:6), and at the time of the persecution of God's people in Babylon, which itself was a prefiguration of the tribulation to come, King Nebuchadnezzar made an idolatrous status 60 cubits tall and 6 cubits wide (Daniel 3:1). This means Antichrist, and soon after him Christ, will come around the 6th century AD, following the chronology of the Septuagint.
The Roman Empire will begin to fall apart (Matthew 12:25) and be partitioned among ten kings, among whom the eighth will rise above the others, slaying three of the kings, to be the Antichrist and rule for 3.5 years during which he persecutes the Church as the Empire falls further apart (Daniel 2:33,41-43, 7:7-8,23-25, Revelation 17:3-18). It is this Antichrist of whom St. Paul speaks in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12. He will come suddenly (1 Thessalonians 5:3) and will be a Hebrew from the tribe of Dan (Jeremiah 8:14-17) which is why this tribe is not given the promised inheritance (Revelation 7:4-8).
Because the existence of Antichrist will be permitted so as to recapitulate all apostasy and separate the righteous from the wicked as a great final exercise (Matthew 3:12, 13:24-30), God will confirm the wicked in their delusion (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). Antichrist is the beast of the sea described in Revelation 13:1-10. His armor-bearer, the false prophet, is the beast of the earth described in Revelation 13:11-17.
He is the unjust judge the Lord speaks of in Luke 18:1-8, and the one who comes in his own name in John 5:43. The widow in Luke 18 is the unbelieving Jewish people, who will go to the Antichrist for help, and in response he will make a rebuilt Jerusalem his capital city and a rebuilt temple his house, during which time he will persecute the true temple which is the Church (Daniel 8:9-14,23-25). This is the last half-week of the prophecy of the 70 weeks (Daniel 9:27).
When the Lord comes to destroy him (Daniel 2:35,44, 7:9-14,21-22,26-27, 8:25), together with all the nations which will have become his servants (Isaiah 6:9-13, 13:6-22, 26:10-11), the saints will be resurrected. It must be so: we imitate our Lord (Luke 6:40) and therefore, just as He died, then rose from the dead, then ascended to the Father, we also must die, then rise from the dead, then ascend to the Father. It is at this first resurrection that the promise of the old covenant will be fulfilled (Genesis 13:14-15, 15:18-21, 27:28-29), it is the restoration promised by the prophets (Isaiah 26:19, 30:23-26, 58:13-14, Jeremiah 23:3-8, Ezekiel 28:25-26, 37:11-28), it is the kingdom and reward Christ speaks of (Matthew 19:29, 26:27, Luke 12:37-38, 14:12-13).
The saints will then rule in a beautified Jerusalem (Isaiah 54:11-12, Baruch 5) for 1,000 years (Isaiah 65:17-25, Revelation 20:4-9), the true Sabbath.
After this, heaven and earth will pass away (Matthew 24:35, 1 Corinthian 7:31, Revelation 20:11) as the remaining dead will rise and all will be judged (Revelation 20:10-15). Then a new heaven and earth will be established (Isaiah 65:17-18) and the Jerusalem from above, which the Jerusalem from below is patterned after (Exodus 25:40), will come down and the saints will live in it for eternity (Galatians 4:26, Revelation 21:1-6).
St. Clement of Alexandria does not indulge in eschatology, but he does indicate the alternate tradition that Justin may have been referring to. While Justin and Irenaeus interpret the Old Testament to not have been entirely fulfilled yet, Clement takes a different approach and sees the Old Testament as entirely fulfilled within the time frame of the New Testament. We see this when he discusses the prophecy of the 70 weeks. Whereas Irenaeus sees the last half-week as referring to the Antichrist, Clement sees it as referring to Vespasian, and sees the abomination of desolation not to be the Antichrist taking his seat in a rebuilt temple in the future, but as something that already took place under Vespasian.
St. Hippolytus of Rome considers that the Antichrist, a Hebrew from the tribe of Dan (Genesis 49:16-18, Deuteronomy 33:22, Jeremiah 8:14-17), will defeat in battle the kings of Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia (Daniel 11:43), in a battle over who should rule over the Empire, while the Ammonites and Moabites become his willful subjects (Isaiah 11:11-14, Daniel 11:41). As a result of his victory he will begin to think himself to be God, and will move on to assault Tyre and Sidon (Isaiah 23:4-5), and it is him whom Isaiah 14:3-21 and Ezekiel 28:1-19 refer to. Then he will try to convince the unbelieving Jews that he is the Messiah by gathering them again from the dispersion and re-establishing the kingdom of Israel, but only because he aims to be recognized and worshipped as God. That Israel according to the flesh will persecute the true Israel, the Church, and will request the Antichrist to do this for them, is what is meant by Deuteronomy 32:34-35, Isaiah 8:6-8, 18:1-2, Jeremiah 4:11-18, Micah 5:5, Luke 18:1-8 and Revelation 12.
The beast of the sea is the Roman Empire itself, while the beast of the earth is both the Antichrist and the false prophet (represented by the two horns). The mark on the hand refers to mandatory sacrifice to the Antichrist as to an idol if one wants to buy food, and the mark on the forehead refers to the false glory he grants upon those who submit themselves to him; the persecution Antiochus IV Epiphanes led against the people of God was a prefiguration of this (2 Maccabees 6:7-11).
The last week of Daniel is the whole rule of Antichrist, but during the first half-week Enoch and Elijah, who were translated into heaven and did not die (Genesis 5:24, 2 Kings 2:11), will return to prophesy, be martyred and be resurrected (Revelation 11:3-12). The second half-week is when Antichrist will take his seat in the temple and severely persecute the Church (Daniel 11:11-12, Matthew 24:15-21, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
Then Jesus Christ will return and all will be resurrected and judged.
St. Victorinus gave a thorough commentary on Revelation:
6:1-2 (1st seal): Jesus Christ Who conquered by the Gospel and sent the Holy Spirit as an arrow.
6:3-4 (2nd seal): The wars and rumors of war (Matthew 24:6-7).
6:5-6 (3rd seal): The famines (Matthew 24:7).
6:7-8 (4th seal): The pestilences and earthquakes (Matthew 24:7).
6:9-11 (5th seal): The persecution of the faithful (Matthew 24:9-10).
6:10-7:17 (6th seal): The last great tribulation. The blackening of the sun, the fall of the stars, the untimely fall of the figs, the receding of the sky, the removal of the mountains and islands refer to the Christians being deeply troubled or even falling into apostasy because of this great final hardship. The angel from the east who seals 144,000 from the tribes of Israel is Elijah, whose preaching converts many of the unbelieving Jews (Malachi 4:5-6), thereby replenishing the Church. Then the seven archangels destroy the kingdom of Antichrist (Micah 5:5-6, Matthew 13:27-30, Mark 13:27) and all the saints are gathered with Christ forever.
8:1-6 (7th seal): The silence signifies the eternal rest and the narrative might end here, but John starts again from the beginning which is why it ends.
9:13-11:14 (6th trumpet): The four angels at the Euphrates, which also represent the four corners of the earth, are four nations which join the kingdom of Antichrist in due time. The mighty angel is Jesus Christ, His feet of fire are the apostles, the seven thunders He utters are the Holy Spirit, the utterances themselves are the Christian mystagogy of the Old Testament which the Christian prophets are given to interpret now that the apostles have finished their work. John eating the book and being told to prophesy again refers to him committing Revelation to memory and formally publishing it after his labor in exile in Patmos was finished. The temple to be measured is the Orthodox faith, the measuring reed like to a rod is Revelation, the rod proper is the Gospel of John which he is to write later. The courtyard is unnecessary and is therefore not measured but is given over to be trampled by the Gentiles, that is, the heretics Valentinus and such are to be counted outside the Church. The trampling of the holy city for 3 years and a half refers to the rule of Antichrist, and likewise the two prophets will prophesy for 3 years and a half. The two prophets are Elijah who did not die (2 Kings 2:11) and Jeremiah who was to prophesy to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5-10), although some think it is rather Moses. They are the two olive trees of Zechariah 4:11-14, who stand beside the Lord of the earth, that is, either that they are kept in Paradise, or that they will stand before Antichrist. The beast from the pit is Antichrist. The two prophets are killed in Jerusalem, rise after three days and a half and ascend to heaven.
11:15-15:8 (7th trumpet): The heavenly temple, that is, Jesus, is made manifest, and the ark is the gift of the Gospel. The woman with child is Israel, the Church, the people of God. The dragon is Satan who seeks to persecute her and who brought down either 1/3rd of angels or 1/3rd of men with himself, and whose seven heads are the last seven Roman Emperors, as well as the ten horns. The child is Jesus Christ Who became incarnate, conquered, and ascended to heaven. The two wings by which the woman flees the dragon are the two prophets, and this refers to when the Church in Judea, closest to Antichrist's headquarters, will have to flee someplace safe (Matthew 24:15-28). The waters spewed forth by the dragon are the people willing to persecute the Church; the earth swallowing up the woman to protect her refers to the Lord saving the Christians from their tormentors, however it is not known whether this refers to a future event or to what has already happened historically. The battle between Michael and the dragon and the latter's fall from heaven is what triggers the rule of Antichrist; narratively it is before the Church is carried by the two prophets, but it must actually happen after since the prophets ministered in the 3.5 years before Antichrist's tyranny. The beast from the sea is the kingdom of Antichrist. The beast from the earth is the false prophet, who will establish his rule in Jerusalem (Daniel 11:45, Matthew 24:15). The two angels who command the final harvest are the two prophets. Now again, the narrative restarts from a third perspective: that of the unbelievers, upon whom the whole fury of God will fall.
16:17-19:21 (7th bowl): The woman on the beast is an image of Satan. What is called Babylon here and in Isaiah (13-14, 21, 47-48) and Sodom in Ezekiel (16) refers to Rome. The 5 kings who are already fallen are Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian and Titus. The king who currently is is Domitian. The king who is to come for a short time is Nerva. The 8th king is the one from whom the 7 proceed, that is, Nero in resurrected form, who will rule with 10 kings and will not be recognized but will rather appear to the unbelieving Jews to be the Christ (Daniel 11:29-37). Then Christ will return with His angelic hosts to bring forth judgment.
20 (The millennium): The binding of Satan happens at the first coming of Christ. The 1,000 years are symbolic (Psalm 105:8). The abyss is the hearts of unbelievers. He is sealed so that it is not right now self-evident who is the servant of God and who is the servant of Satan. But at the end of the millennium he is released for a short while, referring to the 3.5 years during which Antichrist will persecute the Church. The first resurrection is the resurrection of faith (Colossians 3:1). The number 1,000 is 10x100: the one who keeps the Decalogue and the perfection of purity is one who reigns with Christ and for whom Satan is bound, but he remains loosed for those who do not do this, and him being loosed anyway after the millennium refers to how many will apostatize due to being tempted by him.
Then the general resurrection occurs, the final judgment, and the heavenly Jerusalem (which is very symbolic) comes down.
St. John Chrysostom shows more fully the tradition that Clement earlier hinted at. The apostles ask when the end comes and when the temple will be destroyed; Matthew 24:4-14 answers the first question by giving a recapitulation of all that Christians will have to endure, and Matthew 24:15-22 answers the second question; the abomination of desolation refers to the armies of Vespasian surrounding Jerusalem. Matthew 24:23-28 is when Jesus warns about Antichrist, not as the abomination of desolation as Irenaeus and Hippolytus interpreted it, but as the false prophet and false Christ. Then of course Matthew 24:29-31 is about the second coming and the last judgment.
In his interpretation of 2 Thessalonians, John gives us more context. The restrainer mentioned by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 is the Roman Empire, which restrains the Antichrist because it is when the Empire falls apart that Antichrist will use the power vacuum to take his place as ruler. The mystery of lawlessness already at work is Nero, who is a prefiguration of Antichrist. God will permit the appearance of Antichrist so as to confirm the wicked in their wickedness; they will claim to believe in him because of the signs he works, but in truth it will be because of the privileges he grants them and the unlawfulness he permits, as when Christ worked signs He was not believed (John 5:43). When Antichrist appears, he will abolish every idolatrous religion, but so as to be worshipped alone (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). He will sit in the temple of God; which does not refer specifically to the temple in Jerusalem, as in Irenaeus and Hyppolitus, but rather to the Christian Church, so that it is the churches that will be led to worship him as God.
But Elijah will return (Matthew 17:11), being to Christ's second coming what John the Baptist was to His first, then Jesus returns and all are resurrected and judged.
St. Jerome (Commentary on Daniel) says that it should be understood that the events that happened surrounding Antiochus IV Epiphanes are a prefiguration of what will happen surrounding Antichrist (Daniel 8:14).
At a time when the love of many will have grown cold (Luke 18:8), when the Roman Empire collapses, 10 kings will rule over its previous territories. Antichrist will rise from a small nation, which is the Hebrew people, and he will be seen as insignificant at first but will gain power through political intrigue, until he conquers Rome and becomes the first, and last, Jew to rule over the civilized world (Daniel 11:24). He will come from Babylon and first defeat the king of Egypt but will then be frightened by the resistance of Rome against him (Daniel 11:25-30), and will rather defeat the kings of Libya and Ethiopia then conquer Israel, but he will not conquer Edom, Moab and Ammon (Arabia), the deserts where the Christians will flee to (Daniel 11:40-41). He will be received by the Jews as the Christ, and he will put on the pretense of holiness and chastity although he will be a blasphemer (Daniel 11:37-39). As a result of his military victories, the remaining 7 kings will submit to him (Daniel 7:8). For 3.5 years he will rule over the whole world, he will sit in the temple in Jerusalem and claim to be God (Daniel 11:31), and he will persecute the Christians (Daniel 11:33), forbidding the true worship and desecrating the temple in Jerusalem (Daniel 12:11), that the Jews may also be tested, whether they choose Christ or Antichrist. The Christians will resist him for a little but many will die (Daniel 11:34).
However, he will make war against the north and the east and pitch his tent in Apedno near Nicopolis, formerly known as Emmaus, in Judea, then will go to the summit of the Mount of Olives, where the Lord will destroy him (Daniel 11:42-45, Isaiah 25:6-8). Then the resurrection and the final judgment will come, without a millennial kingdom since the saints are evidently not to inherit an earthly kingdom but a spiritual one (Daniel 7:18-19).
Concerning the 70 weeks of Daniel, Jerome suggests various interpretations he considers to be valid, some which make the final week to be about Antichrist and some that don't.
Some believe that the Antichrist has already come in the person of Emperor Nero (Daniel 11:30).
St. Augustine of Hippo (City of God 20) says that the first resurrection (Revelation 20:5-6) is the one referred to in John 5:22-26: it is not the resurrection of the body, but of the soul, as indeed the soul has a kind of death and a kind of resurrection from the dead (Matthew 8:22, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15). It is the resurrection of mercy, as opposed to the second resurrection, the resurrection of judgment (John 5:28-29). There is also the equally Orthodox opinion that the first resurrection is a future one, followed by a thousand-year sabbatical kingdom, as taught by Irenaeus, but it is only Orthodox if one believes that this kingdom is spiritual and not the kind of carnal, passionate kingdom expected by the Chiliasts. But if the first resurrection is the one we already participate in as Christians, then the thousand years can be a manner of speech since the time of the Church is happening during the latter half of the sixth millennium, so that it is called a millennium to recapitulate the actual final thousand years it takes place in (in which case the second resurrection is very soon from his perspective; keep in mind that the end of the sixth millennium would be around the year 500 AD and Augustine died in 430), or the millennium is far more symbolic, referring to all of world history (Psalm 105:8). At the end of the millennium Gog and Magog will launch a final great assault against the Church for 3.5 years. This does not refer to any one earthly nation but rather to the unbelieving world, which will oppress the Church wherever it is.
Antichrist will sit in the temple of God, but there are different opinions as to whether this refers to a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem or to the Church. Until then, what is keeping him from appearing is also not universally agreed upon: some believe it is the Roman Empire, and that the mystery of lawlessness already at work is Nero, who either will be resurrected or perhaps has not actually died. Some believe that what is keeping Antichrist from appearing and what is the mystery of lawlessness is the number of wicked men in the Church, who, when they are sufficiently plentiful, will create a favorable environment for Antichrist, and that 1 John 2:18-19 refers to the same thing.
It is the common tradition that Antichrist will come among ten kings ruling the Empire among themselves, but it is dangerous to put too much trust into this, as the ten kings could instead be symbolic of all the kings prior to Antichrist.
Antichrist will persecute the Church for 3.5 years.
Soon before the end comes, Elijah will return and convert the Jews to Christianity (Malachi 4:5-6).
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What has become the general tradition in Eastern Orthodoxy, such as what is found liturgically or commonly? I'd say:
submitted by InternetTraumatized to Christianity [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 23:42 InternetTraumatized An overview of the eschatology of some early saints

St. Justin Martyr (Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 80-81) says that there will be a first resurrection of the righteous where they dwell in a rebuilt Jerusalem for 1,000 years (keep in mind that Jerusalem had recently been destroyed due to the failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt), based off Isaiah 44 and 65 ("There shall be the new heaven and the new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, or come into their heart; but they shall find joy and gladness in it, which things I create. For, Behold, I make Jerusalem a rejoicing, and My people a joy; and I shall rejoice over Jerusalem, and be glad over My people ... According to the days of the tree of life shall be the days of my people," understanding the days of the tree of life to refer to 1,000 years since Genesis 5-11 shows the years of mankind decreasing further and further away from the number 1,000 corresponding to life in Paradise) as well as Revelation 20:4-6,9 ("And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years ... They [the nations] went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city"). Justin, however, also points out that some Orthodox Christians believe in this and some don't, and it's a matter of opinion alone. He doesn't say what the alternative might be however.
St. Irenaeus of Lyons (Against Heresies 5, ch. 25-36) says that at the end an unlawful and evil king will come, Antichrist, the summary of all demonic apostasy in history, who will take his seat in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 24:15-21, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
Because the apostasy of Antichrist will recapitulate all apostasy, these events will also be the recapitulation of world history, and happen around the 6,000th year of creation; Genesis 1 must be understood as a prophecy, since one day is as a thousand years for the Lord (Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8). The first advent was halfway through the 6th day; the coming of Antichrist and the last great tribulation will be at the end of the 6th day as the culmination of everything that happened before. This is signified by the name of Antichrist, 666. 666 also signifies this by how, at the time of the apostasy leading to the flood, Noah was 600 years old (Genesis 7:6), and at the time of the persecution of God's people in Babylon, which itself was a prefiguration of the tribulation to come, King Nebuchadnezzar made an idolatrous status 60 cubits tall and 6 cubits wide (Daniel 3:1). This means Antichrist, and soon after him Christ, will come around the 6th century AD, following the chronology of the Septuagint.
The Roman Empire will begin to fall apart (Matthew 12:25) and be partitioned among ten kings, among whom the eighth will rise above the others, slaying three of the kings, to be the Antichrist and rule for 3.5 years during which he persecutes the Church as the Empire falls further apart (Daniel 2:33,41-43, 7:7-8,23-25, Revelation 17:3-18). It is this Antichrist of whom St. Paul speaks in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12. He will come suddenly (1 Thessalonians 5:3) and will be a Hebrew from the tribe of Dan (Jeremiah 8:14-17) which is why this tribe is not given the promised inheritance (Revelation 7:4-8).
Because the existence of Antichrist will be permitted so as to recapitulate all apostasy and separate the righteous from the wicked as a great final exercise (Matthew 3:12, 13:24-30), God will confirm the wicked in their delusion (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). Antichrist is the beast of the sea described in Revelation 13:1-10. His armor-bearer, the false prophet, is the beast of the earth described in Revelation 13:11-17.
He is the unjust judge the Lord speaks of in Luke 18:1-8, and the one who comes in his own name in John 5:43. The widow in Luke 18 is the unbelieving Jewish people, who will go to the Antichrist for help, and in response he will make a rebuilt Jerusalem his capital city and a rebuilt temple his house, during which time he will persecute the true temple which is the Church (Daniel 8:9-14,23-25). This is the last half-week of the prophecy of the 70 weeks (Daniel 9:27).
When the Lord comes to destroy him (Daniel 2:35,44, 7:9-14,21-22,26-27, 8:25), together with all the nations which will have become his servants (Isaiah 6:9-13, 13:6-22, 26:10-11), the saints will be resurrected. It must be so: we imitate our Lord (Luke 6:40) and therefore, just as He died, then rose from the dead, then ascended to the Father, we also must die, then rise from the dead, then ascend to the Father. It is at this first resurrection that the promise of the old covenant will be fulfilled (Genesis 13:14-15, 15:18-21, 27:28-29), it is the restoration promised by the prophets (Isaiah 26:19, 30:23-26, 58:13-14, Jeremiah 23:3-8, Ezekiel 28:25-26, 37:11-28), it is the kingdom and reward Christ speaks of (Matthew 19:29, 26:27, Luke 12:37-38, 14:12-13).
The saints will then rule in a beautified Jerusalem (Isaiah 54:11-12, Baruch 5) for 1,000 years (Isaiah 65:17-25, Revelation 20:4-9), the true Sabbath.
After this, heaven and earth will pass away (Matthew 24:35, 1 Corinthian 7:31, Revelation 20:11) as the remaining dead will rise and all will be judged (Revelation 20:10-15). Then a new heaven and earth will be established (Isaiah 65:17-18) and the Jerusalem from above, which the Jerusalem from below is patterned after (Exodus 25:40), will come down and the saints will live in it for eternity (Galatians 4:26, Revelation 21:1-6).
St. Clement of Alexandria does not indulge in eschatology, but he does indicate the alternate tradition that Justin may have been referring to. While Justin and Irenaeus interpret the Old Testament to not have been entirely fulfilled yet, Clement takes a different approach and sees the Old Testament as entirely fulfilled within the time frame of the New Testament. We see this when he discusses the prophecy of the 70 weeks. Whereas Irenaeus sees the last half-week as referring to the Antichrist, Clement sees it as referring to Vespasian, and sees the abomination of desolation not to be the Antichrist taking his seat in a rebuilt temple in the future, but as something that already took place under Vespasian.
St. Hippolytus of Rome considers that the Antichrist, a Hebrew from the tribe of Dan (Genesis 49:16-18, Deuteronomy 33:22, Jeremiah 8:14-17), will defeat in battle the kings of Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia (Daniel 11:43), in a battle over who should rule over the Empire, while the Ammonites and Moabites become his willful subjects (Isaiah 11:11-14, Daniel 11:41). As a result of his victory he will begin to think himself to be God, and will move on to assault Tyre and Sidon (Isaiah 23:4-5), and it is him whom Isaiah 14:3-21 and Ezekiel 28:1-19 refer to. Then he will try to convince the unbelieving Jews that he is the Messiah by gathering them again from the dispersion and re-establishing the kingdom of Israel, but only because he aims to be recognized and worshipped as God. That Israel according to the flesh will persecute the true Israel, the Church, and will request the Antichrist to do this for them, is what is meant by Deuteronomy 32:34-35, Isaiah 8:6-8, 18:1-2, Jeremiah 4:11-18, Micah 5:5, Luke 18:1-8 and Revelation 12.
The beast of the sea is the Roman Empire itself, while the beast of the earth is both the Antichrist and the false prophet (represented by the two horns). The mark on the hand refers to mandatory sacrifice to the Antichrist as to an idol if one wants to buy food, and the mark on the forehead refers to the false glory he grants upon those who submit themselves to him; the persecution Antiochus IV Epiphanes led against the people of God was a prefiguration of this (2 Maccabees 6:7-11).
The last week of Daniel is the whole rule of Antichrist, but during the first half-week Enoch and Elijah, who were translated into heaven and did not die (Genesis 5:24, 2 Kings 2:11), will return to prophesy, be martyred and be resurrected (Revelation 11:3-12). The second half-week is when Antichrist will take his seat in the temple and severely persecute the Church (Daniel 11:11-12, Matthew 24:15-21, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
Then Jesus Christ will return and all will be resurrected and judged.
St. Victorinus gave a thorough commentary on Revelation:
6:1-2 (1st seal): Jesus Christ Who conquered by the Gospel and sent the Holy Spirit as an arrow.
6:3-4 (2nd seal): The wars and rumors of war (Matthew 24:6-7).
6:5-6 (3rd seal): The famines (Matthew 24:7).
6:7-8 (4th seal): The pestilences and earthquakes (Matthew 24:7).
6:9-11 (5th seal): The persecution of the faithful (Matthew 24:9-10).
6:10-7:17 (6th seal): The last great tribulation. The blackening of the sun, the fall of the stars, the untimely fall of the figs, the receding of the sky, the removal of the mountains and islands refer to the Christians being deeply troubled or even falling into apostasy because of this great final hardship. The angel from the east who seals 144,000 from the tribes of Israel is Elijah, whose preaching converts many of the unbelieving Jews (Malachi 4:5-6), thereby replenishing the Church. Then the seven archangels destroy the kingdom of Antichrist (Micah 5:5-6, Matthew 13:27-30, Mark 13:27) and all the saints are gathered with Christ forever.
8:1-6 (7th seal): The silence signifies the eternal rest and the narrative might end here, but John starts again from the beginning which is why it ends.
9:13-11:14 (6th trumpet): The four angels at the Euphrates, which also represent the four corners of the earth, are four nations which join the kingdom of Antichrist in due time. The mighty angel is Jesus Christ, His feet of fire are the apostles, the seven thunders He utters are the Holy Spirit, the utterances themselves are the Christian mystagogy of the Old Testament which the Christian prophets are given to interpret now that the apostles have finished their work. John eating the book and being told to prophesy again refers to him committing Revelation to memory and formally publishing it after his labor in exile in Patmos was finished. The temple to be measured is the Orthodox faith, the measuring reed like to a rod is Revelation, the rod proper is the Gospel of John which he is to write later. The courtyard is unnecessary and is therefore not measured but is given over to be trampled by the Gentiles, that is, the heretics Valentinus and such are to be counted outside the Church. The trampling of the holy city for 3 years and a half refers to the rule of Antichrist, and likewise the two prophets will prophesy for 3 years and a half. The two prophets are Elijah who did not die (2 Kings 2:11) and Jeremiah who was to prophesy to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5-10), although some think it is rather Moses. They are the two olive trees of Zechariah 4:11-14, who stand beside the Lord of the earth, that is, either that they are kept in Paradise, or that they will stand before Antichrist. The beast from the pit is Antichrist. The two prophets are killed in Jerusalem, rise after three days and a half and ascend to heaven.
11:15-15:8 (7th trumpet): The heavenly temple, that is, Jesus, is made manifest, and the ark is the gift of the Gospel. The woman with child is Israel, the Church, the people of God. The dragon is Satan who seeks to persecute her and who brought down either 1/3rd of angels or 1/3rd of men with himself, and whose seven heads are the last seven Roman Emperors, as well as the ten horns. The child is Jesus Christ Who became incarnate, conquered, and ascended to heaven. The two wings by which the woman flees the dragon are the two prophets, and this refers to when the Church in Judea, closest to Antichrist's headquarters, will have to flee someplace safe (Matthew 24:15-28). The waters spewed forth by the dragon are the people willing to persecute the Church; the earth swallowing up the woman to protect her refers to the Lord saving the Christians from their tormentors, however it is not known whether this refers to a future event or to what has already happened historically. The battle between Michael and the dragon and the latter's fall from heaven is what triggers the rule of Antichrist; narratively it is before the Church is carried by the two prophets, but it must actually happen after since the prophets ministered in the 3.5 years before Antichrist's tyranny. The beast from the sea is the kingdom of Antichrist. The beast from the earth is the false prophet, who will establish his rule in Jerusalem (Daniel 11:45, Matthew 24:15). The two angels who command the final harvest are the two prophets. Now again, the narrative restarts from a third perspective: that of the unbelievers, upon whom the whole fury of God will fall.
16:17-19:21 (7th bowl): The woman on the beast is an image of Satan. What is called Babylon here and in Isaiah (13-14, 21, 47-48) and Sodom in Ezekiel (16) refers to Rome. The 5 kings who are already fallen are Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian and Titus. The king who currently is is Domitian. The king who is to come for a short time is Nerva. The 8th king is the one from whom the 7 proceed, that is, Nero in resurrected form, who will rule with 10 kings and will not be recognized but will rather appear to the unbelieving Jews to be the Christ (Daniel 11:29-37). Then Christ will return with His angelic hosts to bring forth judgment.
20 (The millennium): The binding of Satan happens at the first coming of Christ. The 1,000 years are symbolic (Psalm 105:8). The abyss is the hearts of unbelievers. He is sealed so that it is not right now self-evident who is the servant of God and who is the servant of Satan. But at the end of the millennium he is released for a short while, referring to the 3.5 years during which Antichrist will persecute the Church. The first resurrection is the resurrection of faith (Colossians 3:1). The number 1,000 is 10x100: the one who keeps the Decalogue and the perfection of purity is one who reigns with Christ and for whom Satan is bound, but he remains loosed for those who do not do this, and him being loosed anyway after the millennium refers to how many will apostatize due to being tempted by him.
Then the general resurrection occurs, the final judgment, and the heavenly Jerusalem (which is very symbolic) comes down.
St. John Chrysostom shows more fully the tradition that Clement earlier hinted at. The apostles ask when the end comes and when the temple will be destroyed; Matthew 24:4-14 answers the first question by giving a recapitulation of all that Christians will have to endure, and Matthew 24:15-22 answers the second question; the abomination of desolation refers to the armies of Vespasian surrounding Jerusalem. Matthew 24:23-28 is when Jesus warns about Antichrist, not as the abomination of desolation as Irenaeus and Hippolytus interpreted it, but as the false prophet and false Christ. Then of course Matthew 24:29-31 is about the second coming and the last judgment.
In his interpretation of 2 Thessalonians, John gives us more context. The restrainer mentioned by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 is the Roman Empire, which restrains the Antichrist because it is when the Empire falls apart that Antichrist will use the power vacuum to take his place as ruler. The mystery of lawlessness already at work is Nero, who is a prefiguration of Antichrist. God will permit the appearance of Antichrist so as to confirm the wicked in their wickedness; they will claim to believe in him because of the signs he works, but in truth it will be because of the privileges he grants them and the unlawfulness he permits, as when Christ worked signs He was not believed (John 5:43). When Antichrist appears, he will abolish every idolatrous religion, but so as to be worshipped alone (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). He will sit in the temple of God; which does not refer specifically to the temple in Jerusalem, as in Irenaeus and Hyppolitus, but rather to the Christian Church, so that it is the churches that will be led to worship him as God.
But Elijah will return (Matthew 17:11), being to Christ's second coming what John the Baptist was to His first, then Jesus returns and all are resurrected and judged.
St. Jerome (Commentary on Daniel) says that it should be understood that the events that happened surrounding Antiochus IV Epiphanes are a prefiguration of what will happen surrounding Antichrist (Daniel 8:14).
At a time when the love of many will have grown cold (Luke 18:8), when the Roman Empire collapses, 10 kings will rule over its previous territories. Antichrist will rise from a small nation, which is the Hebrew people, and he will be seen as insignificant at first but will gain power through political intrigue, until he conquers Rome and becomes the first, and last, Jew to rule over the civilized world (Daniel 11:24). He will come from Babylon and first defeat the king of Egypt but will then be frightened by the resistance of Rome against him (Daniel 11:25-30), and will rather defeat the kings of Libya and Ethiopia then conquer Israel, but he will not conquer Edom, Moab and Ammon (Arabia), the deserts where the Christians will flee to (Daniel 11:40-41). He will be received by the Jews as the Christ, and he will put on the pretense of holiness and chastity although he will be a blasphemer (Daniel 11:37-39). As a result of his military victories, the remaining 7 kings will submit to him (Daniel 7:8). For 3.5 years he will rule over the whole world, he will sit in the temple in Jerusalem and claim to be God (Daniel 11:31), and he will persecute the Christians (Daniel 11:33), forbidding the true worship and desecrating the temple in Jerusalem (Daniel 12:11), that the Jews may also be tested, whether they choose Christ or Antichrist. The Christians will resist him for a little but many will die (Daniel 11:34).
However, he will make war against the north and the east and pitch his tent in Apedno near Nicopolis, formerly known as Emmaus, in Judea, then will go to the summit of the Mount of Olives, where the Lord will destroy him (Daniel 11:42-45, Isaiah 25:6-8). Then the resurrection and the final judgment will come, without a millennial kingdom since the saints are evidently not to inherit an earthly kingdom but a spiritual one (Daniel 7:18-19).
Concerning the 70 weeks of Daniel, Jerome suggests various interpretations he considers to be valid, some which make the final week to be about Antichrist and some that don't.
Some believe that the Antichrist has already come in the person of Emperor Nero (Daniel 11:30).
St. Augustine of Hippo (City of God 20) says that the first resurrection (Revelation 20:5-6) is the one referred to in John 5:22-26: it is not the resurrection of the body, but of the soul, as indeed the soul has a kind of death and a kind of resurrection from the dead (Matthew 8:22, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15). It is the resurrection of mercy, as opposed to the second resurrection, the resurrection of judgment (John 5:28-29). There is also the equally Orthodox opinion that the first resurrection is a future one, followed by a thousand-year sabbatical kingdom, as taught by Irenaeus, but it is only Orthodox if one believes that this kingdom is spiritual and not the kind of carnal, passionate kingdom expected by the Chiliasts. But if the first resurrection is the one we already participate in as Christians, then the thousand years can be a manner of speech since the time of the Church is happening during the latter half of the sixth millennium, so that it is called a millennium to recapitulate the actual final thousand years it takes place in (in which case the second resurrection is very soon from his perspective; keep in mind that the end of the sixth millennium would be around the year 500 AD and Augustine died in 430), or the millennium is far more symbolic, referring to all of world history (Psalm 105:8). At the end of the millennium Gog and Magog will launch a final great assault against the Church for 3.5 years. This does not refer to any one earthly nation but rather to the unbelieving world, which will oppress the Church wherever it is.
Antichrist will sit in the temple of God, but there are different opinions as to whether this refers to a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem or to the Church. Until then, what is keeping him from appearing is also not universally agreed upon: some believe it is the Roman Empire, and that the mystery of lawlessness already at work is Nero, who either will be resurrected or perhaps has not actually died. Some believe that what is keeping Antichrist from appearing and what is the mystery of lawlessness is the number of wicked men in the Church, who, when they are sufficiently plentiful, will create a favorable environment for Antichrist, and that 1 John 2:18-19 refers to the same thing.
It is the common tradition that Antichrist will come among ten kings ruling the Empire among themselves, but it is dangerous to put too much trust into this, as the ten kings could instead be symbolic of all the kings prior to Antichrist.
Antichrist will persecute the Church for 3.5 years.
Soon before the end comes, Elijah will return and convert the Jews to Christianity (Malachi 4:5-6).
...
What has become the general tradition, such as what is found liturgically or commonly? I'd say:
submitted by InternetTraumatized to OrthodoxChristianity [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 23:30 ProfessionalEstate27 In the middle of the world's depravity, Christ is my rock

Christ is compared metaphorically to many things in the Bible. He is the Lion and the Lamb. He is the Good Shepherd and the True Vine. He is the Light of the world and the Bread of Life. There are many more, but in this post, I want to focus on Christ as our rock and sure foundation. It can be easy to get swept up in the ways of the world; the pleasures of sin often seem so fulfilling, though the opposite is true, and the end of sin is destruction. However, the excessive sin of the world is exhausting, it seems there is no place to hide from the proud display of sin from humanity, and yet "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Psalm 18:2, NKJV).
Christ is our rock, first of all, in that he is our firm foundation and rock of salvation. In Christ alone, can we be assured that we have salvation. That we have been saved and rescued from our sinful selves, and out of this sinful world. This world is not our home anymore, Christ has a place prepared for us. Yet, while we are here, we will abide in him, and let our lives testify of the rock in whom we live, and who is our foundation. We will call out to the world, and invite them, just as he does, to the salvation that is in Christ alone.
"Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, 'Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame'" (1 Peter 2:6).
"Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved" (Psalm 62:1-2).
"As it is written: 'Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame'" (Romans 9:33).
Secondly, Christ is the foundation upon which his church is built. Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:23), but he is also the foundation of the church. The church is nothing apart from Christ, and we ought not to be wavering, carried about with different doctrines (Hebrews 13:8-9), but instead, firm in Jesus Christ. We ought not to be taken up in the vain teachings of the world (Colossians 2:8-10). We certainly cannot be carried away with the sin of the world, nor can we have any friendship with the world; we are set apart as a holy people, who boast with the apostle, only in the cross of Jesus Christ (Romans 12:2, 1 John 2:15-17, James 4:4, Ephesians 5:11, Colossians 3:1-2, 2 Corinthians 6:17, Galatians 6:14). Christ is our sure foundation, and we must live, built on that firm foundation.
"For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11).
"Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone" (Ephesians 2:19-20).
"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall (Matthew 7: 24-27).
Thirdly, it is Christ upon whom we can always depend. Friends and family in this world may come and go, but Christ never changes (Hebrews 13:8), and he is always there when you need him (Hebrews 13:5-6). I'm sure we all have found ourselves in situations that are beyond our control, and while we cannot do anything, we can lean on that Rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ. He is always there, he never changes, he is that firm foundation. Not only that, he loves us (1 John 4:9-10). If you need something, ask in his name and he will give it (John 14:13-14). In your trials and tribulations, he is there for you ( Isaiah 43:2, Hebrews 4:15-16). My brothers and sisters in Christ, lean on the Rock of our salvation.
"He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah" (Psalm 62:6-8).
"I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me,and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps" (Psalm 40:1-2).
"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Psalm 18:2
Fourthly, Christ is from whom we have life. Now, I mean this spiritually. I could explain this physically, because that also is true, that we live because we are upheld by God, but I wish to take this spiritually. We were dead in our sins, but in Christ, we have life (Ephesians 2:1-5, 1 John 5:11-12). Not only are we raised from the dead to new life in Christ, but we also may have life, and life more abundantly (John 10:10). Just as God gave the Israelites water from the rock in the desert (Exodus 17:4-7), so in Christ, we drink of that living water (1 Corinthians 10:4, John 4:10, Revelation 21:6). That living water is free and offered to all (Isaiah 55:1). Not only that, if we are in Christ, out of each and every one of us will flow living water (John 7: 37-38). We are called to have that living water flowing out of us, that we may lead others and disciple others to also drink from the fountain of life which is Christ. That there may be many of us rooted in that only foundation Jesus Christ.
"Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:1-4)
"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving" (Colossians 2:6-7).
"Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:4-5)
I could make some more points as well, about Christ, the anchor of our souls. Christ, who transforms us to be conformed to his image. There is so much here, but I'll leave it with this: when all feels lost in this world of sin, you can call out with the psalmist "Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61: 1-2). The world will never satisfy us, but Christ will. There is nothing firm, nothing sure in the world, but Christ is our firm foundation and the Rock of our salvation. He is everything you need, lean on Him.
submitted by ProfessionalEstate27 to TrueChristian [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 06:01 QuestionsAboutSCJ SCJ and the Essential Doctrines of Christianity, Part 1

Shincheonji:
SCJ does not believe that Jesus is God, but instead only a created being, born of the seed Holy Spirit. They believe that Christ is a perfect man, and the perfect sacrifice that atones mankind’s sin.
They believe that he is the “Son of God” who speaks on behalf of the Father as his Spirit works through him after his baptism by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:16, John 1:29-34.
While Shincheonji will willingly lie to a Christian about this belief, it is important to keep note that they only make Jesus out to be a “Promised Pastor”, or essentially a prophet and Messiah of the Old Testament, but not God who took on Human form to die for our sins.
They share many of the same arguments as one would see with both the Muslims and the Jehovah’s Witnesses when it comes to dealing with the Deity of Christ. In essence, Shincheonji is a rebranded version of Arianism, an early church heresy that made Christ an “elevated created being”; however, it is dangerous to try to fit Shincheonji into a “mold”. Every Arian group out there, whether Unitarian, Jehovah’s Witness, or Muslim, may make similar arguments against the Deity of Christ, each group would have their own unique “taste”. When confronting Shincheonji, it is important to keep this in mind.
Arguments for the Divinity and Deity of Christ.
  1. Acceptance of worship:
What is worship?
What is idolatry?
The Bible makes it clear that God alone can accept worship, otherwise it is idolatry.
Yet despite this, Jesus accepts worship on multiple occasions throughout the New Testament:
These are just some of the verses that clearly show Jesus accepting praise and worship, something that is exclusive only to God.
Shincheonji argument as to why Jesus can accept worship:
Shincheonji believes that since Jesus is the perfect embodiment of God, but is not God himself, then therefore it is okay to worship Jesus. Shincheonji would proceed to cite John 5:23, saying that if you were to honor the Son (Jesus) then you would honor the Father (God), or Hebrews 1:3 where it states that Jesus is the radiance of God, but then they would argue that just because he is the radiance of God, it does not mean that he is God. SCJ would also cite 1 Corinthians 1:15, stating that Jesus is the image of God similar to how we are also the image of God citing Genesis 1:27 as reference.
Since Jesus is born of God’s seed through the Holy Spirit, he is an elevated being worthy of worship.
Biblical issues with the above claim:
If we were to assume that Jesus isn’t God, and yet accepts worship, even if Jesus is the “image of God” in a sense of a created being, but not God himself in terms of divine being, then by definition that is idolatry.
Throughout the Bible, we can clearly see that God does not share his glory, worship, and radiance:
We can also see that in every instance in the New Testament, whenever a created being is given worship, they immediately turn it away.
A few examples include:
When we look at Hebrews 1:3: The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
We can see that Jesus is the exact representation and being of God’s glory; something that God does not share (Isaiah 48:11).
In fact, if we read just a few verses further, we can see that Jesus is also referred to as God by the Father:
And there are even more verses where Jesus is directly referenced as God (please refer to point number 2).
As for Colossians 1:15, there are two parts of the verse:
  1. Jesus is the perfect image of God
  2. Jesus is the first born of all creation
If we read the entire context of Colossians 1:15-17, we can see that even more titles are thrown upon Jesus that point to his Deity instead.
We can see that Jesus created all things, including the Spiritual Realm and the Physical realm, and that He is before all things. A Shincheonji member would attempt to re-interpret that verse that instead Jesus only created the “Spiritual Israel” and Christianity; however, letting the text speak for itself, we can see that the statement is not true in the context of Colossians 1:15-17.
If we do not let the text speak for itself, but instead need another new “Hidden Secret”, then not only is that a direct contradiction of Revelation 22:18-19, it also further proves the point that Shincheonji has a different doctrine and a different Jesus from Orthodox Christianity, something that Paul warned us about in Galatians 1:8.
Since we know that God is the creator of all things (Isaiah 44:24), we can see that Paul was clearly inferring the Deity of Christ.
As for the title “First born of all creation”, David as "Firstborn": In Psalm 89:27, King David is referred to as God's "firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth." This does not mean that David was literally the first person born or the first king in history. Rather, it signifies his exalted position and chosen status as the anointed king of Israel.
By the definition of Idolatry, any created being that accepts worship on behalf of God is blasphemy, and directly contradicts God’s very nature and scripture.
Although Shincheonji may not make this argument now, I will also address the other common argument I have seen other groups use:
There are others who accept worship throughout the BIble, especially the Old Testament
Often, critics would point to 1 Chron. 29:20:
Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.
Biblical Issues with the above argument:
It is important to note that the worship and homage given to David in this passage was not the same as the worship given to God. The people acknowledged God's blessings on David and his dynasty, and expressed gratitude to David for his leadership and generosity. However, there is no indication that they considered David to be divine or deserving of the same level of worship as God.
Furthermore, throughout the Bible, there is a clear distinction made between the worship due to God and the respect and honor given to human leaders. While figures like David and other prophets were respected and honored for their role in God's plan of salvation, they were never seen as divine or deserving of the same level of worship as God. The worship given to Jesus in the New Testament was of a different nature, as it involved expressions of divine adoration and submission that were reserved for God alone.
To be more specific:
John 20:28: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.”
This is one of the clearest examples of not only Jesus accepting worship (as in the same chapter he does not rebuke Thomas, but instead praises him for understanding the reality), but the same title was never directly applied to David.
submitted by QuestionsAboutSCJ to Shincheonji [link] [comments]

2023.06.06 01:53 DepartureHonest7948 The Uncompromising Blissful Extravagance of His Presence!

CMM.World & CMMTheology.org
The Great Harvest is here. Christ's Mandate for Missions and CMMTheology build strong, organic relationships globally as we worship, grow and equip together. Like Joshua and Caleb and the Apostle Paul, we see with faith what He sees in each person (to help each reach fullness), group (many streams and backgrounds in unity) and nations (sheep vs. goat nations). Our passion is to love, connect, equip and send with the simplicity, fullness, and power of the Gospel.
The Uncompromising Blissful Extravagance of His Presence! Inbox
By CMM.World CMMTheology.org - November 10, 2022
Dear Mighty One,
I see the Lord's eye upon us we discover by revelation the 'new thing' He is doing in our lives and of those of us who, beyond the present darkness, gaze into His eyes. The 'tuning fork' of Yahweh is orchestrating the sons and daughters of our living God in growing holy remnant unity to withstand as we stand with Him fearlessly in the boldness of the faith of God in this hour. Egypt is behind us, and the covenantal promises and prophetic words we have received (1 Tim. 1:18) empower us by His Holy Spirit to advance in warfare, humbly growing in the spirit of wisdom and revelation.

Yesterday as I encouraged some friends, I said, 'stay in the blissful extravagance of His presence.' Today I saw in Psalm 34 His eyes are upon us in vs. 8 & 9 and v:15 about the 'uncompromisingly righteous.' We are to be holy as He is holy. That leaves no room for any more compromise or seeking to please man or the traditions of men, being free of the fear of man, the religious spirit, and any demonic activity. We are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. Lord, help us understand by revelation to walk in all the authority we have been given by Jesus Christ.
Psalm 34:8-9 'O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him. O fear the Lord, you His saints [revere and worship Him]! For there is no want to those who truly revere and worship Him with godly fear.'
v. 15 'The eyes of the Lord are toward the [uncompromisingly] righteous and His ears are open to their cry.'
Chuck Pierce shared this amazing word from Penny Jackson that is right on for this season: https://christsmandate.blogspot.com/2022/11/chuck-pierce-shares-powerful-word-from.html
May YOUR November be full of Thanksgiving and Praise for you and yours as YOU enjoy The Uncompromising Blissful Extravagance of His Presence!
Thank you for praying for CMM and all your fellow CMM Global Family worldwide. Pray for all the missionaries, schools, and students in CMM College of Theology in the US, Ecuador, Canada, Cuba, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Thailand.
Pray for the new wells and the living water and safe water recently drilled or soon to be drilled in Tanzania, India, Malawi, and Pakistan.
Pray for our upcoming Christmas gift campaigns to bless children and youth in many nations. Many of them are precious, beautiful children (orphans). As the Lord leads, pray about giving any amount to bless dear CMM children this Christmas. https://cmmworld.kindful.com/
Pray for each other, dear friends. We all know we each need prayers going up to Heaven for all those on the front lines. We each are on the front lines!
Please pray for me as I speak tomorrow online to a crusade with 8,000 expected to attend in Pakistan. In December, I will speak at conferences in Liberia and Kenya with fellow CMM Ordained ministers Robert Bimba (Liberia), Tom Omukhobero, and Daniel and Christine Oyoko (Kenya).
We are working on plans and trips for 2023. If you would like to have some of our awesome CMM family speakers for a conference in your area or would like to join or lead a missions trip, we would love to hook you up with dear friends in many nations.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Louis Blom of Judea Harvest as Associate Director of Missions at CMM. This strategic alliance multiplies the efforts and impact in building the Kingdom of our God, for His glory. https://youtu.be/HXfP8tCySRc

Many blessings and shalom from us all here at the home office and around the world.
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submitted by DepartureHonest7948 to CMMworldMissions [link] [comments]

2023.06.05 15:36 afroglobalministries Share4Christ - Be Confident In This - He Is Not Done With You Yet

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” Philippians 1:6, NKJV.
Confidence will keep you in the ring when you know you’ve already won. You can be confident that God isn’t done with you. You’re not an old car with too many issues, too much to fix, and God says I’m not leaving you just like you are. You are beyond what I am willing to do.
God’s response is you are My son, you are my daughter, and I will perform the work that I have begun in you. He is faithful that called you.
God never sleeps nor slumbers. Night and day, the Lord your God is doing a good work in you. You can be confident and fully persuaded of that. Whether you feel like He’s close or you feel like your last mistake, don’t let go of your confidence in Him. Keep coming to God. Hold your head up in faith and joy as a son, as a daughter to his father — He’s not done with you!
Prayer: Father, thank You for Your love and faithfulness. Thank You that I can always be confident of the good work You have begun in me. You will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. I am before you, and I gladly say keep working on me. Hallelujah! I praise You now. In Jesus Christ majestic name, Amen.
Study: Psalm 121:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:24, Hebrews 10:35
submitted by afroglobalministries to Kingdom_World [link] [comments]

2023.06.04 06:48 NoMobile7426 The Messiah must be from the Tribe of Judah and a Descendant of King David AND King Solomon, not Jeconiah, through his human biological father Genesis 49:10, 2 Samuel 7:12-14; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14, 22:9-10, 28:4-6; Jeremiah 23:5, 33:17; Jeremiah 22:30, 36:30, Psalm 89:35-37.

Genealogy in the Bible is only passed down from father to son Numbers 1:1-18. Jesus did not have this genealogy, he didn't have a birth father from the Tribe of Judah, in the line from King David and Solomon, not Jeconiah. He had a virgin birth according to Matthew and Luke. And even if he didn't have virgin birth neither genealogy in Matthew 1 or Luke 3 can produce a King to be the Messiah. In Luke 3 the genealogy doesn't go through Solomon as required and in Matthew 1 the genealogy is rejected because it goes though Jeconiah.
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2023.06.03 18:15 T-Ravaroni Day 3 of 21

Day 3 of 21
Day 3:
65 hours into the fast. Feeling good with some stomach rumblings. Still able to keep active without issue, but muscles are telling me to reduce the weight with resistance training. Weight = 273.4
Are you doing a fast? Even if just for a few days, there is strength in numbers! Join us here.
https://groupme.com/join_group/94440777/R1bE0Wjl
Physical activity:
Dog was needing to be seen by the vet, so I was unable to get to my normal jog and weight lifting during lunch. Still managed to walk and hit the home gym in the evening.
3.61 mile walk with "blinky"
2x12 reverse bent bar triceps pull down 70 lbs
2x12 standing curls with twist at top 35 lbs dumbbells
2x12 windmill shoulder raises 10 lbs plates
2x12 rope pull raises 70 lbs
2x12 elevated pusbups bodyweight
2x12 squats 135 lbs barbell
Supplements:
Another supplement that pairs well with NAC is Serrapeptase. I personally had success dealing with long covid symptoms by taking these two supplements together. Serrapeptase is an enzyme derived from silk worms that has been studied intensively outside of the US. It achieves an anti-inflammatory response by loosening and breaking down scar tissue, working similarly on the micro blood clots that contribute to long covid inflammation symptoms. Serrapeptase is best absorbed on an empty stomach making it perfect to take during a long fast. I will often cycle this supplement one month on, one to two months off as it is detoxified in the liver and can thin your blood.
Scripture:
Psalms 23:1-3 KJV [1](A Psalm of David.) The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. [2]He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. [3]He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Soundtrack:
I could easily share 20 or more songs of this band, but I will limit it to two. Annisokay from Halle (Saale), Germany, a post harcore band featuring a duo of "clean" and "dirty" vocals.
https://youtu.be/3isB0oZ0LKY
https://youtu.be/XyBfyUv9XMg
More updates to come!
submitted by T-Ravaroni to fasting [link] [comments]

2023.06.03 14:09 DishevelledDeccas The Poverty of Christian Voluntarism

(Pun intended)
*** Effort Post ***
Whenever the topic of socialism or welfare comes up in Christian circles, the notion of Christian voluntarism is quick to follow. What is this Christian voluntarism? It is the idea that national welfare should be based on voluntary charity by the church, not the state. This idea seems to have influence in George Bush’s Compassionate Conservatism, and also to a lesser degree in David Cameron’s Big Society.
Two defenses of the concept are in “The Tragedy of American Compassion” by Marvin Olasky, and “Christian Charity vs Government Welfare” by Thomas Johnson[1]. In truth, elements of the idea itself has subtlety become accepted by a very many Christians, and is present in general Christian apologetics on economics (see bibliography). It must be noted that the proponents of the idea rarely embrace the term Christian Voluntarism[2], which seems to be rather a function of how generally accepted and non-sequitur the idea seems to be.
The theology behind Christian Voluntarism
Sadly, many of the texts linked do not have a strong theological basis; they are largely historical defenses for the idea (See Olasky 2008 and Johnson 1970). Thus, a strongman of their theology must rely on those aforementioned Christian apologetic sources rather substantially (see bibliography). Also, thanks to u/Laojac who provided a strongman here.
Christian voluntarism is fundamentally reliant on the charity practiced by the early Christian Church. We know that people in the church shared their property with each other and cared for each other; Acts 2:44-45, Acts 4:32-37. We know they were commanded to care for their families, alongside the poor, and that there were fundraising efforts to send money over to people in need in the church (1 Tim 5:3,8, Galatians 2:10, Hebrews 13:2-3, 2 Corinthians 8-9). Christian Voluntarism takes this model for charity and attempts to nationalize it is a welfare system, for charity. It uses a few methods to support this.
First, it argues that bible tells us that giving should be voluntary. 2 Corinthians 8-9, and especially 2 Corinthians 9:7, exhort voluntary charity, not done under compulsion. Ergo, the state should not require taxation to fund welfare. Whilst the online tracts do not go much further than this, there is an interesting way that this can be extrapolated further. The particular significance of this verse, interestingly enough, is it is one of the key verses to refute the requirement of tithing. Tithing existed under the wholistic economic system of the old testament that did have many rather radical economic policies; the sabbatical year and the year of jubilee, etc. So to call in this verse against the requirement of taxation does provide a rather big challenge; this new idea of caring in the new testament is not a system of governance, like in the old testament, with taxes and regulations. It is a system guided by the holy spirit, whereby people voluntarily care for those around them. The requirement for people to care for families in 1 timothy 5 would definitely fall into this.
Second, it fundamentally ties welfare to work. To quote 2 Thessalonians 3:10 - “those who do not work shall not eat”. This can be taken in the more obvious sense of “there is no such thing as a free lunch” – people need to work to provide for a living, but for the Christian voluntarists, it is taken as a command of a mutual obligation – those who do not try to work shall not get welfare. (Olasky 2008, p 9-10). Unsurprisingly, this is where ideas of “deserving” and “undeserving poor” come from worthy (Olasky 2008, p 11-12). This also forms what welfare should look like – Welfare has a purpose to help people make a living for themselves (Olasky 2008, p 25, 29). But specifically, in practice it also means that those who don’t want to work should be excluded from welfare (Olasky 2008, p 12, 29, 228). Christian voluntarist tracts argue further that welfare itself is corrupting in that it enables backwardness and degeneracy to exist, encouraging laziness and the breakdown of families (for example, Olasky 2008, p xi -xvii, 222).
Third, supporting this is the argument that Biblical notions of property are explicitly in favor of Liberal private property. This is the belief that the owner of property, can do whatever they want with their property. This starts with an appeal to Exodus 20:15,17 as examples of OT Justifications for private property. It points to the various points in the bible that recognize private ownership. To reference a few; Genesis 4:4, Micah 4:4, Acts 5:4. A very notable verse is Mathew 20:15; “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?” – taking this statement at face value would suggest Jesus is very much in favour of liberal private property rights. The whole conclusion of this that people have the right to do with their property what they want. The most immediate implication is the government cannot seize property - This is used against the threat of state socialism.
The Problems with this theology
Of course, we need to recognize that the Bible doesn’t tell Christians to take over the state and implement a welfare state. The fact is that the bible doesn’t prescribe a structure for economic justice in the broader national community. But similarly, this means the bible doesn’t prescribe the Church as being the welfare system of the broader national community. There is a legitimate question about how to pursuing economic justice in light of biblical commands and examples, and the description of the New Testament church (Acts 2:42-47, Acts 4:34-35) exists to show us what economic justice should look like in Christian communities specifically. However, it is a significant stretch to argue that this decentralised system of churches providing welfare is what the bible prescribes as the only legitimate national welfare system.
NT Christian communities were not set up to be a welfare system for the Roman state. They were examples of model Christian communities that we can look to guide us in holy living. They did exist as an alternate perception of economic justice to Old Testament Israel’s state-embedded system, certainly. However, this alternative state was for a few reasons; First Old Testament Israel was a sacrificial system, one that was no longer needed after Christ’s death and resurrection (Heb 10:1-18). Second, Old Testament Israel was a theocratic state, that would make a people for God who would be outwardly different from all around them (Deut 28:9-10). However, Christ did not come to establish a kingdom of this world (John 18:36), instead a people who would follow him due to their changed heart (John 18:36, John 3:5-8). The nullification of the theocratic state of Israel was not a rejection of the state’s interference in economic policy. Rather, it was a recognition that the theocratic state had fulfilled its soteriological and eschatological purpose.
With this context out of the way, we can refute the specific justifications of the voluntarists; The first, 2 Corinthians 9:7, which tells us that giving should be voluntary, not under compulsion, was in a specific letter given to a specific community responding to a crisis at the time. To transform it into a condemnation of state taxation for welfare is a substantial stretch. Paul made clear that it was also a test; he would not command this church to give charity but wanted to know the sincerity of their love, by comparing how much they gave compared to other churches (2 Corinthians 8:8-9).
He was not laying down a law about the state. Nothing in the passage suggests that the state cannot provide welfare. Nothing in the passage suggests that the state cannot demand taxation. Indeed, bible does not reject compulsion in terms of taxation as Christians are exhorted to pay their taxes (Mark 12:13-17; Rom 13:6-7). Contextually, the Christian Voluntarist must also grapple with the absence of a condemnation of the grain dole of Rome, both within this passage and within the broader New Testament. Now, one could argue that if the state gets involved in welfare then the sincerity of Christian love has failed – but that is a very different argument, an argument that needs to grapple with both the fallen nature of humanity, and the social implications of democracy. Nevertheless, the passage at hand does not refute state taxation or state provision of welfare.
Moving to the second justification – that, welfare should be tied to work. This specific passage, 2 Thessalonians 3:10, occurs within a context where there are believers who are “idle and disruptive” (v 6, 11) and who are “not busy; they are busybodies”. They are commanded to settle down and eat (v 12). To use this passage to encourage Christians to work is good. It is not the purpose of the passage to be used for a model of how a welfare state works. Unlike 2 Cor 9:7, which is deliberately misused by Christians to deny welfare to others – this passage can be used to form a welfare state system. Like Acts 4:32 for the Socialists, and 1 Corinthians 14:12-26 for the Corporatists, 2 Thessalonians 3:10 seems quite able to be derived to justify a political policy. However, to declare that 2 Thessalonians 3:10 necessitates a policy program on welfare is misguided – it was a teaching for a particular church at a particular time. The practical considerations of this particular section will get further treatment further on.
The final argument that the bible prescribes liberal private property. This argument has lies that it conceals in truths. Fundamentally, the bible does recognize property rights. It recognizes that we can own property and have liberty in using that property. However, the bible also recognizes two other things; First, that we are not the absolute owners of that property. God is the absolute owner of everything, not humanity (1 Cor 10:26; Psalm 24:1; Deut 10:14). The second is that any property we have, we steward for God; we are not allowed to use property for whatever purpose we deem fit. The OT system has a variety of restrictions on how we can use property, much of which existed for economic justice. There were prohibitions on taking interest (Leviticus 26:36-37); Gleaning laws that mean restricted the amount of produce farmers could get from their own harvest, requiring they leave some to the poor (Lev 19:9-10; Deut 24:19-21). Furthermore, there are the radical redistribution policies with the Sabbatical year and year of jubilee (Leviticus 25:1-7, 8-55). The commandment to not steal was situated within these verses about responsibilities, something noted by Both Catholics and Reformed Christians (See the Catholic Catechism, Westminster Larger Catechism and Heidelberg Catechism). The New Testament similar has a variety of commands about how to use property; (Luke 6:30, 1 John 3:17, 1 Tim 5:8, 6:17-18).
There is one verse that falls outside of the above explanation; Mathew 20:15 – “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?”. The context of the verse is that Jesus is teaching a parable. In the parable, the vineyard owner pays all his workers the same amount, no matter what they work. Parables have single purposes – the purpose of this parable is that it doesn’t matter however late you sign up to the gospel, you will still be saved. It is not a parable with prescriptions on wage payments. It is not a parable with prescriptions on private property.
Fundamentally, there is no biblical prescription against the state establishment of a welfare state. This, in itself, does not disqualify Christian voluntarism as an idea; rather it means that advocating Christian voluntarism requires making a different argument – that the Christian voluntarist form of welfare is the best form of welfare.
The Economics of a Christian Voluntarist welfare state
Gøsta Esping-Andersen’s seminal work “The Three Worlds of welfare Capitalism”, divides welfare states into three ideal types; “Liberal”, “Conservative” and “Social Democratic”. Of these, Christian Voluntarism is closest to the “Liberal” ideal type which is found in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. A liberal welfare state is one that aims to encourage the pursuit of employment, and so the state will provide as little as possible (Esping-Andersen 1990, p. 42). Means testing and mutual obligation is often used to minimize the states ways to welfare provision. Those who cannot rely on government support must rely on charity (Esping-Andersen 1990, p. 26-27).
Christian Voluntarism is essentially a Christian defense for the “Liberal” welfare state. However it does far more, because in practice it would mean the undermining of the liberal welfare state. The Christian voluntarist would tear down the last vestiges of a state led system so that people instead rely on Charity. They would attempt to further liberalize an already liberal system. The practical implications of this are that even a state led system that incorporates the principles of the “deserving and undeserving” poor, alongside the mutual obligations of “those who don’t work don’t eat”, are too much for the Christian Voluntarist.
This system fails both quantitatively and qualitatively. It fails quantitatively because a welfare state based on charity cannot support the entire population. Welfare encompasses old age, unemployment, workplace injuries, permanent disabilities and more. The amount of money needed to organise such a welfare system is unachievable by charities (Green 2017). Reviews of “The Tragedy of American compassion” point out that the historical charitable system championed did not provide welfare for all – it was very geographically dependent (Hammack, 1996, p 261-262).
This system also fails qualitatively. One would think that a Christian voluntarist would see that charity and welfare are symptoms of economic greater problems, and addressing those greater problems would reduce the burdens on charity.[3] But Christian Voluntarists don’t address the issues which lead people to need charity. Unaffordable healthcare and involuntary unemployment are two clear examples of structural economic problems; the former due to the various oligopolies that exist throughout the healthcare system, which is unsurprising given it is a market with high start-up costs, and the latter often due a deficiency in demand. The solutions to these factors require substantial economic reform by means of regulation and government spending, which is antithetical to the Christian Voluntarist ideal. Christian voluntarists are not advocating for these solutions to reduce the burden on charities.
Two further addendums need to be added to this analysis. The first is that there are flaws with regards to the policy derivatives of 2 Thessalonians 3:10. The idea of an undeserving poor has lead to many problems – for example this group has historically included beggars and criminals (Schmalz 2017). The definition of who is undeserving will inevitably both include and exclude people who may need help. Olasky, for example, includes Alcoholics and Drug Addicts as part of his ‘undeserving poor’ (p. 227-228), when, in truth, these groups could quite easily be seen as the most needing of support – albeit in a more compressive form then mere cash handout. The principle of mutual obligations behind this need to be thought through. Interestingly enough, the gleaning system in the OT seems to be a system that follows this idea; welfare is there, but people have to work to get it. This principles behind this are also evident in a full employment policy in the modern era. However, today’s governments generally prefer of “mutual obligations” for welfare, or forms of workfare instead. In the context where workers outnumber jobs these programs essentially act as punitive “full employment policy”.
The second is the Christian voluntarist claim that any welfare system should be orientated towards public morality alongside economic justice. This is a fair claim, and frankly welfare systems must be cautiously constructed with consideration of economic justice, and also the moral fabric of society. Here the example of the ideal type of the Conservative welfare state (historically found in found in Germany, Belgium and Austria), can be drawn upon. This welfare state, for example, is constructed with the family in mind (Esping-Andersen 1990, p. 27). It also relies largely on decentralised system of welfare provision that incorporate religious providers (Esping-Andersen 1990, p. 27). Even with the focus on the moral fabric of society, other factors must also come into play; The conservative welfare state benefits married couples over singles; what does this mean for the economic situation of single mothers? Such a welfare system needs to counterbalance the social fabric of society with it’s economic needs.
To Conclude
Theologically, the claims of Christian Voluntarism do not stand up; there is not set biblical principle about the state’s involvement in welfare provision. Economically, the Christian Voluntarists fail to appreciate the quantitative size of charitable provision needed to match the welfare state, nor do they deal with the structural issues facing the economy.
Fundamentally, I am not a Christian Socialist. I do not believe that the descriptions of Christian communities in Acts can be described as socialist – I may write another piece like this later on. I’m not coming from a liberal, modernist or progressive Christian perspective. Rather I’m annoyed that Conservative Christians have accepted the claims of liberal economies and tried to make a more liberalized welfare system based on a misguided claim about following the Bible.
[1] The specific defense provided by Johnson is explicitly voluntarist, in that it draws on voluntarism as a philosophy. It is also Pelagian and so should be rejected; “Any Christian who does not openly and vehemently denounce all forms of government welfare, cannot, in truth, call himself a Christian, for government welfare is the antithesis of Christian charity.” - this is clearly heresy.
[2] Indeed, the term only seems to appear in online Christian Forums. However, Academics do describe this idea as voluntarist, and it is a Christian defense of Voluntarism, so terming the idea “Christian Voluntarism” is apt.
[3] This was the approach of the founder of the St Vincent De Paul society, Frederic Ozanam. He was an economics lecturer and argued that charity was insufficient to change the situation – what was needed was a change to the relationship between workers and capital (Moody 1953, p 129).
Bibliography
General:
Green, E., 2017. The Voluntarism Fantasy, Democracy A Journal of Ideas, viewed 22 October 2022, https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/32/the-voluntarism-fantasy/
Konczal, M., 2014. Can Religious Charities Take the Place of the Welfare State?, The Atlantic, viewed 22 October 2022, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/03/budget-religion/520605/
Schmalz, M., 2017. Taxing the rich to help the poor? Here’s what the Bible says, The conversation, viewed 3 June 3, 2023 https://theconversation.com/taxing-the-rich-to-help-the-poor-heres-what-the-bible-says-88627
Zeiger, H., 2014. The voluntarism fantasy?, Philanthropy Daily, viewed 22 October 2022, https://www.philanthropydaily.com/the-voluntarism-fantasy/
Christian Voluntarism & Compassionate Conservatism:
Olasky, M N, 2008, The Tragedy of American Compassion, Crossway Books, https://archive.org/details/tragedyofamerica0000olas/mode/2up - Olasky provides a specifically Christian Argument.
Johnson, T L, 1970 May 9, “Christian Charity vs Government Welfare”, Human Events,
Accessible: https://fee.org/articles/christian-charity-vs-government-welfare/, https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/christian-charity-government-welfare/ - Johnson also provides a specifically Christian Argument.
Weed D, 1977, The Compassionate Touch, Carol Stream, https://archive.org/details/compassionatetou00wead/mode/2up - Weed provides a secular argument.
Argumentative Sources
Esping-Andersen, GJ, 1990, The Three Worlds of welfare Capitalism, Princeton University Press.
Hammack, DC, 1996, ‘The Tragedy of American Compassion’, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.
Kuyper, A, 2021, On Business and Economics, Lexham Press.
Lee, F.N 1988, Biblical Private Property Versus Socialistic Common Property, EN Tech.J. 3, pp. 16-22, https://creation.com/images/pdfs/tj/j03_1/j03_1_016-022.pdf
Moody, J, 1953, Church and society : Catholic social and political thought and movements, Arts Inc
Christian Apologetics on Economics
Got Questions, 2022, What is Christian Socialism?, Got Questions, viewed 22 October 2022,
https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-socialism.html
Groothuis D, 2021, CHRISTIANITY AND SOCIALISM: WHAT SHOULD A CHRISTIAN BELIEVE?, Focus on the Family, viewed 22 October 2022, https://www.focusonthefamily.com/church/christianity-and-socialism/
Jeremiah D, 2022, What does the Bible say About Socialism, DavidJeremiah.Blog, viewed 22 October 2022, https://davidjeremiah.blog/what-does-the-bible-say-about-socialism/#:~:text=While%20the%20Bible%20encourages%20generosity,according%20to%20His%20sovereign%20will.
Miller C, 2013a, 2 corinthians 8, communism as an economic system, A little Perspective, viewed 22 October 2022, https://www.alittleperspective.com/2-corinthians-8-communism-as-an-economic-system-2/
Miller C, 2013b, 2 2 corinthians 9, giving cheerfully (communism, part two), A little Perspective, viewed 22 October 2022, https://www.alittleperspective.com/2-corinthians-9-giving-cheerfully-communism-part-two/
Piper, J., 2015. How Should Christians Think About Socialism, Desiring God, viewed 22 October 2022, https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-should-christians-think-about-socialism
Understanding 2012, 2nd Corinthians 8: Charity or Socialism? (Love or Compulsion?), Understanding, viewed 22 October 2022, https://cutpaste.typepad.com/understanding/2012/08/2nd-corinthians-8-charity-or-socialism-love-or-compulsion.html
Hughes G, 2018, Was Jesus a Socialist, When we Understand the Text, viewed 22 October 2022, https://wwutt.com/was-jesus-a-socialist/
TOW Project, 2011, Sharing the Wealth (2 Corinthians 8:13-15), viewed 22 October 2022, https://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/2-corinthians/sharing-the-wealth-2-corinthians-813-15
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2023.06.02 20:47 ArchaicChaos Pneumatology 2. The Paraklétos (John 14:16-17, 26, 15:26, 16:7, 13-14)

John 14:16-17, 26: And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you to the age— the Spirit of truth, whom the world is not able to receive, because it does not see Him nor know. But you know Him, for He abides with you and He will be in you.... But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and will bring to your remembrance all things that I have said to you.
John 15:26: When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes forth from the Father, He will bear witness concerning Me.
John 16:7, 13-14: But I tell you the truth, it is profitable for you that I should go away; for unless I go away the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you... But when He the, Spirit of truth, shall come, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He may hear, He will speak. And He will declare to you the things coming. He will glorify Me, for He will take from that which is Mine and will disclose it to you.
Translating "Paraklétos"
The translation above (BLB) uses the term "helper," other translations will variously use: advocate, comforter, intercessor, counselor, etc. These are all translating the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklétos). The word itself is variously translated, not because it is difficult to understand, but because we don't have one solid English word that encompasses everything the Greek word means. This word describes someone who is para, or "close" by another and is in defense of them. This can be in defense in regards to comforting or helping with a problem, but this word is also used in legal defense, someone who advocates on another's behalf as an intercessor before a court or an audience. This is why all of these translations are used. Each does represent a different aspect of what this word means. In context, Jesus is comforting his apostles in these chapters. John 13-17 (and part of chapter 18) are all of Jesus' last night before his trials begin. John 13-16 is the "upper room discourse" where Jesus has his final words with his apostles. Chapters 14-16 are mostly repeating the same few points over and over. Namely, that Jesus will show us the way to the Father through the Spirit which will comfort them after he dies. He will soon die, and they will be comforted by the Spirit of truth. John 17 is called Jesus' "high priestly prayer," this entire chapter is Jesus' prayer to the Father. Chapter 18 is when Jesus is captured and taken to be tried. These statements about the Holy Spirit, Spirit of truth, or paraklétos, are found in the above listed verses in chapters 14-16. Jesus is comforting his apostles by telling them things before he goes to his death. He goes on to explain that he will ask for another comforter to come and comfort the apostles after he is gone. For this reason, the context seems to me to be best translated as "comforter," or "helper," because this Spirit is coming to comfort and help the apostles through the period of time after losing Christ, and as they go one their great commission. For the course of this article, we will generally leave the word untranslated for this reason.
Who is the paraklétos? The Holy Spirit
The paraklétos is the Holy Spirit. "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another paraklétos, that He may be with you to the age—the Spirit of truth... But the paraklétos, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name..." (John 14:16-17, 26). The Holy Spirit is the paraklétos that the Father will send in the name of Jesus. The paraklétos, Holy Spirit, and Spirit of truth are all equivalent terms referring to the same thing. The paraklétos is the Holy Spirit.
The 3 Trinitarian Arguments
In these passages, many Trinitarians will use them to argue three points.
-1 That the Holy Spirit is a person, due to the fact that "he" is used and not "it."
-2 The Holy Spirit is someone other than the Father or Jesus because the Father sends him, Jesus sends him, and the Spirit is "another" being sent. It follows that if the Holy Spirit is a person, and another, then you have a third person of the Trinity here.
-3 The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father due to what is said in John 15:26, the Spirit ἐκπορεύεται (ekporeuetai), or, "goes forth, proceeds from" the Father. In the doctrine of the Trinity, the procession of the persons (how the Son and Spirit come from the Father) advocates that the nature by which the Father generates the Son is through begetting, while the Spirit proceeds, or spirates. Depending on the stance on the filioque, the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, or the Father through the Son.
Argument 1, "He"
Looking at argument 1, we find that the Trinitarians do have a particular point here. In Greek, you have grammatical gender. A particular word will have grammatical gender associated with it. Common examples are "logos," or "word," which is grammatically masculine, and "sophia," or "wisdom," which is grammatically feminine. The Greek word for Spirit Πνεῦμα (pneuma), is grammatically neuter. When using a pronoun associated with the subject, the pronouns' grammatical gender must match the subject. So, if we use a pronoun associated with a grammatically feminine word, the corresponding referring pronoun must also be in the feminine gender. Our subject here is "Spirit." Which is grammatically neuter. Therefore, the associated pronoun should be grammatically neuter. However, something different occurs in these passages that we would not expect to see. While referring to a grammatically gendered word, the gender changes to a masculine when the referential word is used.
"But when He (ἐκεῖνος, ekeinos, masculine), the Spirit (Πνεῦμα, Pneuma, neuter) of truth, shall come, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak from Himself (ἑαυτοῦ, heautou, masculine), but whatever He may hear, He will speak. And He will declare to you the things coming. He (ἐκεῖνος, ekeinos, masculine), will glorify Me, for He will take from that which is Mine and will disclose it to you." (John 16:13-14)
As we can see, while the referential pronouns are referring to a grammatically neuter word, we have them in the masculine. Compare this to Matthew 15:22:
"And behold, a Canaanite woman from the same (ἐκείνων, ekeinōn, neuter) region (ὁρίων, horiōn, neuter) having approached, was crying out saying, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.'"
The subject here, being "region," which is grammatically neuter, is paired with the same pronoun used in John 16:13-14 above, but it is also in the neuter gender.
Grammarians say that John is "breaking the rules of Greek grammar" by doing this, and this is for the purpose of referring to a person. The reason why John would change the grammatical gender from a neuter to a masculine is for the purpose of showing that the subject is specifically masculine.
Some Unitarians' Response
Many Unitarians argue that the Holy Spirit is not someone, but, something. It is "God's power," or "an active force." It is a rather impersonal object that's used by God, not a person. If the above argument from the grammar is correct, then this would disprove the Unitarian claim. It is my understanding and opinion that the objection above is correct, and this does disprove the Spirit in this case to be something rather than a person. The Spirit is not "it," but properly, "he." My argument is not against the case made for the grammar, but my argument is against the Unitarians, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, that claim that the Spirit is nothing more than an impersonal force. Under the study notes in the NWT (New World Translation, the translation made by the Jehovah's Witnesses), they say the following:
Study notes on John 14:16:
When Jesus spoke of the holy spirit, an impersonal force, as a helper and referred to this helper as ‘teaching,’ ‘bearing witness,’ ‘giving evidence,’ ‘guiding,’ ‘speaking,’ ‘hearing,’ and ‘receiving’ (Joh 14:26; 15:26; 16:7-15), he used a figure of speech called personification, that is, referring to something impersonal or inanimate as if it were alive. In the Scriptures, it is not unusual for something that is not actually a person to be personified. Some examples are wisdom, death, sin, and undeserved kindness. (Mt 11:19; Lu 7:35; Ro 5:14, 17, 21; 6:12; 7:8-11) It is obvious that not one of these things is an actual person. God’s spirit is often mentioned together with other impersonal forces or things, further supporting the fact that it is not a person. (Mt 3:11; Ac 6:3, 5; 13:52; 2Co 6:4-8; Eph 5:18) Some argue that the use of Greek masculine pronouns when referring to this “helper” shows that holy spirit is a person. (Joh 14:26) However, Greek grammar requires masculine pronouns when the activity of “the helper” is described since the word for “helper” is in the masculine gender. (Joh 16:7, 8, 13, 14) On the other hand, when the neuter Greek word for “spirit” (pneuʹma) is used, neuter pronouns are used.​
Study notes on John 14:17:
spirit: Or “active force.” The Greek term pneuʹma is in the neuter gender and therefore, neuter pronouns are used when referring to it. The Greek word has a number of meanings. All of them refer to that which is invisible to human sight and gives evidence of force in motion. (See Glossary.) In this context, “spirit” refers to God’s holy spirit, which is here called the spirit of the truth, an expression that also occurs at Joh 15:26 and 16:13, where Jesus explains that “the helper” (Joh 16:7), that is, “the spirit of the truth,” will “guide” Jesus’ disciples “into all the truth.”
Study notes on John 15:26:
That one: The Greek demonstrative pronoun e·keiʹnos is in the masculine gender and refers to the helper, which is also in the masculine gender.​
Study notes on John 16:13:
that one: Both “that one” and “he” in verses 13 and 14 refer back to “the helper” mentioned at Joh 16:7. Jesus used “the helper” (which is in the masculine gender in Greek) as a personification of the Holy Spirit, an impersonal force, which is in the neuter gender in Greek.​
link to the Study Bible of the NWT
In other words, the NWT is arguing that the reason these pronouns are in the masculine, even though they are paired with the neuter "Spirit," is because they refer back to the word "paraklétos," which is grammatically masculine. They are saying that John is not changing Greek grammar to note that the Spirit is masculine to indicate that it is a person, but that these pronouns refer to the masculine word "paraklétos."
Then they explain that the reason why God's "active force" would be called "the paraklétos," and doing things that someone would normally do, not something, such as bearing witness, testifying, hearing, etc, is because this is simply personification. They then give a list of other things in the Bible that are personified to justify the fact that the Bible does this at times.
Their end result is to uphold that the Spirit is an impersonal active force that God uses, and Jesus here reifies the Spirit and speaks of it as if it is a person doing personal things.
Objections to the Jehovah's Witnesses Response
Does their answer fly? I don't think so. First, I am not convinced that a good grammatical argument could be made that the referential pronouns are referring back to "paraklétos" and not "Spirit."
Second, while personification is a common figure of speech in the Bible, it does not justify this to be the case here, it only posits it as a possibility. The notes of their study Bible give no definitive proof of either claim thus far. How do we explain the Spirit as doing all of these things if it is merely a personification? One example they give is that of wisdom, in which it is personified in the statement, "wisdom is proved righteous by what she does." We can explain this metaphor. The results of what someone does from wisdom is the personified action. But with the Spirit, how it comforts, and how it testifies is never explained by these notes. While personification is assumed, we should have an explanation for how these personified metaphors apply in reality. In other words, if we are going to assume metaphorical language, we must have an explanation for the metaphor. Far too much is said in these passages to just assume it to be metaphorical.
Third, they argue that, "God’s spirit is often mentioned together with other impersonal forces or things, further supporting the fact that it is not a person." They argue that the Bible mentions "holy spirit and fire" or having "joy and holy spirit" this emphasizes that the Holy Spirit must not be a person. However, by this same logic, in the passage in question, the Holy Spirit would be proven to be a person. Since the Holy Spirit is mentioned as "going forth from the Father," who they admit is a person, why wouldn't this mean the Holy Spirit is a person here? What about Matthew 28:19, "the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?" The two things mentioned alongside the Spirit are persons, even by JWs standards, so why should we not use this line of reasoning to assert that the Spirit is a person? Even in the infamous verse in the NWT of Genesis 1:2, where God is mentioned as being with his Spirit, we should then infer that the Spirit is a person. As a side point, this would also disprove their theory on Proverbs 8:22 being about Jesus preexisting as God's wisdom and being created. Why not use the same "personification" argument here with wisdom? Why not argue that because wisdom is mentioned with other things that are not persons, such as the Holy spirit in their own listed example, we should conclude that God's wisdom is not a person in Proverbs 8?
The arguments here are circular, and I do not buy them to be accurate. It is to start with the assumption that the Holy Spirit is entirely impersonal and then to make ad hoc arguments to justify the assumption. When we read in these passages that the Holy Spirit is how the apostles will be comforted, shown truth, and will testify to them, this can not merely be a personification. How does the Spirit comfort and testify to us?
The Holy Spirit, More Than Power
The Holy Spirit is not just a force God uses, nor is it just God's power. Zechariah 4:6 says: "Then he said to me, 'This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.'" Some argue that this "might" and "power" refers only to human might and power. God does not say, "Not by your power, but by my power." The contrast isn't between just human power and divine power. It is between power and God's Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God's power (Luke 1:35) but is not than simply this. The Spirit is also God's word (Psalm 33:6), God's wisdom (Proverbs 8:22-31), God's presence (Psalm 51:11), the angel of his face (Isaiah 63:9-10), God's intercessor (Romans 8:26-27), the mind of God or the communication of it (1 Corinthians 2:11), and much more. To reduce God's Spirit down to just his power is to ignore the entirety of Pneumatology and the many statements about what God's Spirit is and does. How, then, should we define the Spirit to encompass all of what the Spirit does? The Spirit is the nature of God. Compare 2 Peter 1:4, "partakers of the divine nature," with Hebrews 6:4, "partakers in the Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit communicates everything God wishes to communicate. That is to say, every communicable attribute of God can be communicated by his Spirit. It is his very self. God is Holy, and God is Spirit (John 4:24). The Spirit of God is what he is. God is power. God is love. When we receive his power, his love, when we receive his Spirit.
The Spirit communicates the person of God to us. There is what's called the "transcendence, immanance problem" in philosophy. How can God be transcendental, residing in heaven far above us, and yet omnipresent, here with us? How is he both transcendent and immanent? God is a person, and he resides in heaven. And yet he also resides in us, and we reside in him (John 14:23, 1 John 2:24). The Spirit is how he resides in us. The Spirit of God communicates the person of God to us. His own presence resides in us. This person resides in us by his Spirit.
The Lord is the Spirit
When Jesus was raised from the dead, he received this same Spirit in full (Acts 2:33, 1 Corinthians 15:45, Colossians 2:9). In the same way God resides in heaven and resides in us, so also does the Son by the same Spirit. These are not two different spirits. The Bible says that we only know one Spirit (Ephesians 4:4). Jesus was raised from the dead by God's Spirit, and he himself became clothed in that Spirit. It became his own nature. This is what a new creation is. A man of flesh who is now Spirit. When Jesus was raised from the dead, he says that he has flesh and bone, unlike a spirit (Luke 24:39). Yet, he appears in locked rooms and in a different form (Mark 16:12). He breathes the Holy Spirit onto his apostles (John 20:22). Jesus is the same body that rose up from the tomb, the same body nailed to the cross, with the same holes in his hands and side. Yet, he has the Holy Spirit within, his own breath, his own life source. "The second Adam, Life-giving Spirit" (1 Corinthians 15:45). No longer a body of flesh with life made to be a living soul, but a body with the Spirit of immortality clothing it.
Who is the Paraklétos? Jesus Christ
In the topic passages, we are talking about the paraklétos, who we have clearly identified as the Holy Spirit (which is not a very contested claim). If we read 1 John 2:1, we find: "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you might not sin. And if anyone should sin, we have a paraklétos with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One." Jesus Christ is identified as the paraklétos "with the Father." John is talking about the risen Christ and says that he is the paraklétos. "We have (present tense verb) a paraklétos with the Father." Is Jesus, then, the Holy Spirit after resurrection? Yes. "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all having been unveiled in face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.... For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:17-18, 4:5). As plainly as it can be, the Lord is Jesus, and Jesus is the Spirit. How many spirits are there? "One Spirit" (Ephesians 4:4). Jesus Christ has been made the Holy Spirit now that he has been resurrected. So, too, will we be "who are being conformed to the same image."
The Holy Spirit "Was" Another
The Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, all of these terms refer to one and the same Spirit after Jesus' resurrection. A common objection raised is that the Holy Spirit is something that comes down upon Jesus at his baptism. "I saw the Spirit descend and remain upon him" (John 1:32), and other objections which show a distinction between Jesus and the Spirit. This is not to the point. We, now, receive the Spirit as a down-payment (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Ephesians 1:14). You put a deposit on something that you do not yet own but have some partial claim to. The Spirit is granted to us as a partial reward for what is to come at resurrection and glorification. The Spirit that we have now is not ours. This is the same for Jesus in his ministry. God gave Jesus the Spirit as a deposit for what he would receive in full at resurrection. The Holy Spirit becomes the Spirit of Christ only after resurrection. To argue that the Spirit is someone or something else during Christ's ministry does not change the facts presented here. Jesus becomes the Spirit. That is the resurrection body Paul speaks of at length in 1 Corinthians 15 (verse 12 ff). A body of glory by the Spirit of the Lord of glory. This is why we are the body of Christ. Because Christ has been raised in a body of Holy Spirit, and when we partake in that Spirit now, which is his body, we become his body. This is truly what Jesus means when we ask us to eat his body, his flesh, and drink the blood of his life. What has the body of Jesus become? Life-giving Spirit.
The Holy Spirit, a Person? Who?
John 14:23 says: "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and will make a home with him." This is just before and after he has introduced the paraklétos to us. When we receive the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of the Father and will be the Spirit of the Son, then both the Father and Son are in us through that Spirit in us. One Spirit in us, the presence of both of these persons. 1 John 2:27 says: "And you, the anointing that you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But just as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is no lie, and just as it has taught you, you shall abide in Him." What is the anointing we receive? Is it not the anointing of the Holy Spirit? When we are anointed and receive the Spirit, then we abide in Him, and he abides in us.
When people argue about the Holy Spirit being a person in John 14-16, the argument does not prove the Trinity to be true. The question is, "Who is the person of the Holy Spirit?" There is no reason to assume that the Holy Spirit is another person, not the Father or the Son. When "he" abides in us, the Spirit of truth, in these verses, is the resurrected son. He, the risen Lord, will be in us, with us, and testifying to us, comforting us. This is not personification of something. The personal presence of Christ is in us. He is immanent. He is with us, as our paraklétos from the Father.
Argument 2, "Another" Paraklétos
"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper." Jesus says that the Father will send another. How, then, can I say that this is Jesus? Because the resurrected Jesus is another helper, a different helper than the Jesus in his ministry. This is what they did not and could not yet understand. Paul refers to this resurrected Jesus in the same way. Romans 7:4, "Likewise, my brothers, you also have been put to death to the Law through the body of Christ, for you to belong to another, to the One having been raised out from the dead, so that we should bear fruit to God." We died in Christ, to belong to another in his resurrection. In this context, Paul is talking about the union of Israel to the old law, and he likens this covenant to a marriage covenant. At the death of one party, the covenant is broken. "'Til death do we part." After death, the covenant is broken. There is no law holding the marriage together. Likewise, Israel died to the law when they died together with Jesus in their baptism into his death. Water baptism. We die to ourselves, we die to the flesh, which the law governs over, and we are raised in the Spirit. Spirit baptism. We receive the Spirit of another. The risen Jesus. Have you ever wondered why Acts 13:30-33 says that God had to beget Jesus when he was raised from the dead? Have you ever wondered why Colossians 1:18 and Revelation 1:5 call Jesus the firstborn from among the dead?
Paul also says this in 2 Corinthians 5:16-17: "Therefore from now, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have regarded Christ according to flesh, yet now we regard Him thus no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, the new has come into being." The Jesus that went to the cross to die was the first comforter. The comforter in the flesh. But this flesh was nailed to cross, and what rose from the grave was another comforter. A new creation. This is why we are also a new creation when we are "in Christ," by dying with him in baptism and raising with him in the same Spirit that raised him from the dead.
"I will send another paraklétos. We have a paraklétos with the Father, Jesus Christ." Another. The resurrected Jesus. A new man, a new body, begotten of God again, life-giving Spirit. Jesus is saying that he will send the Spirit of Christ to us. And when we receive this Spirit of Jesus and the Father, they are abiding in us, at home in us, and we abide in the them in that same Spirit. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will receive you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also. And you know the way to the place I am going." Where did Jesus go? Was he not ascended to heaven? He isn't talking about going to heaven when you die. He's talking about where you will reside when you receive his Spirit. "Seated with Christ in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 2:6). This is now for those of us who have been filled with the Spirit, and heaven has been opened to us (see Acts 7:55-56). Notice that Paul uses the aorist tense, which is a past tense verb in this verse. God has already, past tense, seated us with Christ in the heavenly places. Paul goes on in verses 8-10 to explain that his audience has already received forgiveness and grace, and they have already been created in Christ for good works. That is to say, they have already received this Spirit. they are seated with Christ already in heaven. Not when they die, not after resurrection, but now. "I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you" (John 14:18). He says this just after he speaks of the paraklétos coming to comfort us. Jesus isn't talking about coming back at his return. This isn't comforting to them. He still has not returned. He's talking about coming back in the Spirit.
John 14:16-17, 26 Explained
John 14:16: "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you to the age—."
Jesus will ask the Father on our behalf as mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), and he will give us another helper. Not the helper they had in the flesh, a new helper in the Spirit. The risen Christ. And this Spirit of Christ will be in us until the end of the age. The Church age. That is until his return.
John 14:17: "the Spirit of truth, whom the world is not able to receive, because it does not see Him nor know. But you know Him, for He abides with you, and He will be in you."
The Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, which guides us into all truth. The world does not receive the Spirit of Christ. They have the Spirit of the world. They do not know or see the Spirit we have received. They do not understand or faith. But the apostles know him, the Spirit of truth, because they see the Spirit in Jesus while he is alive. They will have that same Spiritual deposit when they receive him.
John 14:26: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and will bring to your remembrance all things that I have said to you."
The Father will send in the name or authority of Christ. God will have given Jesus all authority (Matthew 28:18). We receive the Spirit in the name of Jesus. He is our way to the Father. The Spirit will teach us all truth, so that we have no need anyone should teach us (1 John 2:27).
John 15:26 Explained
John 15:26: "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes forth from the Father, He will bear witness concerning Me."
The Spirit goes out from the Father. It is essentially part of him, which goes forth. But this part of him is given to Jesus, who participates in the shared Spirit. This is what makes us a family. We will all share in what the Father is. The Spirit of God is sent from the Father through Jesus, and that Spirit will bear witness concerning Christ. This means that when we receive that Spirit, we show and display the mind and nature of Christ, and Christ is formed among us. "We will be like him." This is not about a distinct person proceeding forth from the Father's essence as a new and separate center of self-consciousness. The consciousness and personhood of the Spirit are the same consciousness, the same person as he who sends it. If the Father sends his Spirit, the Father is in us. If the Spirit proceeds from Jesus, then Jesus is in us. Since the Spirit becomes a shared Spirit that both are sending, then both are in us by this Spirit. This is why Jesus says that he will send the Spirit from the Father. His Spirit is that which he received from the Father (Acts 2:33), and they both are present in the same Spirit. This is why the Holy Spirit is sometimes very vague in the NT as to which person sends the Spirit. Because it is very much a blended act. Romans 8:9: "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him." The Spirit, the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of Christ are all interchangeably terms here. All are the same thing.
John 16:7, 13-14 Explained
John 16:7: "But I tell you the truth, it is profitable for you that I should go away; for unless I go away the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you."
If Jesus does not die on the cross, the Spirit can not be poured out to us. Why? Because we can't be a clean and holy temple for the presence of God to reside in if we do not become sinless by dying to our flesh in Christ. If Jesus goes to the Father, he will send the Spirit to us. Because Jesus does not receive the Spirit in a way that he can pour it out upon us unless the Father elevates and raises him. Jesus must be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51).
John 16:13-14: "But when He the, Spirit of truth, shall come, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He may hear, He will speak. And He will declare to you the things coming. He will glorify Me, for He will take from that which is Mine and will disclose it to you."
The Spirit guides us, individually, into all truth because each of us individually receives this Spirit personally when we are anointed. "He will not speak from himself, but whatever he may hear, he will speak." The Spirit does not possess a separate consciousness from the Father or Son. The Spirit says nothing from himself, the one speaking in the Spirit is the one who sends the Spirit. What Jesus communicates through his Spirit, this is what we hear. But this paraklétos is the risen Christ. He, the resurrected Jesus, does not speak from himself. He speaks what the Father has told him. "A man who told you the truth I heard from God." Hebrews 1:2 says that in these last days (a reference to the resurrected Christ), God has now spoken to us in a Son. The Son does not speak from himself. He speaks only what he has heard from the Father.
Applicable and Explanatory Context
Other scriptures from this discourse from Jesus illustrate his points.
John 14:2-4: "In My Father’s house there are many mansions. And if not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will receive you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also. And you know the way to the place I am going."
In my Father's house are many mansions. Places of residence in the Father. Receiving the Spirit of Christ is not just about the Father and Jesus being in us, but about us also being in them. Being in them where they are. Seated at God's right hand in heaven. "Seated in the heavenly places."
John 14:11-12: "Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me; but if not, believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, the one believing in Me, the works that I do, also he will do. And he will do greater of these because I am going to the Father. "
We should believe that the Father is in Jesus by his Spirit because of the works that the Father does through Jesus (Acts 2:22). The one believing in Jesus will do "the greater of these works" (not "greater than these). The verse literally says, "the [one] believing in me, the works that I do he also will do and greater of these will he do because I go to the Father." He's talking about us doing the works he did and the greatest of those works. The greatest work Jesus did was love his neighbour and share the gospel. These are the works we are to do "because I am going to the Father." We do the works of God too because we are to receive the Spirit of God just as Jesus did. This is how Jesus demonstrated perfect love. This is how Jesus was guided into the truth of the gospel. Because he received the Spirit of God, and so also will we.
John 14:20: "In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you."
In what day? The day we receive the Spirit of life. We will know Jesus is in the Father because we will experience what that is like. For those of us who have received this Spirit, we know that we are in God, God is in us, and we are in Christ, and he is in us. "In that day," the day you receive the Spirit. We will understand how the Father in him did the works because they will be in us doing their work as well.
John 14:21: "The one having My commandments and keeping them, he is the one loving Me. Now the one loving Me will be loved by My Father. And I will love him, and will show Myself to him."
"I will show myself to him." How? As the paraklétos. Heaven is opened. "I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago—whether in the body, I do not know, or out of the body, I do not know; God knows—such a man, having been caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know; God knows— that he was caught up into Paradise, and he heard inexpressible words, not being permitted to man to speak." (2 Corinthians 12:2-4)
John 14:23-24: "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and will make a home with him. The one not loving Me does not keep My words. And the word that you hear is not Mine, but that of the Father having sent Me."
"We will make our home with him." Think back to, "in my Father's house are many abodes." We receive them in us when we receive their Spirit. The words we hear are that which he received from the Father. "He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He may hear, He will speak." Jesus will teach us the truth from God as the word of God. "In these last days, God has spoken to us in a Son."
John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it fear."
Jesus, here, is our comforter, leaving with peace. Jesus will give us peace once again when he returns to us in the Spirit. As another comforter.
John 14:28: "You heard that I said to you, ‘I am going away and I am coming to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I."
Jesus is going away through death to ascend to the Father. He is coming back in the Spirit to us. Jesus knows his apostles will be sad at his death and his ascension in losing him. But this is how Jesus comforts them. They should rejoice because he is going to come back again to comfort them. "The Father is greater than I." His reason for mentioning this is because the way in which he can comfort and strengthen them in the Spirit he will send and receive from the Father is greater than the way he can comfort them now. They should rejoice at Jesus' leaving them. Not because they want to see him go, but because they will understand that he will come back to them in the Spirit once he does. He must ascend to the Father to receive his Spirit and inheritance to be able to pour out that blessing on us.
John 15:4: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch is not able to bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither you, unless you abide in Me."
They can abide in Jesus by the Spirit he will pour out upon them.
John 16:16: "A little while and you behold Me no longer; and again a little while and you will see Me."
You will see me. Not someone else named the Spirit of truth, but you will see me. Jesus. We will see him where he is in heaven when we receive him to ourselves in the Spirit.
John 16:19-22: Jesus knew that they were desiring to ask Him, and He said to them, “Do you inquire among one another concerning this, that I said, ‘A little while and you do not behold Me, and again a little while and you will see Me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and will lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be grieved, but your grief will turn to joy. The woman has pain when she is giving birth, because her hour has come; but when she brings forth the child, she remembers the tribulation no longer, on account of the joy that a man has been born into the world. Therefore, you also indeed have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you."
Their pain will turn to joy when they see him again. He will come back to them as their comforter. They will be grieved when Jesus dies, just as a woman who has a child is in pain during the child birth. But after the pain comes relief and reward. After losing him, they will receive him and see him again, in the Spirit. "No one will take your joy from you." Even when Jesus ascends, they will still rejoice because they have not lost him. They still have him by the Spirit.
John 16:33: "I have spoken these things to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world."
Summary
The paraklétos is Jesus, who is the Holy Spirit in resurrection. When he ascends to the Father, he receives his inheritance to pour this Spirit out upon us. "Therefore having been exalted at the right hand of God, and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has poured out this which you are both seeing and hearing" (Acts 2:33). This is when the Spirit is poured out on Pentecost. Jesus pours out the Spirit from God because he has received his promised reward. "We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One" (1 John 2:1). Jesus is going to be raised as another. A new creation. In doing so, he will grant us the Spirit he has received in full, yet we only now receive as a deposit of what is to come. We will receive this same Spirit in full when we are changed and raised up to glory. "When he, the Spirit of truth shall come, he will guide you into all truth." That is the Spirit of Christ. The personal presence of Jesus himself.
submitted by ArchaicChaos to BiblicalUnitarian [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 15:03 UnDead_Ted Daily Light Friday, June 2nd 2023

Daily Light Friday, June 2nd 2023
06/02/2023
This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover. — Exod 12:11
Get up, go away! For this is not your resting place (Mic 2:10).—For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come (Heb 13:14).—There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God (Heb 4:9).
Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them (Luke 12:35-37).—Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming (1 Pet 1:13).—Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. (Phil 3:13-15).

Evening

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup. — Ps 16:5
Heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17).—All things are yours (Cor 3:21).—My beloved is mine (Song 2:16).—The Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal 2:20).
The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites. (Num 18:20).
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Ps 73:25-26).
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Ps 23:4).—That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day (2 Tim 1:12).
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land (Ps 63:1).
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2023.06.02 13:01 UnDead_Ted Standing Strong Through the Storm Day 70

Standing Strong Through the Storm Day 70
https://preview.redd.it/lgg452qner0b1.jpg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23cc7bf7a9976cb4d14adf88693c0c0d7d96cf7c

CONQUERING THE FEAR OF DEATH

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
Fear of dying is the number one universal fear for human beings. Virtually every fear has a relationship to death and a connection to dying. For example, why are we afraid of flying? The plane may crash and we may die. Here are seven scriptural principles that enable us to conquer our fear of death:
  1. God is in control. Read Psalm 91. (Mark 4:35-41; Phil 4:6-7)
  2. Focus on fearing God and dying to self. (Acts 5:29; Galatians 2:20)
  3. We are strangers and pilgrims on this earth. (Hebrews 10:32+)
  4. God always brings good from evil. (Genesis 50:20)
  5. The enemy can only harm our body, not our soul. (Matthew 10:28)
  6. Absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8; 2 Timothy 2:11-12)
  7. There is a crown of life for the faithful to death. (Revelation 2:10)
Co-workers had just finished an SSTS seminar on the island of Timor when a young pastor suddenly jumped up and proclaimed before all his colleagues “Now I am ready to die for Jesus!” These were no idle words. Every single pastor attending the seminar was directly or indirectly impacted by the massacres on the island of Ambon. Many of their churches had been burned and several had lost loved ones in the attacks on Christians.
As the meeting concluded, our colleague saw that young pastor making his way towards him. “Your being here has inspired me to go out and share the gospel in other areas,” he announced.
“I am happy to hear that brother. Where has the Lord called you to?” he enquired.
“To Ambon!”
“My brother, are you sure. This is like signing your own death certificate. You know that most Christians are fleeing the massacre and you want to return?”
His response was simple and without pretense. “If I don’t go back to tell the people about Jesus, who will do it? I am willing to give my life for Jesus!”
RESPONSE: Today I will live prepared to die, and die prepared to live!
PRAYER: When I fear you, Lord, I fear nothing else—even death. Today I pray for those who do not fear You and thus fear everything else—especially death.
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2023.06.01 16:09 UnDead_Ted Daily Spurgeon Devotion Thursday, June 1st 2023

Daily Spurgeon Devotion Thursday, June 1st 2023
​
06/01/2023

Everyday Verse

Psalm 34:18
CSB
  • The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.
ESV
  • The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
KJV
  • The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
NIV
  • The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
NLT
  • The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

What does Psalm 34:18 mean?

In this verse David writes how God understands our feelings and helps us bear the burden of sorrow. In contrast to pagan deities, or the unfeeling universe of atheism, the biblical God deeply cares for our pain. When Jesus knew His friend Lazarus had died, He went to the home of Lazarus's grieving sisters and comforted them. When He saw Mary's tears, "he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled" (John 11:33). When He approached Lazarus's tomb, He wept (John 11:35) and was "deeply moved again" (John 11:38). Jesus experienced all of this, though He knew all along He would raise His friend from death (John 11:11).
Hebrews 4:15 assures us that Jesus, our Great High Priest, sympathizes with our weaknesses. That includes both the meaning of human suffering and the struggle against sin. He was tempted like any other man but remained sinless. Knowing that He understands and cares, we can "draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).
It has been quipped that "prayer is the place burdens change shoulders." Our Lord's shoulders can bear our burdens when we are brokenhearted and our spirits are crushed (Matthew 11:28–30; 1 Peter 5:7).

Today's Quote

Matthew Henry
"No sin is so great, but there is a remedy in Christ blood which atones for it. No corruption is so strong, but there is a remedy in His grace can subdue it."

Spurgeon's Daily Help

One of the marvels of the Bible is its fullness. It is not a book of gold-leaf beating thin, as most books are as to thought; but its sentences are nuggets of unalloyed truth. The book of God is the God of books, for it is infinite. Well said a German author,
"In this little book is combined all the wisdom in the world. We search the world for truth; we cull. The good, the pure, the beautiful. From graven stone and written scroll, from all old flower-fields of the soul; and weary seekers of the best, we comeback laden from the quest, to find all the sages said is in the Book our mothers read."

The Spurgeon Birthday Book

See how the little children weave garlands and chaplets, and are has happy as the merry birds, while arrayed in collars and gridles made of the flowers of the field. Will they be any wiser when only diamonds and gold will serve their turn? Is it not a simple taste which loves nature the best afterall? So, too, in reading the Scriptures, it is better to revel in its plain promises and precious privileges than to pine for erudite criticisms and theology disputations.

Daily Spurgeon's Quote

Charles H. Spurgeon
"There is enough dust on some of your Bibles, to write "Damnation with your fingers."
​
06/01/2023
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2023.05.30 20:43 NoMobile7426 Psalm 89:35(34) I shall not profane My covenant, neither shall I alter the utterance of My lips. This means there is no virgin birth Messiah.

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2023.05.30 06:08 Sweet_Author8515 My mom hands me a pasugo, here is my unnecessary detailed clapback

My mom hands me a pasugo, here is my unnecessary detailed clapback
My mom told me that complaining without knowing is an excuse. This was in response to me mentioning that Felix Manalo is not the “bird of prey” in Isaiah 46:11, but is rather King Cyrus II. So, she handed me a pasugo (an INC publication, aka waste of trees) telling me to read the article “Cyrus the Great and the ‘ravenous bird’”. Of course she handed me the pasugo rather than knowing how to respond to me. This stuff is not preached in INC. They just make articles and videos for all their members to point to, so they make sure they spread a controlled, constructed, and uniform message. Since she gave me this article, I’ve decided to break it down. This is the reason I left INC, since it is one of the few verses the INC uses to validate them as “the one true church”. If the idea that a prophesied Asian messenger (Manalo) is disproven, then it is enough to dismiss the INC as a prophesied true church.
TL;DR is at the bottom :)
[1] INC Article: (iglesianicristo. ws/My%20GM/GM-2021/GM-2021-08.pdf)
Cyrus the Great and the ‘ravenous bird’ By Jensen DG. Manebog
Comments:
The author is primarily a writer, not a historian or Hebrew expert. First of all, the author of the article is an educated writer and teacher. He is not formally educated in the Bible, or in Hebrew, which is a large part of his following argument. Neither am I. But rather than cherry pick proofs to support an argument, I start with the evidence to come to a conclusion. Here are some of his writings if you’re interested:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jensenis;
https://www.overdrive.com/publishers/jensen-dg-manebog
INC articles:
iglesianicristo. net/category/our-beliefs/page/2/ iglesianicristo. net/number-dont-make-a-religion-true/ pasugo. com.ph/a-mission-no-less-than-great-noble-and-heroic
[2] INC Article:
In the Book of Isaiah, one messenger of God was likened to a ravenous bird: “Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it” (Isa. 46:11 King James Version). The Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) is of firm conviction that the fulfillment of this prophecy of God is none other than Brother Felix Y. Manalo (1886-1963). Detractors of the Church, such as teachers and defenders of some other religions, expectedly refute it— claiming that the fulfillment of the prophesied “ravenous bird” is Cyrus the Great. Also called Cyrus II (590-529 BC), he was the Persian conqueror who “founded the Achaemenian empire, centred on Persia and comprising the Near East from the Aegean Sea eastward to the Indus River” (britannica.com).
Comments:
Context! Context! Context! This entire section of Isaiah is about the prophesied defeat of Babylon (shown both before and after the Isaiah 46:11 verse). I didn’t think I would be telling other adults how to read a book, but here I am. Just like the story of Adam and Eve, we read it all the way through. In previous verses, like Isaiah 45:1, Cyrus is explicitly mentioned. This is in the surrounding context that he is prophesied to defeat Babylon and to bring salvation to the Jews, as they would be able to return to their homeland after Babylon is defeated (also mentioned in Ezra 8 1-32. Cyrus is in Ezra 1:1-6).
Before the 46:11 verse - Isaiah 45:1 KJV, about Cyrus:
1 This is what the Lord says to Cyrus, his anointed one, whose right hand he will empower. Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never to shut again. This is what the Lord says: "I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains.
After the 46:11 verse - Isaiah 48:14 KJV, about Babylon:
14 All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The Lord hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.
To think the Bible would be like, “Hey I’m talking about my man Cyrus and how I’m sending him. Oh and here’s a quick shoutout of one to three verses about an Asian man over 2000 years from now. Okay now back to Babylon!
[3] INC Article:
The argument Some of such teachers use the works of Bible scholars and commentators for their contention. One of these is Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (biblehub.com) which suggests that the “ravenous bird” in Isaiah 46:11 is Cyrus, explaining that the “sun-rising” or “east” from where the messenger would come “is, of course, Persia,” and “the ‘far country’ probably represents Media,” one of the kingdoms Cyrus has conquered.
Comments:
Other Asian churches use this verse to say they are the true church. A vast majority of circles agree that 46:11 is uncontestedly referring to Persia. I can only find the several Asian “true churches” to suggest otherwise. Another one, for example, is a South Korean cult using this verse for their South Korean Jesus named Christ Ahnsahnghong, who also claims to be the only true church (https://wmscog.com/christ-ahnsahnghong/from-the-east/). If they can use it, so can other Asian churches of this kind.
[4] INC Article:
Others further try to prove that the “ravenous bird” or “bird of prey” is King Cyrus by pointing to The Living Bible, which literally includes the name “Cyrus” in Isaiah 46:11, thus: “I will call that swift bird of prey from the east— that man Cyrus from far away. And he will come and do my bidding. I have said I would do it and I will.”
Comments:
Historically, King Cyrus’ banner was a golden eagle (a bird of prey, ravenous bird ;), as used in the Achaemenid Empire (as noted by Persian archaeologist, A. Shapur Shahbazi, “DERAFŠ”; [Xenophon, Cyropaedia 7.1.4] https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/derafs#prettyPhoto). Other translations use “eagle” in the 46:11 verse. In any case, an eagle is a bird of prey.
​
Golden Eagle Banner
There is a biblical pattern of other monarchs like Cyrus are compared to eagles or birds, because of how swiftly they act or attack. Why would Felix Manalo need to be portrayed that way? Could he even move that fast?
Some verses about these other monarchs:
Jeremiah 48:39-40 They shall howl, saying, How is it broken down! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him. 40 For thus saith the Lord; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab. Jeremiah 49:22 Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs. Ezekiel 17:2-3 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel; 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord God; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: Ezekiel 17:7 There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. Hosea 8:1 Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.
[5] INC Article:
Others further try to prove that the “ravenous bird” or “bird of prey” is King Cyrus by pointing to The Living Bible, which literally includes the name “Cyrus” in Isaiah 46:11, thus: “I will call that swift bird of prey from the east— that man Cyrus from far away. And he will come and do my bidding. I have said I would do it and I will.” A paraphrase of the Bible The Living Bible is a paraphrase of the Bible by Kenneth Taylor. It must be noted that “a paraphrase attempts to tell the reader what the passage means” and thus is more of a commentary on the text of Scripture than it is an accurate rendering of what the text actually says” (blueletterbible.org). Indeed, to say that the “ravenous bird” in Isaiah 46:11 refers to King Cyrus is “more of a commentary,” for the name Cyrus (Koresh) cannot be found in Isaiah 46:11 in Hebrew manuscripts, such as the Westminster Leningrad Codex (biblehub.com). Even in the Orthodox Jewish Bible, the phrase that is supposed to read “that man Cyrus from faraway” (in The Living Bible) is simply rendered, “ish [the man] that executeth My etza (cousel, purpose, plan) from a far country”—that is, no mention of “Korest” (Cyrus). Those who use The Living Bible to jump to the conclusion that Cyrus is the prophesied messenger in Isaiah 46:11 commit a big mistake, for they did not heed the warning given by that version itself, in its preface: “There are dangers in paraphrases… For whenever the author’s exact words are not translated from the original languages, there is a possibility that the translator, however honest, may be giving the [is a possibility that the translator, however honest, may be giving the] English reader something that the original writer did not mean to say.”
Comments:
The article misleads readers by claiming their source says “Cyrus” is more of a commentary, since he is only explicitly mentioned in The Living Bible**. But they are not just using TLB to “jump to the conclusion” that Cyrus is the subject; they are using THE BIBLE. People do not only point to TLB for evidence that Cyrus is the bird of prey. He is not mentioned by name but the context is enough. Cyrus will even be mentioned in footnotes, commentaries, and even other translations like the Message BIble, Amplified Bible, and The Voice (translations which INC uses).
And if they are dissing TLB as a source, why does INC use it on their website when discussing resurrection (iglesianicristo. net/sharing-in-christs-resurrection/) and the true church (iglesianicristo .net/tag/true-church/)? And seemingly attacking others who also would use a translation that is in their favor? Hippocrickkkk…
Even the blueletterbible.org source cites that the bird of prey in Isaiah 46:11 is figurative of an invader. What did Manalo invade? (our pockets)
Side note: in the last paragraph, a part is repeated in my printed copy, but not in the digital copy. Was no one proofreading this beforehand?
[6] INC Article:
The prophecies fulfilled in Cyrus In the Bible itself, Cyrus did not claim that he was the prophesied “ravenous bird.” Instead, he introduced himself as the fulfillment of other prophecies: “Thus says Cyrus the king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!” (II Chr. 36:23 New King James Version ). Notice that Cyrus did not say that he was the “ravenous bird.” Rather, he said, “All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me”—a fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 45:1: “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—To subdue nations before him” (NKJV). Cyrus also stated, “He [God] has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem.” This, in turn, corresponds to the prophecy in Isaiah 44:28: “He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be built,’ And to the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid’”. (NKJV). These prophecies were fulfilled in Cyrus when he conquered kingdoms, such as Babylon. “After Cyrus freed the Jews from exile in Babylon in 538 B.C., they returned to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple” (nationalgeographic.com).
Comments:
If the standard is that you have to claim to be the prophesied “ravenous bird”, where is Felix Manalo’s written claim that he is the “ravenous bird”?
Also notice that this section has the most complete Bible quotes, because Cyrus and his prophecies are biblical, whereas Felix can’t be as easily cited in the Bible (or at all).
[7] INC Article:
The place of origin of the ‘ravenous bird’ In Hebrew manuscripts such as the Westminster Leningrad Codex, the “east” in Isaiah 46:11 from which the “ravenous bird” will come is “mīzrāḥ” (biblehub.com). Concerning the term “east” in the Old Testament, the McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia explains: “...Kedem is used in a strictly geographical sense to describe a spot or country immediately before another in an easterly direction … on the other hand, mizrach is used of the far east with a less definite signification (Isa 41:2, 25; Isa 43:5; Isa 46:11).” (biblicalcyclopedia.com)
Comments:
The last part of the definition really contradicts INC’s point. “...mizrach is used of the far east with a less definite signification” means exactly that. It is just an unspecified east direction, not the modern version of the Far East. Just because the phrase “far east” is in there, they think they got us! The term “mizrach” that INC tries to relate to the far east and to the Philippines is used OVER 70 TIMES in the Bible. They never claim all of these verses are talking about the Philippines or even Asia.
Here are some examples of mizrach (from biblehub’s lexicon) used in context to refer to something that is clearly not Asia. For context, the actual language in Isaiah 46:11 in Hebrew is “mimmizrach” (https://biblehub.com/lexicon/isaiah/46-11.htm). “Mizrach” is “east” and “mimmizrach” is “from the east” (mim is the masculine preposition “from”) (https://www.hebrew4christians.com/GrammaUnit_Seven/The_Preposition_Min/the_preposition_min.html#:~:text=The%20Preposition%20Min&text=The%20preposition%20min%20).
Josh 17:10 - mimmizrach is used to describe Issachar, which is a place near the Mediterranean Sea (middle east today)
Southward it was Ephraim’s, northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea was its border. Manasseh’s territory was adjoining Asher on the north and Issachar on the east (mimmizrach).
Psalm 107:3 - mimmizrach is used to say that the Lord delivers people from every direction
O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; 3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east (mimmizrach), and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
Daniel 11:2,44 - mimmizrah is used to describe the prophecy of four kings of Persia
2 And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. 44 But tidings out of the east (mimmizrach) and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
Exodus 27:13 - mizrachah (form of mizrach) discusses the east side of a court area
The width of the court on the east side (mizrachah) shall be fifty cubits.
2 Chronicles 5:12 - mizrah used to describe the east end of an altar
Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)
Here are all the other occurrences of the word if you are crazier than I am: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_4217.htm.
Because mizrach is used in these other examples to not refer to Asia, as Asia wasn’t even a though in these biblical writers’ heads, the instances that mizrach appear are not referring to Asia.
And once a pick-and-choose church, always a pick-and-choose church, because after this definition provided, in the same source, the NEXT SENTENCE says kedem and mizrach are used without preference: “In describing aspect or direction, the terms are used indifferently (comp. kedem in Le 1:16, and Jos 7:2, with mizrach in 2Ch 5:12, and 1Ch 5:10). (https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/E/east.html)
Here’s a graphic from this same reddit about this topic: https://i.redd.it/exposing-the-iglesia-ni-cristo-cult-dishonest-tv-journalism-v0-gcwtpuwyzob81.jpg?s=f6782a6051a6e46699b859396ae4be6088649c25
Here is where INC shoots itself in the foot. They mention Cyrus fulfilled his prophecy by conquering kingdoms and was given nations. In Isaiah 41:2 it mentions a person who is given nations and ruled over kings. This is in the context and fits the definition of what they think Cyrus fulfilled. BUT it uses the word “mizrach” as his origin. Cyrus and mizrach are compatible.
First, INC concedes that Isaiah 45:1 is about Cyrus (because his name is in the verse, duh):
“Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have [a]held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:
INC lists Isaiah 41:2 as one that includes the word “mizrach”. Let’s look at the verse:
“Who raised up one from the east? Who in righteousness called him to His feet? Who gave the nations before him, And made him rule over kings? Who gave them as the dust to his sword, As driven stubble to his bow?
Sounds a lot like Cyrus, huh? Even according to INC, “These prophecies were fulfilled in Cyrus when he conquered kingdoms, such as Babylon”. Especially since this is in the chapters about Babylon, this is clearly about Cyrus. The two verses both use the same Hebrew words for “subdue”, “nations” and “kings”. And they both use the same word for “east”—mizrach. Obviously Manalo wouldn’t fulfill this prophecy of ruling over kings or giving them dust to his sword, so it is referencing Cyrus. And in referencing Cyrus, it uses mizrach. So mizrach can be used in the context of Cyrus.
[8] INC Article:
Notice that the “mizrach is used of the far east.” Obviously, Cyrus did not come from the Far East—for his origin, Persia, and even Media, are in the ancient near east (encyclopedia.com; courses.lumenlearning.com). The Hebrew word used for the “east” to refer to Persia is not “mizrach” but “qedhem” (kedem) (Aid to Bible Understanding, pg. 478).
Comments:
INC is misleading and comes to an incorrect conclusion when quoting Aid to Bible Understanding**.** The INC article states that the Hebrew word to refer to Persia is qedhem, not mizrach. The exact same source they cite (https://archive.org/details/aidtobibleunderstanding1971/page/n479/mode/2up) says that mizrach means “rising” (as in the sun) and not any sense of “far east”, since Hebrews used the rising of the sun to determine their direction. Qedhem is generally east or east in relation to something else. The source lists examples of qedhem used with “the lands of Moab and Amon, the Arabian Desert, Babylonia, Persia, Assyria and Armenia. It does NOT say that mizrach was never used for these places as well. The same source in a later paragraph also says Isaiah 46:11 is a reference to Cyrus, who comes from the east, out of the sunrising. Clearly this source is not saying that mizrach was never used in reference to Persia, but INC makes it seem like they are saying this. If only INC would read all of their source material, like I dunno, the Bible.
[9] INC Article:
Pertinent prophecies also specify the place of origin in the Far East of the “ravenous bird” as the “islands of the sea” (Isa. 24:15 New International Version). Unlike Cyrus, Brother Felix Manalo is undoubtedly from an archipelago in the Far East. The Philippines, where he began preaching God’s words, is “almost at the geographical center of the Far East” (Asia and the Philippines, p. 169) consisting of 7,641 islands (worldatlas.com).
Comments:
There are other “islands of the sea” than the Philippines and the Hebrew term also refers to “coastlands”. The INC deliberately uses a translation that says “islands” rather than “coastlands”, which would be an acceptable translation. The Hebrew word used here is “ ‘i ”. As Aid to Bible Understanding states, ‘i is “not restricted to a body of land smaller than a continent and completely surrounded by water … but also designates dry land or coastland(s)” (https://archive.org/details/aidtobibleunderstanding1971/page/n851/mode/2up). So it’s not a perfect translation to English.
Here is Isaiah 24:15 NIV:
Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea.
Like earlier, the “islands” or “coastlands” is likely Media, off the coast of the Persian Sea. Besides the obvious coastlands near the Mediterranean Sea, there are islands in the Bible, none of which are in Asia. Most of them with one exception are in the New Testament (in Greek). These are the islands of Cyprus (Acts 13:4-6), Cos, Rhodes (Acts 21:1), Crete (Acts 27:7), Cauda (Acts 27:16), Malta (Acts 28:1) and Patmos (Rev 1:9). The island in the Old Testament is Arvad in Ezekiel 27:8 and Genesis 10:18. This island city is now called Ruad and is off the coast of Syria (https://bibleatlas.org/arvad.htm). So yes, the Philippines contains islands, but so do other places in the world.
[10] INC Article:
The mission The man likened to a “ravenous bird” was tasked to bring God’s righteousness near to the stubborn-hearted who are far from righteousness (Isa. 46:11-13). God’s righteousness is revealed in the gospel (Rom. 1:16-17) and to bring it near is to “preach the gospel” and “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:15-16 NKJV).
Comments:
INC tries to make “righteousness” the same thing as “the gospel” just so that Cyrus doesn’t fit the prophecy. If the definition doesn’t fit your narrative, change it! This part slams a bunch of verses together to try to connect the dots between the ravenous bird and the preaching of the gospel. The verses Isaiah 46:12-13 NKJV mention righteousness:
“Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, Who are far from righteousness: 13 I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not [a]linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory.
INC goes all the way to the New Testament to cherry pick Romans 1:16:17 to manufacture a direct connection between righteousness and the gospel.
Romans 1:16-17 NKJV For I am not ashamed of the gospel [a]of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Here, righteousness is IN the gospel, but righteousness is NOT the gospel itself. It is clearer in an INC video, where they state that God’s righteousness IS the gospel (youtube.com/watch?v=MdLq0MFDBe4). Instead, righteousness is justice, suggesting a standard or norm (Aid to Bible Understanding, https://archive.org/details/aidtobibleunderstanding1971/page/n1411/mode/2up). And the last verse, Isaiah 46:13 means “my righteous judgment is approaching - that judgment which involves vengeance on my enemies, mercy and deliverance to my people” (Pulpit Commentary, (https://biblehub.com/isaiah/46-13.htm). Righteousness needed to be brought near because the people needed to be saved from Babylon. It does not necessarily include preaching the gospel. Thus, Cyrus still fits in. And that last random Mark verse? What is marky mark doing here?
[11] INC Article (the last part, I promise)****:
Notice the stark contrast: Whereas Cyrus’ God-given role was to subdue nations, the man likened to “ravenous bird” was commissioned to preach the gospel or God’s words for man’s salvation. In fulfillment, Brother Manalo did exactly that. Despite ferocious oppositions primarily form the dominant religions in his time, he devotedly taught the pristine gospel truths recorded in the Bible. For instance, he taught that the Father is the only true God (John 17:1, 3; I Cor. 8:6), showing in the process that the so-called Trinity is unscriptural. He preached that faith without good works is dead (James 2:17, 14, 22) and that man should enter Christ’s fold or flock, which is the Church Of Christ, in order to be saved (John 10:9 Revised English Bible; Acts 20:28 Lamsa Translation; Eph. 5:23). The legacy Against all odds, Brother Felix Manalo carried out his divine mission to teach God’s pure teachings for man’s salvation in these last days. This he devotedly fulfilled until he breathed his last on April 12, 1963, full of years and momentous accomplishments. The words that he had performed are the very proofs of his commissioning as God’s messenger. Both Cyrus the Great and the “ravenous bird” were entrusted with God-given mission. The Perisan king conquered earthly kingdoms for the Lord, while Brother Felix Manalo subdued false faiths by revealing God’s wisdom that leads to salvation.
Comments (I’ll make it short, I KNOW THIS IS ALREADY LONG. STOP JUDGING ME)****:
The rest of the article lists some teachings of Manalo’s that are beyond the scope of the Cyrus discussion, so will not be mentioned here. And in the end, they always make it about Manalo. Since there is no prophecy about Manalo that shows up randomly in verses about Babylon and Cyrus, or in any verses in general, Manalo can be dismissed as the messenger they make him out to be.
***************************************************************************************WTL;DR,BTPIAKOLSIS (Way Too Long; Didn’t Read, But This Part Is Also Kind Of Long So I’m Sorry)
Felix Manalo is most obviously not referenced in Isaiah 46:11, or Isaiah in general, simply because of the context. This entire section of Isaiah is about the prophesied defeat of Babylon (shown both before and after the Isaiah 46:11 verse), carried out by King Cyrus II. Other Asian churches also use this verse to say they are the true church from the far East, like followers of the South Korean Jesus, Christ Ahnsahnghong. “Bird of prey” or “ravenous bird” can also be translated as “eagle” from Hebrew. It is correlated with King Cyrus because his banner was a golden eagle, as used in the Achaemenid Empire. There is also a biblical pattern of monarchs like Cyrus being compared to eagles or birds because of how swiftly they act or attack. There is no reason that Manalo would need to act that way. As for the “far east” claim, the Hebrew word is “mizrach”, which in fact does not mean “far east”. The article even quotes that “mizrach is used of the far east with a less definite signification”. This means it is just an unspecified east direction, not the modern version of the Far East. The same word is used over 70 times in the Bible and in each case does not mean the Far East, even other places near the Mediterranean Sea. The word “kedem” that INC says means “immediate east” is used without preference with “mizrach”. INC would agree that Isaiah 41:2 is about Cyrus, because of how Cyrus subdued nations, but it uses the word “mizrach”. Lastly, they claim that Manalo fulfills the Isaiah 46:11 prophecy because the righteousness in the verse is the same thing as preaching the gospel. However, they incorrectly think that righteousness is the same thing as the gospel. Preaching the gospel isn’t necessary for there to be righteousness. Therefore, Cyrus fits the bill for this prophecy.
***************************************************************************************TL;DR
Isaiah 46:11 refers to King Cyrus II, and not to Felix Manalo.
Have a good day :)
submitted by Sweet_Author8515 to exIglesiaNiCristo [link] [comments]

2023.05.30 01:53 DepartureHonest7948 The Uncompromising Blissful Extravagance of His Presence!

CMM.World & CMMTheology.org
The Great Harvest is here. Christ's Mandate for Missions and CMMTheology build strong, organic relationships globally as we worship, grow and equip together. Like Joshua and Caleb and the Apostle Paul, we see with faith what He sees in each person (to help each reach fullness), group (many streams and backgrounds in unity) and nations (sheep vs. goat nations). Our passion is to love, connect, equip and send with the simplicity, fullness, and power of the Gospel.
The Uncompromising Blissful Extravagance of His Presence! Inbox
By CMM.World CMMTheology.org - November 10, 2022
Dear Mighty One,
I see the Lord's eye upon us we discover by revelation the 'new thing' He is doing in our lives and of those of us who, beyond the present darkness, gaze into His eyes. The 'tuning fork' of Yahweh is orchestrating the sons and daughters of our living God in growing holy remnant unity to withstand as we stand with Him fearlessly in the boldness of the faith of God in this hour. Egypt is behind us, and the covenantal promises and prophetic words we have received (1 Tim. 1:18) empower us by His Holy Spirit to advance in warfare, humbly growing in the spirit of wisdom and revelation.

Yesterday as I encouraged some friends, I said, 'stay in the blissful extravagance of His presence.' Today I saw in Psalm 34 His eyes are upon us in vs. 8 & 9 and v:15 about the 'uncompromisingly righteous.' We are to be holy as He is holy. That leaves no room for any more compromise or seeking to please man or the traditions of men, being free of the fear of man, the religious spirit, and any demonic activity. We are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. Lord, help us understand by revelation to walk in all the authority we have been given by Jesus Christ.
Psalm 34:8-9 'O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him. O fear the Lord, you His saints [revere and worship Him]! For there is no want to those who truly revere and worship Him with godly fear.'
v. 15 'The eyes of the Lord are toward the [uncompromisingly] righteous and His ears are open to their cry.'
Chuck Pierce shared this amazing word from Penny Jackson that is right on for this season: https://christsmandate.blogspot.com/2022/11/chuck-pierce-shares-powerful-word-from.html
May YOUR November be full of Thanksgiving and Praise for you and yours as YOU enjoy The Uncompromising Blissful Extravagance of His Presence!
Thank you for praying for CMM and all your fellow CMM Global Family worldwide. Pray for all the missionaries, schools, and students in CMM College of Theology in the US, Ecuador, Canada, Cuba, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Thailand.
Pray for the new wells and the living water and safe water recently drilled or soon to be drilled in Tanzania, India, Malawi, and Pakistan.
Pray for our upcoming Christmas gift campaigns to bless children and youth in many nations. Many of them are precious, beautiful children (orphans). As the Lord leads, pray about giving any amount to bless dear CMM children this Christmas. https://cmmworld.kindful.com/
Pray for each other, dear friends. We all know we each need prayers going up to Heaven for all those on the front lines. We each are on the front lines!
Please pray for me as I speak tomorrow online to a crusade with 8,000 expected to attend in Pakistan. In December, I will speak at conferences in Liberia and Kenya with fellow CMM Ordained ministers Robert Bimba (Liberia), Tom Omukhobero, and Daniel and Christine Oyoko (Kenya).
We are working on plans and trips for 2023. If you would like to have some of our awesome CMM family speakers for a conference in your area or would like to join or lead a missions trip, we would love to hook you up with dear friends in many nations.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Louis Blom of Judea Harvest as Associate Director of Missions at CMM. This strategic alliance multiplies the efforts and impact in building the Kingdom of our God, for His glory. https://youtu.be/HXfP8tCySRc

Many blessings and shalom from us all here at the home office and around the world.
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submitted by DepartureHonest7948 to CMMworldMissions [link] [comments]

2023.05.29 23:31 afroglobalministries Share4Christ - He Will Be Right On Time!

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” 1 Peter 3:12, NKJV.
“Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word” Jeremiah 1:12, NKJV.
When you don’t see anything happening, it can be challenging to remain confident and encouraged that God will come through when you need Him to. This is especially when you are in a challenging situation. But know this: God’s eyes are on you, His ears are toward you, and He will be right on time.
God sees you, He has heard you, and He is moving on your behalf. God is moving like an underground workman, handling all the intricate details of your prayers, of your life, that you can’t see. His angels move at His word on your behalf, in your marriage, on the provision, the opportunities, the favor, and the open doors that we can’t see. He sees our immediate need and the things we don’t even realize we need. He is bringing about His perfect will for you.
Your God never sleeps nor slumbers, and He never fails to perform His word. Praise Him now with confidence because God is always in control and will be right on time.
Prayer: Thank You, Father, for encouraging me. I am having to trust You. It brings me joy knowing that You see me, hear me, and are always on time. You won’t be late. Give me great peace today. I ask for patience as I wait on You. I will praise You now. Hallelujah! In Jesus Christ awesome name, Amen!
Study: Psalm 103:20, Proverbs 3:26, Habakkuk 2:3
submitted by afroglobalministries to Kingdom_World [link] [comments]

2023.05.29 12:54 mysticmage10 NDE & Religious Similarities

The ffg verses resonate well with these phenomena found in nde reports. I dont endorse the blind following of nde reports as fact or blind following of any scripture as fact.
Death analogy as slipping off tight shoes or clothes found in some nde accounts
As a person sheds worn-out garments and wears new ones, likewise, at the time of death, the soul casts off its worn-out body and enters a new one Bhagwad Gita 2:22
Self judged Life review
And it will be said,˺ “Read your record. You ˹alone˺ are sufficient this Day to take account of yourself Quran 17:14
So, whoever does an atom's weight of good shall see it and whoever does an atom's weight of evil shall see it Quran 99:8-9
I experienced a very vivid life recall. … It was both painful and exquisitely beautiful. It was like viewing a film, filled with precise detail. Every single thought, word, deed, decision, and action was brought forth and re-experienced and re-examined. It was self-evaluation, with total transparency and honesty. Throughout, I was never judged by any of these divine beings. They simply held me in [l]ove, with complete compassion and acceptance. … In this review, I realized that I was every single person I’d ever encountered or thought of. As I merged with and became them, I felt exactly what they experienced as a result of my loving or unloving thoughts and actions. I saw it all from their point of view, not only how my actions affected them, but then through them [how that] affected others they encountered, as the effects kept on going. … I saw that the love we express ripples out, creating an everlasting beauty that is often unbeknownst to us at the time. … It felt as if we are living inside a grand game, which is perfectly designed to always give us another opportunity to get it right this time. … I saw that everything we do makes a difference. The impact we have on one another is profound. … In this process of ruthlessly honest self-reflection, nothing went unnoticed. Nothing was able to be hidden. Nothing. Not one single thing. This life review was like going through everything with a fine-tooth comb, looking under every rock, leaving no stone unturned, seeing into each crevice with a [d]ivine [l]ight that revealed every hidden place. And through the entire process, it was all looked at and discerned through the lens of [l]ove NDE 1
I had a life review where I saw ever single event from my life. I saw every act of goodness and kindness. I saw every act of spite or ill-will. I also got to see it from the other person's point of view. Although time did not exist, this life review took forever but in reality it was only a blink of a second NDE 2
Divine love or bright light
who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever 1 Timothy 6:16
God has promised the believers, both men and women, Gardens through which rivers flow, therein to abide, and blessed dwellings in Gardens of perpetual bliss; and greater than that is Gods pleasure with them. That indeed is the supreme triumph quran 9:72
God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, The lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star, Lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, Neither of the east nor of the west, Whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light.God guides to His light whom He wills Quran 24:35
Those who believe and do righteous deeds, the Most Merciful will bestow on them love Quran 19:96
He is the source of light in all luminaries, and is entirely beyond the darkness of ignorance. He is knowledge, the object of knowledge, and the goal of knowledge. He dwells within the hearts of all living beings Bhagwad Gita 13:18
Anybody who’s ever gone into the light comes back to talk about this … unconditional love and bliss that they experienced in the light. … Most people when they describe it, they say it’s the most incredible … loving experience, they feel full of love and what I experienced, it was kind of like, it was almost as if I had turned into champagne, and I was bubbling. You know like my molecules were bubbling and love was going through my molecules and then coming back out from them. And when people describe that, they say it’s the most incredible thing in the world. Well it is, but, it gets better. … Merging into the source was the most intense experience I had ever had. And that is one of the attributes of unconditional love, its intensity. The emotions that we have when we’re out of these bodies are far more intense than everything we ever experience in the body. The bodies really filter out a lot of emotions that we’re capable of. … Have you ever been moved to tears by something? Like maybe by love, or beauty, or gratitude? Or just had that feeling where you were just so moved that you literally cried? You know how strong and vibrant that is, and how cleansing and all-consuming it can be? The unconditional love that we feel in the afterlife is like a hundred or a thousand times more intense than that. Take that feeling and take away the tears and substitute joy, and so make it a joyous love … that you’re feeling[.] … And that will give you a tiny little taste of what unconditional love feels like NDE 3
And a lot of experiencers talk about love, about this being a place of love, and I’ve tried to think of adjectives to describe this, the intensity of this love, you know. Unconditional, pure, powerful. The only one that I can think of that works is infinite. It was infinite. … It was infinite love. If you can imagine your baby that you love, imagine like the most intense feeling of love you’ve ever had, your mother, or your dog, whatever, whatever it is, imagine that … infinite! No end. So powerful and so absorbing. Wave after wave after wave of cleansing white love washing over me, and I became, I was the light. It was so beautiful, it was so beautiful NDE 4
So I went into the light, and as I was moving up into the light, I just started to feel so good. You know like I can’t, words can’t explain it. Like the higher that I went into the light, and the more that I moved up and further away from Earth, the better I felt. And the feeling of pleasure does not really apply to this Earth, like nothing can compare. Like if you took everything that you were in favor of, like maybe getting a massage, in a hot tub, your favorite music, your favorite food, your favorite drink, everything that you love, happening to you all at once, no matter what it is, all at once, it would not even closely compare to the pleasure that was just within that light. And as you moved further into, like further away from this Earth, the pleasure felt even better. So you just moved up it felt better and better, it was insane NDE 5
I saw the white light, which was, you know, the best experience I’ve ever had. Like, basically, all the love that ever was, and all the love that ever will be, forever, for all of eternity, literally being poured onto me like a waterfall. … I’m literally saying that’s what it was NDE 6
World as a dream/illusion/virtual reality
And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter - that is the true life, if only they knew Quran 29:64
Then Godwill ask them: "For how many years did you stay on earth?" (23:113) They will say: "We stayed for a day or part of a day. Ask of those who keep count of this." (23:114) He will say: "You stayed only for a while, if you only knew that. Quran 23:115
You understand on the other side that this part, life, is actually the dream, and you just wake up after. It’s no different than one dream you had last night, out of a lifetime of dreams. This life that you’re having right now is just one, it’s just a blip NDE 6
It’s like living in a two-dimensional black and white world here, … compared to multicolor, multi-sensory VR immersion there. … And so once you’ve been in that place, coming here, as beautiful as it is, and I live in an extraordinarily beautiful place on purpose, so that I can get as close to beauty as I possibly can, but even that it’s just, like, ‘Oh well, you know, that’s really pretty.’ But not the same as ultimate divine beauty. … [Even sunrises] were ugly for a while, … the first year was very difficult NDE 7
The minute that I kind of woke up on that hillside in heaven I knew that that was more real than any time I’ve ever spent here on Earth. … And I knew instantly that my time here was really but a dream. … It’s real to us when we’re in it, but once I was there … in heaven I realized that’s more real, that felt more real, and it made much more sense to me than anything here. This is kind of nonsensical at times. … In heaven, it’s so clear, so real, so rational, so logical, but yet emotional and loving at the same time. Immediately I knew that was real and this was not. Immediately NDE8
I mean, looking back at human life from that vantage point I could not believe that I had ever thought this was real. And so the same sense of unreality that we get about dreams while we’re here in human form, I had while I was there about human life. So there is no doubt in my mind that it was real, and that’s true reality. This is a virtual reality game, a role, a play, a dream, an illusion, a character that I’m playing NDE 9
The physical [world] resembled a black and white movie in comparison with the world in front of me[.] … That’s what it felt like, waking up from a dream, waking up to who I truly am and this life was nothing but a dream NDE 10
Altered States of Super Consciousness
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him 1 Corinthians 2:9
No soul can imagine what delights are kept in store for them as a reward for what they used to do Quran 32:17
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it Matthew 13:45
Now, what heaven looks like? ‘O m g’ doesn’t even describe how beautiful this place is. Heaven is, there are no words. I mean, I could sit here … and just not say anything and just cry, and that would be what heaven looks like. … There are mountains of beauty, there are things in this realm, you can’t even describe how beautiful this place is. There are colors you can’t even imagine, there are sounds you can’t even create. There are beauties upon this world that you think are beautiful here. Amplify it over there times a billion. There are, it’s incredibly beautiful, there’s no words to describe how beautiful this place is, it’s incredibly gorgeous NDE 11
Humans choosing to incarnate on earth Surprisingly I expected to find something like this in Hinduism and buddhism but haven't found anything except this from the quran.
Indeed, We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they ˹all˺ declined to bear it, being fearful of it. But humanity assumed it, ˹for˺ they are truly wrongful ˹to themselves˺ and ignorant ˹of the consequences quran 33:72
And in that moment I remembered that my soul chose to come to Earth, I remembered where I was before I was born, I remembered that all of our souls choose to come here, that this is a wonderful university, that we’re not here by random accident, we’re not here as victims, that we come here to choose to study, to learn, and to grow. And that on some level this is like a wonderful theater, it’s like a big university, we all play our part, and when our time to go comes, we leave NDE 12
These three pure Beings spoke to me in a different language. They used my thoughts but it was different than thoughts. They reminded me that I had chosen to be incarnate on Earth and that I had to go back. I already knew that by being by their side, everything was coming back to me. They gave me so much love. I was at home and I badly wanted to stay. I didn’t want to leave, but I had to go back. That’s how it had to be. I remember laughing a lot with them. They understood me. They knew the difficulty of an incarnation, as well as I knew it before I incarnated on Earth NDE 13
Cosmos & Vegetation being alive/sentient
The heavens keep telling the wonders of God, and the skies declare what he has done. Each day informs the following day; each night announces to the next. They don't speak a word, and there is never the sound of a voice. Yet their message reaches all the earth, and it travels around the world Psalm 19:1-4
The heavens praise your wonders, LORD, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones Psalm 89:5
And there is not a single thing but glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification Quran 17:44
Then He turned to the heaven while it was all smoke. He said to the heaven and the earth: “Come into being willingly or unwillingly.” They said: we come into being willingly Quran 41:11
I look down and I see myself standing in a very gentle river, and all around me is a very beautiful, very peaceful forest. And this is where it gets hard to describe because it was a rush of all, it was everything wrapped into one. … And feeling immense awe and bliss and love and relief. … And there was no other being in my NDE, it was just me, but I didn’t feel at all alone. It was the least alone I’ve ever been in my life. It was like the place itself was alive, and it was telling me things and it was loving me NDE 14
I was taken by the hand and led into another realm. It resembled [E]arth because there were trees, sparkling sand, and aquamarine water. There were fruit-laden trees, lush foliage, and vibrantly colored birds. Everything was alive – each flower and every glistening grain of sand. Floral fragrances filled the air NDE 15
I was shown non-intelligent species. I was shown splendors of every kind, like waterfalls and being taken into the heart of a burning flame. I skimmed the surface of a sun, playing in the shifting energy and heard its jubilant joy at giving life to so many wonderful things. It was the most joyful, beautiful, wonderful, amazing experience anyone could possibly have. The size, the scope of it cannot be expressed. I met with incredible, spiritual beings like my attendant, friend, and my guide. They all were filled with contentment and joy NDE 16
The breeze blew against the tall golden wheat stalks, and as it did I could feel the spirit of all things living around me: animals, plants, the elements. I was one with them. I looked up and saw a huge ball of light that cast the purest, warm light all around me and felt God touch my skin NDE 17
Pluralism/Multiple Pathways to Divine
Whatever purpose is served by a small well of water is naturally served in all respects by a large lake. Similarly, one who realizes the Absolute Truth also fulfills the purpose of all the Vedas Bhagwad Gita 2:46
We have revealed to you this Book with the truth, as a confirmation of previous Scriptures and a supreme authority on them. So judge between them by what God has revealed, and do not follow their desires over the truth that has come to you. To each of you We have ordained a code of law and a way of life. If God had willed, He would have made you one community, but His Will is to test you with what He has given ˹each of˺ you. So compete with one another in doing good. To God you will all return, then He will inform you ˹of the truth˺ regarding your differences Quran 5:48
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven Matthew 7:21
I asked about religion and the vastness of it all. The only answer I could recall afterwards was the word "dogma." This word stood for the concept that the truth was muddled by man's feelings. Although coming from our good intentions, it was inhibiting others from spiritually growing NDE 18
Interconnectedness with Higher Power & Creation
The embodied souls in this material world are My eternal fragmental parts. But bound by material nature, they are struggling with the six senses including the mind Bhagwad Gita 15:7
When I have completed shaping him and have breathed into him of My Spirit Quran 15:29
He exists outside and inside all living beings, those that are moving and not moving. He is subtle, and hence, He is incomprehensible. He is very far, but He is also very near Bhagwad Gita 13:16
The UNIVERSE in expression, and the Universe was within me, I was shown this, I KNEW this intimately. I was shown through energy that I was ONE with ALL THAT IS, ALL THAT EVER WAS and ALL THAT WILL EVER BE. ALL THAT EXISTED was within me. I was shown this and experienced this within every fiber of my Being. EVERYTHING WAS CONNECTED. I WAS EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE; omnipresent, omniscense! I KNEW in this place of ONENESS that I was connected to everyone and everything. There absolutely was no seperation NDE Anna
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