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    by Published on 11-28-2016 05:10 AM     Number of Views: 1631 
    1. Categories:
    2. Trinity

    Jesus teaches the Trinity in Matthew 22.41-45 to the Pharisees.

    They ask Him whose Son is the Messiah? They thought the "Anointed One" was David's son. So Jesus asked them, "How is it then that David, inspirited by the Spirit, calls Him 'Lord'?" (v.43). Jesus then quotes Ps. 110.1 where David said, "The Lord declared to my Lord, Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet" (Matt. 22.44). Jesus asked, "If David calls Him 'Lord', how then can the Messiah be his [David's] Son?" (v.45)

    The first Lord is God the Father. The second Lord is the Messiah Jesus Christ. The third Lord is the Spirit. David's Lord is Jesus who hasn't even been born yet in David's time and Who is the Son of the Father since He is not the son of David. All 3 Persons of the Trinity are revealed here.

    The Pharisees had nothing else to say, yet they continued to shut their minds down, putting their heads in the sand, to who Jesus was, is, and always will be.
    by Published on 06-30-2016 02:32 AM     Number of Views: 1825 
    1. Categories:
    2. Primary Verses

    Early Creedal Texts by Gary R. Habermas

    The New Testament contains dozens of very early texts that actually pre-date the epistles in which they were recorded. They may basically be thought of as the answer to the exciting question, “Of what did the very earliest apostolic and other preaching look like before even a single New Testament book was ever written?” The earliest forms of these texts were oral, where they usually served the purpose of briefly summarizing the essentials of Christianity (usually the factual essence of the Gospel data) including the deity of Jesus Christ, and could easily be memorized, even by those who were illiterate.

    Amazingly, scholars generally agree on the location of these traditions or creeds. These texts are recognized in many ways, but one of the clearest is when the New Testament writer explicitly tells us that he is repeating an early teaching, passing on a tradition, and so on. The chief examples include 1 Cor. 11:23-26; 15:3; 2 Thes. 2:15; 1 Tim. 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:11; Titus 3:8; Heb. 2:2-3. Others are identified by linguistic, syntactical, cadence, and other textual hints, and often concern the subject of Jesus occupying his heavenly place on the right side of God’s throne. Major examples include those in Rom. 1:3-4; 4:25; 5:8; 10:9; 1 Cor. 8:6; Phil. 2:6-11, and Heb. 1:3. Cf. many others such as Eph. 1:20; Col. 1:15-20; 3:1; 1 Tim. 2:5-6; 3:16; Heb. 1:1; 1:13; 8:1; 12:2; 1 Pet. 1:21; 2:21; 3:18; 3:22.

    While a bit different, it is widely agreed that there are also a number of brief sermon summaries within the Book of Acts which, like the other creedal materials, are much older than the book in which they appear. The most-commonly mentioned candidates for these sermon segments are in Acts 1:21-22; 2:22-36; 3:13-16; 4:8-10; 5:29-32; 10:39-43; 13:28-31; 17:1-3; 17:30-31. Those speaking of Jesus’ deity include Acts 2:33, 36; 5:31.

    Among other crucial topics, these early creeds often applied the loftiest titles of deity to Jesus Christ. Like Acts 2:36; Rom. 1:3-4; 10:9; 1 Cor. 8:6; 11:23; and Phil. 2:6-11. Intriguingly, this entire subject arose from studies by critical New Testament scholars rather than from evangelicals. This is one of those rare subjects where older studies are often seen as the most authoritative ones, such as what is often proclaimed as the classic work: Oscar Cullmann, The Earliest Christian Confessions, trans. by J.K.S. Reid (London: Lutterworth, 1943). Other major studies include Cullmann, “The Tradition” (59-99) and other essays in The Early Church, ed. by A.J.B. Higgins (London: SCM, 1956); C.H. Dodd, The Apostolic Preaching and its Developments (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1936; Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1980); Dodd, “The Primitive Catechism and the Sayings of Jesus,” in New Testament Essays: Studies in Memory of Thomas Walter Manson, 1893-1958, edited by A.J.B. Higgins (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1959), 106-118; Joachim Jeremias, The Eucharistic Words of Jesus, trans. by Norman Perrin (London: SCM, 1966).

    Agnostic New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman both freely and often dates the earliest of these creeds to the 30s AD, sometimes within just 1-2 years after the crucifixion! Bart D. Ehrman, Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth (New York: Harper Collins, 2012), see pages 22, 27, 92-93, 97, 109-113, 130-132, 141, 144-145, 155-158, 164, 170-173, 232, 249-251, 254, 260-263; cf. 289-291.
    by Published on 07-12-2015 04:38 PM     Number of Views: 1940 
    1. Categories:
    2. The Fall of Man

    Talking Too Much

    Proverbs 10:19
    When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

    Proverbs 17:28
    Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

    James 1:19
    Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

    Proverbs 18:2
    A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

    Proverbs 29:20
    Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

    Proverbs 21:23
    Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

    Psalm 141:3
    Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!

    Ecclesiastes 9:17
    The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.

    Ecclesiastes 5:2
    Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.

    Ecclesiastes 5:7
    For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.

    Proverbs 13:3
    Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

    James 3:6
    And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

    Proverbs 14:23
    In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.

    Matthew 12:36
    I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

    Proverbs 15:1-33
    A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. A fool despises his father's instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent. ...

    Proverbs 18:21
    Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

    Proverbs 30:32
    If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth.

    Proverbs 12:18
    There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

    Amos 5:13
    Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

    James 3:2-11
    For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?

    Psalm 141:3-4
    Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!

    Psalm 1:1-6
    Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

    2 Timothy 2:16
    But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,

    Proverbs 17:27
    Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

    Ecclesiastes 5:1-3
    Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.

    Proverbs 20:19
    Whoever goes about slandering {gossiping} reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.

    Ecclesiastes 5:5,6
    It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? {Don't take back a vow}

    Psalm 147:1-20
    Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure..... He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.....

    Amos 5:12-13
    For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

    Isaiah 58:13-14
    “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

    Psalm 39:3
    My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

    James 4:5-11
    Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. {Don't be judgmental, for the law says don't be judgmental}

    Philippians 4:17
    Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.

    Romans 3:13-14
    “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

    John 10:10
    The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly {with the word of God}

    Proverbs 26:4
    Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.

    Ecclesiastes 10:19
    Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything.

    Romans 7:7-25
    What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. ...
    by Published on 09-14-2014 03:32 PM     Number of Views: 2057 
    1. Categories:
    2. Hell

    The First Way to Hell: Suicide

    Suicide is a shortcut to hell. There is no way which leads to hell more quickly than this. Note this brief Bible passage: “He [Judas] might go to his own place” (Acts 1.25). Judas had never believed in Jesus Christ. Though outwardly he pretended to be one of His disciples, he was “a son of perdition” (John 17.12) who had never experienced salvation. After he died, he went “to his own place.” What was his own place? It was destruction or perdition. After he died, he went to hell. How did he go to hell? He killed himself by hanging.

    If anyone wants to go to hell, suicide is the most convenient method of doing so. A razor, a rope, or a cup of poison will quickly send the soul to the place of eternal suffering. Hell may be quite distant from you in this life; it might, in fact, take many years for you to end up there. But if you commit suicide, you shorten the days of your life on earth and speed yourself to the place of eternal perdition.

    Once an unbelieving master asked his believing chauffeur what the shortest road to hell was. At that time his car was speeding along the highway. The chauffeur opened the car door and said to his master: “If you jump out of the car, you will immediately arrive at that place. Since you do not believe in the Lord, you will go to hell as soon as you fall to your death.”

    The easiest and quickest way to hell is indeed suicide. If you want to arrive at hell in a few hours, swallow a large dosage of raw opium and you will be at your destination. If you wish to arrive in hell in a few minutes, take some cyanide and you will surely be there. And if you consider these ways far too slow, and you want to descend to hell in less than a minute, blow your brains out with gunshot and you will certainly be there. There are many other ways to commit suicide. For example, you may starve yourself to death or you may leap into the sea. Or you may lie on the railroad track and let the train break you in two.

    By committing suicide, a person deprives himself of the hope of salvation. But if he continues to live on earth, he may hear the gospel of the substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus and believe for salvation. But if he kills himself he destroys forever the opportunity to hear the gospel. Please take note of this observation: whether one is saved or perishes is a matter decided in this life. If you refuse and do not believe in the Lord Jesus in this life, you will have no further opportunity to hear the gospel and be saved after death. In killing yourself you end your life and forfeit any chance of salvation. Hence the suicide victim will go straight to hell. His very blood is the stamp on his ticket to hell.

    Once I was conducting a meeting in Chuanchow. I spoke on the same subject. That evening there were more than fourteen hundred people assembled together. Among those in the audience was a large number of high school boys and girls. As I was speaking, I thought to myself: What is the use of saying these things to them; surely they would not harbor any idea of committing suicide. But the Spirit of the Lord was working in me so that I had to say what I was led to say. And thus, I spoke to them frankly that if they truly wanted to go to hell they would no doubt end there by committing suicide.

    After I finished speaking that evening, a teacher came to see me. He was a college graduate and was very clever and learned. He told me how life had become so tasteless and monotonous and how he had thought of killing himself many times but had dared not because of the darkness ahead of him. Now he knew that if he killed himself he would have no more hope of being saved. Hence he had decided not to take his life thereafter. A few days later a high school student came to see me and told how pessimistic he was about life and how he had thought of killing himself many times but had no opportunity to do so. Upon hearing the preaching of God’s word a few evenings before, he had given up the thought of taking his life.

    Several months ago I was preaching in Amoy and spoke again on this subject. If anyone would kill himself, I repeated, he would surely go to hell. Later, a medical doctor told me she had a nurse who had frequently tried to kill herself but had been hindered by her from doing so. That night after she heard what I had said from God’s word, that nurse dared not entertain such a thought again.

    Now these people whom I have mentioned have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only did they dare not kill themselves, they also did not need to kill themselves; for they now have Christ—they are saved! Christ has so comforted their hearts and transformed their lives that they no longer nurse the thought of taking their lives. I have no idea how many people meditate such a thought. But I do know this, that Christ can satisfy every heart. So why any longer contemplate suicide and head for hell?

    Once I was preaching the gospel for a few days in a college in Nanking. In the after-meeting on the last night, a townsman of mine who was a college student there came to talk with me personally. He had no difficulty in paying the tuition and his family financial situation was adequate. Moreover, he was not in any danger of failing in his studies. Yet he took a very pessimistic view towards life. He wondered where men came from and where they would go afterwards.

    He had been in this frame of mind since his high school days. He felt life was so uninteresting and extremely cruel, and he thus sensed a need and a longing—a lack within him which nothing in this world could satisfy or fulfill. So he began to take a passive attitude towards all things. Life to him was meaningless and a heavy burden. The longer he lived, the more vexations he experienced. Except for the monotony and the pain, life for him had no other flavor. He often kept to himself and passed his lonely life in musing. However, the more he contemplated his situation, the more abstract everything became. He searched in darkness and could not find a ray of light. For him such a burdensome life should now be quickly ended. He had no desire to continue on in vexation. So he decided to leap into the sea and end his miserable existence at the time when he would be returning home by boat during the winter vacation.

    Now, though, he had been hearing the gospel during the few days of meetings just concluded. And he today knew that the Lord Jesus Christ had died for all and lives to be a Friend of many. So why, he thought, should he die? During our conversation, he accepted the Lord Jesus to be his Savior. After he had decided to accept the Lord, I told him to tell God about his thought of suicide. He did so as we prayed together. After prayer, he asked me what he should do when he got up the next morning. I told him he should find an opportunity to read the Bible prayerfully and to meditate on God’s word so as to nourish his spiritual life. We then parted.

    A few days later I asked his friend about him. His friend told me he was today very different from before, he now being a happy man. A few days after that, I met his friend once more and again I asked about him. I received the same answer. Praise God, now that he has the Lord Jesus he has no need to take his life.

    Why do you seek for death? I know you are dissatisfied with life. I know you often feel lonely and miserable. I know your life is monotonous. I know you frequently sigh. You sense the vexation of life. And you are no stranger to tears. Though you possess many things of this world, these cannot satisfy your heart. In the depth of your being you sense a need, a longing for something which you do not know but which you hope will fill that void.

    It is true that besides sorrow and vexation, life has no other taste. And hence you sometimes think of suicide. But why should you take that route? Jesus Christ has come to save suffering people. He has comforted many hearts, satisfied many souls, transformed many lives, and wiped away many tears. He is willing to help you turn your vexatious life into a joyful one. He can be the sun in your cloudy days, and He can be the song in your dark nights. With Him your soul can be comforted and made joyous. Why then must you die? Why commit suicide and end in hell? Today you must heed the gospel. The Lord is able and He cares for you. Accept Him as your Savior and Lord, and your life’s problems will be solved.
    by Published on 08-03-2014 01:44 PM     Number of Views: 1724 
    1. Categories:
    2. Consecration and Breaking

    A Coy and Aloof Person is Subjective

    The subjectivity of a person can be detected in the smallest of things, for it is a natural habit. If you have learned the essential lesson of having your subjectivity broken, you will easily discern it in many small details of life. A subjective person is that way in all things. He loves to control people; he delights in being opinionated; he takes pleasure in giving orders. He knows what to do in every situation and circumstance. When a young person steps out to serve the Lord, put him together with a few other people, and soon you will see whether or not he is subjective. If he is alone in one place, you are not apt to find out. But when two people are put together, you see at once that the subjective person will try to dominate the other. He will insist on eating certain things, wearing clothing in a certain way, and sleeping at a certain hour. He is omniscient and omnipotent. Put two sisters in one room, and you will discern which sister, if either, is subjective. Put two subjective people together, and they will come to an impasse. One such person may live peacefully, but two such people cannot live on together.

    This does not mean, however, that hereafter we should not say anything. When there is difficulty in the work or a problem with people, we cannot be unfaithful by remaining aloof. What we mean is that after we have spoken, we will not force them to adhere. If they do not listen after we have spoken, we will not feel hurt. So precious and dear to themselves are the opinions of some people that they are hurt if they are not listened to. Such is the feeling of subjective people. Yet, for the sake of faithfulness, we have to speak out. To speak out, though, is not to be construed as signifying that the person doing the speaking is a busybody or that he has a talkative temperament. But for those who are subjective, it is wrong to speak without first having been taught. God has not appointed us to be masters of all. Some have the habit of always speaking or teaching in every situation. This plainly indicates that one is a subjective person.

    Unless his kind of temperament is broken, he is not fit to work for God. A subjective person is not necessarily a faithful person. One who is faithful speaks only when it is needed and not because he likes to speak or has the lust for talking. He speaks in order to rescue people from error. If he is rejected, he is not distressed since he is also able to remain quiet. Not so, however, with a subjective person, because having the lust to speak out on all occasions, he feels troubled if he does not speak. Have you ever noticed that a subjective person speaks out of his talkativeness? He simply loves to place his opinion upon other people. His idea becomes a yoke to others. He wants them to listen to him. He feels outraged if his opinion is ignored.

    A subjective person and a faithful person are totally different from each other. We should be faithful. Many times it is wrong for us to keep quiet. Nevertheless, we must distinguish between faithfulness and subjectivity. The latter kind of person loves to meddle in others’ business. He wants people to listen to him. He tries to control others.

    His way is always the first and the best. His way is most correct; therefore, everybody should walk in it. He cannot tolerate differences. Let it be known that the smallest person in the world is the subjective person. Only after one’s subjectivity has been dealt with by God can he become a big man, so big that he is able to tolerate differences. Subjectivity is uniformity; it cannot bear any differences. That is why there will be no peace if two subjective people are put into one room. Each has his own idea, so the room will be full of strife. Each feels he is bearing the other’s cross.

    Be aware that a subjective person tends to take things into his hands and set himself up as the leader of God’s people. He will decide everything for them. He has the habit of interfering in the smallest matters, and he likes to control everything. Because of this basic flaw, God will not commit himself to such people. We have never seen Him do so to such ones for He cannot use them. Nor have we ever seen any subjective person walk deeply in the Lord, simply because he has an unteachable temperament.

    Because a subjective person is opinionated and always meddling in other men’s affairs, this constitutes a great difficulty in the work of the Lord. He cannot learn, hence God cannot trust him. He expends all his energy on his subjective lifestyle so that there is no strength left to expend on God’s work. When a person meddles in others’ affairs, he neglects his own affairs. He tries to keep the vineyard of others but overlooks his own vineyard.

    Let us acknowledge the fact that we really have no leisure time to be subjective. God has put into our hands enough ministries, responsibilities and concerns to care for so that we do not have the time to be busybodies. We need to concentrate our strength and time on performing that which we must finish. We are busy enough. Unless we forsake the work of God and leave our own responsibility, we will have no time to delve into the small affairs of others. This much is clear, that all who are subjective leave their own business undone that they might meddle in other men’s business. How can we expect such a person to work well for God if he neglects his own work? A subjective person can therefore never do well in the Lord’s work. The Lord cannot entrust anything to him since he will fail in every trust.

    It is difficult to change one’s subjectivity because it is a habit already formed and deeply ingrained. In his daily life, as we have seen, he is subjective in everything and at all times. He is not only this way in God’s work, he is also this way in his daily concerns as well as in other men’s affairs. A subjective man is truly the busiest person in the world inasmuch as he feels compelled to look after everything. He is not able to walk the straight path of God. In all matters—whether large or small—he has his idea, opinion and way. This becomes a hindrance to spirituality. We need to ask the Lord:

    "O Lord, be gracious to us that we may become tender and not be set in concrete before You and before our brothers and sisters."

    Take a look at Paul one more time. "His letters, they say, are weighty and strong" (2 Cor. 10.10a). In truth, while he dealt with the testimony before God, his words were weighty and strong. But let us note how he was viewed by the Corinthians: "his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account" (2 Cor. l0.10b). Paul would not relax as it pertained to the testimony he kept, and hence his letters were weighty and strong. But when he met the Corinthians, he was perceived as being a tender and flexible person. We need to distinguish between our ministry, which is to be weighty and strong, and our personality, which must not be subjective. Some preach Christ out of good will. Let us thank God for that. Some, though, preach Christ out of envy and strife. Let us thank God as well. For in every way Christ is proclaimed; and hence, we should rejoice even as did Paul (see Phil. 1.15-18).

    Do we see the balance here? We thank God if people, out of good will, want to walk with us; we are not distressed, however, if they prefer to go another way. Let us maintain this balance: faithful in testimony and not subjective in life. The faithful person is not subjective; yet the subjective person may not be faithful. These two are clearly distinguishable.

    To sum up, then, subjectivity is nothing else but the manifestation of an unbroken self. We need to ask the Lord to break us so that we will not be subjective in the affairs of others as well as in our own matters. Once having been broken by the Lord we will become tender and flexible. Otherwise, if we lack this experience of brokenness, we will always remain more or less subjective. Some may be strongly subjective, others may be less so; nevertheless, in relation to others, there will always be—to one degree or another—imposed opinions, coercive methods, and attempts at control.

    May the Lord deal with us drastically that we will not be able to stand on our own ground again. And once that happens we shall have the capacity to be faithful in testimony and to grant people the freedom to choose whether or not to listen to us. We will cease to speak on every occasion; we will cease to be teachers to so many people; and we will never force others to follow us. Let us ever be strong in ministry, but let us continually learn to be gentle in life. In short, we must not be subjective.
    by Published on 09-07-2011 12:16 AM     Number of Views: 2019 
    1. Categories:
    2. Trinity

    Jhn 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
    Jhn 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
    Jhn 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou [then], Shew us the Father?
    Jhn 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
    Jhn 14:11 Believe me that I [am] in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

    Jhn 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

    Two errors are guarded against here. The first error is in verse 9 by itself could suggest that the Son is the Father incarnate, that there are no distinctions between the two Persons. But verse 10-11 make it clear that is not the case. These verses also guard against fully separating the Father and Son into distinct gods. Each interpenetrates the other--what the ancient Greeks called perichoresis.

    Interpenetrate means to 1. interpret thoroughly; permeate. 2. to penetrate (with something else) mutually or reciprocally.

    Perichoresis refers to the Trinity. The word is derived from the Greek “peri-choresis” which translates as, “peri” meaning around, “choresis” meaning to dance (the same root as choreography). The relationship between the Persons of the Trinity was described, by early Christians, as an eternal Holy Dance of each Person in the Trinity around and within the Others.
    by Published on 10-21-2010 10:12 AM     Number of Views: 21407 
    1. Categories:
    2. Generations and Jubliees

    There are 120 jubilees from Adam to the second coming of Christ Jesus comprising 6000 years total.

    First would be the 50 jubilees from Adam's expulsion from the garden of Eden to the death of Moses, 30 jubilees from entry to promised land to Jesus Christ, then 40 jubilees from destruction of Herod's temple to the gathering of the seeds of Abraham to the future temple in Jerusalem in 2015.

    The Temple will be completed in 2016 by the 220th day with 2300 days left into the seven year tribulation.

    The second coming of Christ Jesus is called His parousia and commences with the first rapture according to readiness Sept. 14, 2015 (Matt. 24.40-41,42, Luke 21.36, Rev. 3.10 at 7.9 "before the throne," before the trumpets, 8.7ff, of the Tribulation) on the feast of trumpets.

    Once the tribulation is completed 2,520 days later on Aug. 7, 2022, Tisha B'Av, there are 30 days more to the 1290th day, then 45 days more to the 1335th day.

    The 1000 year rule follows to complete the 7th Sabbatical 1000 year.

    Age
    Birth date
    Bible
    1
    4004
    Adam
    2
    130
    3874
    Seth
    3
    105
    3769
    Enos
    4
    90
    3679
    Cainan
    5
    70
    3609
    Mahalaleel
    6
    65
    3544
    Jared
    7
    162
    3382
    Enoch
    8
    65
    3317
    Methuselah
    9
    187
    3130
    Lamech
    10
    182
    2948
    Noah
    11
    502
    2446
    Shem
    12
    100
    2346
    Arphaxed
    13
    35
    2311
    Salah
    14
    30
    2281
    Eber
    15
    34
    2247
    Peleg
    16
    30
    2217
    Reu
    17
    32
    2185
    Serug
    18
    30
    2155
    Nahor
    19
    29
    2126
    Terah
    20
    70
    2057
    Abram, Abraham
    21
    100
    1956
    Isaac
    I prayed to the Lord to give me an explanation how some of the names in the list could have lived so long or had children at such a late age, and God revealed to me the answer. The answer is that since we are talking about long periods of time and records are hard to keep, a name would represent a set of individuals with emphasis on the person named because of the spiritual application.

    "And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt" (Ex. 12.41).

    1956 Isaac's birth
    430 years after Egyptian influence
    1526 Exodus from Egypt
    "And the people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land; they ate the manna, till they came to the border of the land of Canaan" (Ex. 16.35).

    1526 Exodus from Egypt
    40 years walking to the promise land
    1486 End of 40 years in the Wilderness
    "And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years" (Lev. 25.8).

    1486 End of 40 years in the Wilderness
    49 = 7 years x 7 sabbaths of Years
    1437 End of 49 Years
    "And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family" (Lev. 25.10).

    1437 End of 7 x 7 sabbath of Years
    1 50th year
    1436 1st Jubilee Year
    1436 1st Jubilee Year
    1036 End of Samuel, start of Saul
    400 years apart
    "In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the LORD" (1 Kings 6.1).

    1436 1st Jubilee Year
    480 years - Israelites counted it from the Jubilee
    956 4th year of Solomon
    1036 Saul as King
    40 years of Saul
    996 End of Saul
    40 years of David
    956 End of David, also 4th year of Solomon
    Solomon began to rebuild the Temple
    "And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it" (1 Kings 6.38).

    956 Start of Temple
    7 years building it
    949 Finished rebuilding the Temple
    "Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house" (1 Kings 7.1).

    949 Finished building the Temple
    13 years building the Palace of Solomon
    936 Finished both Temple and Solomon's house
    "At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house," (2 Chron. 8.1).

    956 4th year of Solomon, start of the Temple
    20 years building both Temple and Palace
    936 Finished both Temple and Solomon's house
    1436 1st Jubilee
    1386 2nd Jubilee
    1336 3rd Jubilee year
    1286 4th Jubilee year
    1236 5th Jubilee year
    1186 6th Jubilee year
    1136 7th Jubilee year
    1086 8th Jubilee year
    1036 9th Jubilee year, Saul as 1st king of Israel
    986 10th Jubilee year
    936 11th Jubilee year, Temple dedication
    49 Years = 7 Sabbatical years
    50 th year = 1 Sabbatical year
    Total = 8 years of rest for the Land
    Missed Sabbatical years from 1036 BC -
    1036 Saul as first king of Israel
    986 10th Jubilee - missed 8 years
    936 11th Jubilee - missed 6 years
    7th year and dedication of the Temple = 2 years
    886 12th Jubilee - missed 8 years
    836 13th Jubilee - missed 8 years
    786 14th Jubilee - missed 8 years
    736 15th Jubilee - missed 8 years
    686 16th Jubilee - missed 8 years
    636 17th Jubilee - missed 8 years
    586 18th Jubilee - missed 8 years
    TOTAL YEARS MISSED 70 years
    586 BC - Babylonian captivity
    70 years for total Sabbatical years missed
    516 BC - End of Babylonian captivity
    586 BC - 18th Jubilee
    50 years
    536 BC - 19th Jubilee
    Foundation laid for the 2nd Temple
    536 BC 19th Jubilee - Foundation set for the 2nd Temple
    486 BC 20th Jubilee
    436 BC 21st Jubilee
    386 BC 22nd Jubilee
    336 BC 23rd Jubilee
    286 BC 24th Jubilee
    236 BC 25th Jubilee
    186 BC 26th Jubilee
    136 BC 27th Jubilee
    86 BC 28th Jubilee
    36 BC 29th Jubilee - Herod the Great took Jerusalem
    515 BC - Dedication of the 2nd Temple
    -70 years
    445 BC - 1st 70 years
    444 BC - Declaration to rebuild Jerusalem over 7 sets of seven, then 62 sets of seven more were needed for when the Messiah would enter Jerusalem and be "cut off" (Dan. 9.26) so His triumphant entry into Jerusalem was on March 30th, 33 AD (Julian) on Monday for the 4 days of inspection of the Lamb then Jesus died on the cross on April 1st, 33 AD, Friday (Gregorian), April Fool's Day (April 3, 33 AD Julian).
    -70 years
    375 BC - 2nd 70 years, end of Malachi
    400 years - No prophet in Israel
    26 AD
    29 AD - start of John the Baptist
    30 AD - start of Jesus' Ministry
    33 AD - Jesus died on the cross April 1st, 33 AD, Friday (April 3rd Julian calendar) at the age of 37 1/2
    36 BC - 29th Jubilee, Herod the Great took Jerusalem
    29 BC - 1st Sabbatical year
    22 BC - 2nd Sabbatical year
    15 BC - 3rd Sabbatical year
    8 BC - 4th Sabbatical year
    6 BC - Coming of the Magis to Jerusalem and Bethlehem
    when Jesus was born.
    1 BC - 5th Sabbatical year, death of Herod the Great
    "The Jews then said, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?'" (John 2.20).

    19 BC - Start renovating the 2nd Temple (end of 19 BC)
    18 BC to 1 BC = 17 years
    1 BC to 1 AD = 1 year
    1 AD to 29 AD = 28 years
    30 AD - Jesus started His ministry TOTAL 46 years
    30 AD - Start of Jesus' Ministry
    65 AD - 31st Jubilee
    70 AD - Destruction of the 2nd Temple
    30 15 AD 30th Jubilee - Jesus was 20 years old
    31 65 AD 51 1065 AD - 51st Jubilee
    32 115 AD 52 1115 AD
    33 165 AD 53 1165 AD
    34 215 AD 54 1215 AD
    35 265 AD 55 1265 AD
    36 315 AD 56 1315 AD
    37 365 AD 57 1365 AD
    38 415 AD 58 1415 AD
    39 465 AD 59 1465 AD
    40 515 AD 60 1515 AD
    41 565 AD 61 1565 AD
    42 615 AD 62 1615 AD
    43 665 AD 63 1665 AD
    44 715 AD 64 1715 AD
    45 765 AD 65 1765 AD
    46 815 AD 66 1815 AD
    47 865 AD 67 1865 AD
    48 915 AD 68 1915 AD
    49 965 AD 69 1965 AD
    50 1015 AD 70 2015 AD
    40 (trial) Jubilees - 2000 years from 15 AD to 2015 AD.

    2015 AD - Sept. 23, 2015 Day of Atonement ushers in the Year of Jubilee, and First Rapture according to readiness (Matt. 24.40-41,42; Luke 21.36 and Rev. 3.10 at 7.9 "before the throne" before the trumpets of the Tribulation commence, 8.7ff) takes place on Sept. 14, 2015 Feast of Trumpets. Sept. 23 is exactly 49 years x 360 days/yr from June 7, 1967 when Israel entered Jerusalem (17,640 days).
    2016 AD - Third Temple completed 220 days into the Tribulation by April 20 with 2300 days left into the Tribulation period (April 21, 2016 to Aug. 7, 2022). The Red Heifer and lamb are inspected for four days from April 18-21. Passover is April. 22.
    2019 AD - Peace treaty is broken (Rev. 9.1) on Feb. 25 - the first woe is 5 months but does not kill people. The 2nd woe is 5 months starts 5 months later on July 25, 2019.
    2020 AD - Nuclear holocaust (Rev. 9.16,18), the 2nd woe lasts 13 months, 3rd woe commences Aug. 18.
    2021 The last trumpet of the Tribulation or 3rd woe lasts 24 months, the armies of v.16 fight
    2022 Jesus steps down on the mount of olives Aug. 7, 2022 (Zech. 14.4, Acts 1.11, Rev. 1.7). To the 1290th day Jesus administers his judgment over the nations, and by the 1335th day He sets up Israel as the center of all nations from where He will reign in the Third Temple (Oct. 21 is the 133th day and Oct. 22 is the first day of the millennial kingdom. After Tabernacles is completed then the 2 holidays take place, the second of which is Simchat Torah when Torah Scroll is taken out to be read for four days on the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st.
    Compare:
    Sept 23, 2015 -Autumnal Equinox - Day of Atonement, Wednesday
    Sept 23, 2015 -Eid-al-Adha, holiday marking of Haji, Festival of Sacrifice
    Israeli and Islamic holidays will be celebrated together at Temple in Jerusalem.

    4004 BC - Birth of Adam 1436 BC - 1st Jubilee
    less 1436 BC plus 2550 years
    2568 years 3986 BC - Adam at 18 (Adam & Eve fall)
    divided by 50 years per Jubilee 3936 BC - 1st pre-Israelite Jubilee
    51.4 Jubilees (18 years more) 1436 BC - 50th Jubilee - free manna
    It looks like Adam was 18 years old when he was driven out of the Garden of Eden, the 2nd Paradise, after they sinned against Yahweh.

    The first 50 Jubilees from Adam's walk from Paradise to the Promise Land
    3986 BC Adam at 18 fall from Paradise
    3936 BC 1st Jubilee
    1986 BC Abraham at 70 and the 4000 years promise to 2015
    1536 BC 49th Jubilee of Jubilees
    1526 BC Exodus from Egypt - free manna - no sowing
    1486 BC End of Wilderness walk - 50th Jubilee
    The 30 Jubilees from entry into the Promise Land to to Jesus' Adulthood
    1436 BC - 1st Jubilee
    1036 BC - 400 years until Saul, the first king
    936 BC - 100 years, dedication of the first Temple
    586 BC - Babylonian captivity (18th Jubilee)
    536 BC - 400 years from first Temple (19th Jubilee)
    Foundation for the first Temple
    516 BC - End of 70 years of Babylonian captivity
    515 BC - Dedication of the 2nd Temple
    445 BC - End of first 70 years with Yahweh in the Temple
    375 BC - Another 70 years, Malachi stops preaching
    400 years of silence, no prophet in Israel
    36 BC - 500 years from 2nd Temple dedication
    Jerusalem was destroyed by Herod the Great
    6 BC - Jesus was born on Tishri 15
    The 40 Jubilees from Jesus' teenage days to His Second Coming
    15 AD - 30th Jubilee, Jesus is 20
    26 AD 400 years of silence broken from 375 BC
    29 AD - Beginning of John's ministry
    30 AD - True temple - start of Jesus' Ministry
    33 AD - Jesus died on the cross Nisan 14, April 1st (Gregorian)
    or April 3 (Julian), age of 37.518 (13703 days/365.2425)
    33 AD - His ascension was 2 (Sat+Sun) + 39 = 41 days (on May 12) after crucifixion
    or May 14 (Julian), and is called Ascension Thursday
    33 AD - Pentecost - Acceptance of the offering May 22
    or May 24 (Julian), fellowship on resurrection Sunday
    65 AD - 1st Jubilee
    Satan knows if he can destroy the Jews he can ruin God's plan and promise to them. The Jews are highly persecuted. In 597 BC the Babylonians deported Jews and marched against Judah when the city fell eleven years before their captivity. 597 - 1 = 596; 596 + 1 (1 BC and 1 AD) + (70 - 1) = 666 years from Babylonian to Roman destruction. There are two 70 year periods from 606 to 536 and 586 to 516, and both valid describing different events.

    1349 the Jews were massacred and blamed for the Black Plague. In 2015 will be the rise of the Antichrist in the Temple in the 40th Jubilee. 2015 - 1349 = 666.

    3986 BC - 1486 BC = 50 Jubilees
    1486 BC - 15 AD = 30 Jubilees
    15 AD 2015 AD = 40 Jubilees
    = 120 Jubilees 6000 years

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