JohnD

I strongly recommend attending / studying Passover Seder (especially Messianic). In it you will find everything points to Yeshua Jesus the Messiah. Even the afikomen (broken matzoh) which is a Greek word that found its way into the non-messianic Seder which they cannot explain.

Not to derail this further, but I said Christ died for all human sin not all human beings who still must believe in him to activate this prepaid salvation for all human beings (1 John 2:2). John 3:16-18 clearly indicates this is NOT universalism. Now let's please get back on topic!

Remember also included in the revitalized fig tree prophecies that the fig tree will bear leaves. Fig leaves (according to the law of first mention) were part of man's first religious act in Eden sewing them together to make aprons to cover their sin. Ergo, the fig tree (Israel) must also have a rebuilt temple and levitical sacrifices in place and the then the generation that sees all these things will not pass away... The rebuilding of the temple and the Old Testament sacrificial system are major parts of how the beast will fool Israel into believing he is the legitimate messiah. This is why the 144,000 JEWS from the 12 tribes who are believers in the true Messiah Jesus will play such a critical role. Daniel 9:27 (KJV) 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. "the covenant" is the Old Testament covenant (referred to elsewhere in Daniel as the holy covenant)... the many refers to the whole world. For 3.5 years the beast will affirm the Old Covenant as the true covenant of God (and blaspheme the New Covenant and Jesus and his followers). 666 will be the tracking system to hunt down all who do not buy into this confirmation.

The late mention of the Churches in Revelation 22:16 is recapping to the receivers of the book of Revelation before the time the Church is taken out (prior to the Great Tribulation) an event which has yet (even to this day) to take place. Once it does, the focus will be on the Jewish people again.

The signs of the times indicate that the era of God's focus on bringing Gentile believers into the Kingdom are drawing to a close and the emphasis will return again to the Jewish people. That the groundbreaking for the 144,000 Jewish evangelists could be happening before our very eyes as the world heads into improbable times of peace or calamity... This is a thread open to opinion, inspiration, hopes, or even dissent... What do you think?

Howdy. I hope you feel welcomed here, and at the same time not being covered like a Dallas fumble... Cowboys haven't been the same since Jimmy Johnson left... Anyway, it's not unreasonable for one to feel a bit strange in Church settings. While I believe most are sincere, though some are pretentious, most tend to go along to get along. There's nothing wrong with being like-minded. But in Church (the sanctuary for truth) that like-mindedness should be based more on biblical truth than most Churches are. The tendency is to follow traditions (usually long established traditions) according to what the particular group agrees to believe (Baptist, Methodist, etc.). Jesus prayed in his High Priestly prayer (John 17) no less than three times that we in the Church be one as the Father and He are one. This hasn't been the case for many centuries. Bottom line, all the answers you seek come from the Holy Spirit who: 1. alone interprets the Bible He wrote through the writing prophets (2 Peter 1:20-21) 2. leads us to all truth (John 14:26 / John 16:13) 3. assuring us that our faith is in the genuine Jesus Christ and that our salvation is secure (2 Corinthians 1:22) It's all about Jesus and our believing Him (John 3:16-18). It's not about piety, lofty words, and the long list of bad things we don't do. It's about trusting God to make up the difference in our natural short comings while we strive (out of love for God) to do better. Knowing we are going to fail but in the effort we avoid lots of pitfalls and pain for God, for ourself and for others. Moses was a murderer. David was a warrior and adulterer / murderer. Jacob was a thief and a con artist. Rahab was a prostitute as was one of the Marys. The longer you are a believer the more transformation you will experience in your life and walk with the LORD. But none of us are perfect. We all have troubles as well as joys. Don't allow the devil to trick you into thinking you are alone in your struggles and intentions. Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in your life and in your Bible reading and study. Learn about God there. In the book God wrote to save us and to help us and to teach us about Him and about ourselves. Trust God not man.

Adam is the human prototype. You will notice that Eve was extracted from Adam. This placed the entirety of the human race under the heritage of Adam. Jesus is the only exception to that heritage as he was the "last Adam" (prototype) created by the Father (John 1:14 / Hebrews 10:5 / Hebrews 1:5). Jesus (prior to his incarnation) was the lone Creator of all things created in the beginning (Isaiah 44:24 / John 1:3 / Colossians 1:16). Adam (created by Jesus) The last Adam (created by the Father) The virgin Mary was Jesus' gestational surrogate (granting him the LEGAL status as heir to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David...). And he laid that entire human race (population: Jesus) on the cross to save our human race (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Getting back to the OP question, the Bible omits thing like procreation of the human race through close relatives (what would be considered incest today) when the human genome was at its peak (and birth defects almost none existent). The laws against this came almost 2,000 years later. And even at the second Genesis (the Noachian flood) the genome had denigrated enough that it took three families to repopulate the earth. The theory of other people or races being created or even preexisting Adam are based on the inability to reconcile with the fact that the children of Adam and Eve married their brothers and sisters and cousins aunts and uncles. The sin of incest with a parent was cursed by Noah (when Ham inbred with his mother which is why the offspring of that consummation Canaan was cursed) and later the daughters of Lot inbreeding with him was cursed. But this is the course of ancient human history. To which we today say a collective: EWWWWW ! ! ! !

The Father and the Holy Spirit were present (obviously) at the point of creation (John 1:1-2, 1 John 1:1-2, Genesis 1:1-2) but the preincarnate Jesus acted alone in creating all things created. The Father later created the body of Jesus (John 1:14, Hebrews 10:5, Hebrews 1:5) distinguishing him from the Adamic race we belong to (and explaining how Jesus never had the sin nature the rest of us are all born with). So the virgin Mary was the gestational surrogate of the Christ child. And under the Law his birth made him the {legal} heir of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David... But Jesus Christ is not only unique in all eternity in that he is both God and man and no one else is, but he is also his own human race (1 Corinthians 15:45 the last "adam" = human prototype) population: Jesus. And he laid that entire human race down to save our human race (children of the first Adam).

Matthew 11:27 (KJV) 27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Jesus made the statement that no one knows the Father except the Son. And no one knows the Son except the Father. Making the identity of the Father as much a mystery to mankind as the incarnation. At this point, man had been interacting with YHVH (the LORD) for some 4,000 years. And the Jews in particular knew him as YHVH at least since the burning bush account (Exodus 3:13-15). If the Father is YHVH, how can Jesus even make such a statement? One might guess, well he meant it that "you don't know the Father like I do..." But Jesus made the point to identify himself as YHVH in John 8:58 (hearkening back to Exodus 3:13-15) to which the Jews in company reviled him because they did not believe him and tried to execute him for what they perceived of as blasphemy (John 8:59). Further, when you take Isaiah 44:24 which clearly states that YHVH our redeemer YHVH is the Creator of all things created in the beginning which he did "alone / by myself." And John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, and Hebrews 1:2 all identify that Lone Creator as the preincarnate Jesus. Jesus is Jehovah / Yahweh / the LORD / YHVH.

Human beings are evil by nature (Isaiah 64:6) and are not only easily swayed by falsehoods, but tend to prefer them in opposition to God and his truth / facts (Matthew 16:23). We are such poor judges of good and truth that we must test the spirits to be certain we are being influenced by the Holy Spirit or not (1 John 4:1). God gave us his Word the Bible in part to be the rule of measure to accomplish this (Acts 17:11, Proverbs 25:2, Deuteronomy 29:29, Psalm 119, Psalm 138:2). This is also why Jesus warned that the traditions of man (based in the interpretations of man, no matter how organized and established) actually nullify the Word of God (Mark 7:13) and make even the worship of him completely void (Mark 7:7). It is possible to belong to orthodox denominations established for 15 centuries only to find on the day of judgement: Matthew 7:21–23 (KJV) 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. This is about the specificity of the Word of God about Christ our LORD and Savior. That man-made, made-up christs or doctrines or dogma will carry no weight in God's judgment on that day. If you have climbed the wrong stairway to heaven, you will end up in hell because man was born destined for hell and salvation was always a rescue mission (John 3:16-18). People don't want to hear these facts. They want to all get along. We can agree to disagree agreeably hand in hand stumbling blindly down the path to eternal doom. All the while believing Jesus is cheering us on. But because human beings are so easily influenced and swayed by satan, there is only one way to get to the absolute Truth and that is through the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13) using the keys to the kingdom (which we should know first of all): 2 Peter 1:20-21 (ONLY the Holy Spirit who wrote the Bible through the writing prophets interprets the Word of God) 1 John 4:1 (test the spirits to be certain we are receiving the interpretation of the Holy Spirit, because we are so gullible) 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (we should be testing all things anyway) Acts 17:11 / Psalm 119 (the Bible itself is the truth standard) Proverbs 25: 2 / Deuteronomy 29:29 (then the absolute meaning of scripture with be conveyed) Isaiah 28:9-13 (in this manner) Then the apparent contradictions will all fade as the absolute answers are given. The controversies and conflicts over eschatology will vanish as the tampering of human interference is exposed. What the Holy Spirit will show you will blow your minds. Commentaries, denominations, dogmas, all will burn on the purging truth that the Spirit of Truth conveys (John 16:13) establishing the unity in the Body Christian that the LORD Jesus prayed for in the actual LORD's prayer (John 17) no less than three times. That we be one as the Father and he are one... until then... only delusion and deception and pride in believing they are among the 1.2 billion others... Matthew 7:13–14 (KJV) 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. This isn't about prideful exclusivity but about abject submission to the Truth. God offers salvation to the whole world (John 3:16, 1 Timothy 4:10, 1 John 2:2) but sadly only a few percentage-wise find it / believe it / are not duped by satan by counterfeits.

I am not into Church bashing, but when people are heading straight for an eternal precipice it is the Christian thing to warn them. Matthew 7:21–23 (KJV) 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Scariest passage in the Bible IMHO... to arrive at the judgment only to find you've barked up the wrong tree.

We in the Body Christian love to think we have the corner on all truth, but along comes a cultist and turns most believers into a doctrinal pretzel without having half tried. Because we incorporated the untruth of human traditions into "the truth" and that makes the real truth indefensible. Because you are defending untruth along with truth as if both were truth. So cultists can come along and pick off ignorant sheep (not meaning derogatorily but rather as simply uninformed) with the way they point out the actual flaws in the unbiblical traditions that the Organized Church teaches... casting doubt overall and opening them up to the even worse untruths of the cults.

The Eucharist replaced Passover Seder and the Protestants ran with it from that platform. I could go on and on, sadly. It matters only what the BIBLE (not man) teaches under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit who wrote it (2 Peter 1:20-21) because God commissioned it as the standard by which eve He must abide: Psalm 138:2 (KJV) 2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. Let that sink in. What is more sacred than the name of God?

Have we in the Romanized Church done any better? We can't officially determine that the crucifixion took place on Wednesday and that the tomb was discovered empty on Sunday morning (giving some apparent legitimacy to Sunday worship) remember Constantine the architect of Roman Catholicism was a sun worshiper... some believe until his death.

In 1 Chronicles 28:5-6 King David followed a misinterpretation of 2 Samuel 7:12-13 to have his son Solomon erect a physical temple for the LORD, but in closer scrutiny of the scriptures we learn that the LORD intended only the Messiah Jesus to build a house for him (Zechariah 6:12-13) and that house would not be mortar and stone but flesh and blood (Matthew 16:18 / 1 Corinthians 3:16). God condescended to deal with Israel through the temple Solomon built. As he condescended to deal with Israel through the monarchy (1 Samuel 8). But Israel was seldom in the good graces of the LORD for very long after those points. The kingdom was split in two, ransacked by foreign monarchs. the temple was destroyed twice and desecrated. Solomon conscripted pagan artisans to build the temple introducing such pagan symbols as the seal of Solomon (star of David, which in fact David never knew)... then came the foreign women he married and built temples to their gods in the Holy Land after having dedicated the Jewish temple with blood sacrifices that broke every law to that point. God told Moses to erect the tabernacle. But no one whose kingdom would last any less than forever (that would be that of Jesus) should build a temple to God: Isaiah 66:1–6 (KJV) 1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? 2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. 3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. 4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not. 5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. 6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies.

Rome brought Old Testament division (clergy / laity) into the New Covenant when Revelation 1:6, Revelation 5:10, 1 Peter 2:3-9 clearly indicate the priesthood of all believers. God's original plan for Israel to be a nation of priests (Exodus 19:6) was thwarted by the rebellion of Exodus 32 (when only the Levites stood with Moses and God). That's why the Levites were chosen to be the priestly tribe.

A New Covenant example of the tradition of satan through man is the legalization of Grace by placing the dividing line between Law and Grace in the wrong place (Between Malachi 4 and Matthew 1) when clearly Hebrews 9:16-17 places it on the cross of Christ. Then the Sermon on the Mount (which Jesus spoke as his divine commentary on the mishandling of the Law) ← which is why he often said"you have heard it said... but I say..." And how you have Old Testament requirements on forgiveness... a) unless you forgive everyone your Heavenly Father will not forgive you your sins b) better to cut off a limb than lust or steal and enter life maimed rather than hell fully intact John 3:16-18, Ephesians 2:8-10, John 16:29, John 16:27, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 all state that through faith alone in Christ alone is one saved / forgiven. The Gospels are essentially the bridge between the two Covenants containing sections of both. And by not identifying this and other traditions of... men... the Church has adopted and affirmed many false and heretical doctrines and the chiefest gate into that has been the Roman Catholic Church.

I apologize for my tardiness. And that I haven't the time to read every response. The over all point I was making is that while there were in fact traditions of God handed down through the prophets, the traditions of satan (through man) has infiltrated the body of believers in both Old and New Covenants. Having debated rabbis on the subject, Moses himself was led astray by his father in law Jethro who was the priest of Midian by his advice in Exodus 18 which seemed to make good sense to Moses to delegate his authority to a body of elders... What Moses failed to do was consult the LORD before implementing the idea. Later when Joshua was duped by the Gibeonites (Joshua 9) when he did not consult the LORD, it can be said he learned that mistake from his mentor Moses in Exodus 18. F.Y.I. the Sanhedrin who condemn the LORD Jesus to death and opposed him his entire ministry trace their origin to that same body of elders that Moses commissioned at the behest of his pagan priest father-in-law. It is also through that same body that the Jewish people were misled from their Messiah Jesus (the leaven of the Pharisees Jesus called it) effecting Jewish people to this very day.

1 John 4:1 / 1 Thessalonians 5:21 ACTS 17:11

And the pagan fertility symbols of bunnies and colored eggs? And the yule log and mistletoe while you're at it? I've studied and heard all the lame excuses to mask the compromise and influx of paganism into the faith.

Bear in mind, every Jewish holy day is a testimony of Yeshua Jesus the Messiah. And it was stupid to throw them out and reinvent church holidays.