brakelite

Many claim that it was impossible for Christ to be overcome by temptation. Then He could not have been placed in Adam's position; He could not have gained the victory that Adam failed to gain. If we have in any sense a more trying conflict than had Christ, then He would not be able to succor us.... Hebrews 2:18 ‭For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.‭ ...but our Saviour took humanity, with all its liabilities. Romans 8:3 ‭For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:‭ He took the nature of man, with the possibility of yielding to temptation. We have nothing to bear which He has not endured. Another point. Christ laid aside all His divine prerogatives when becoming a man. If we had to bear anything which Jesus did not endure, then upon this point Satan would represent the power of God as insufficient for us. Therefore Jesus was “in all points tempted like as we are.” Hebrews 4:15. He endured every trial to which we are subject. And He exercised in His own behalf no power that is not freely offered to us. As man, He met temptation, and overcame in the strength given Him from God. He says, “I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart.” Psalm 40:8. As He went about doing good, and healing all who were afflicted by Satan, He made plain to men the character of God's law and the nature of His service. His life testifies that it is possible for us also to obey the law of God.

I know where you live...and I know you. Your name is engraved on the palms of My hands. I know the names of your spouse, parents, your children, your brothers and sisters, your friends, your neighbors, your work colleagues, and your classmates. I know when you go out, for I am by your side. I know when you come home; I am there waiting. I share your joys, your sorrows, I understand your troubles, your fears, your confusion. When you are threatened, abused, and neglected, I feel the pain, I experience the loneliness. When you get hurt, I flinch. I understand when you feel like giving up. When you want to give it all away. When the only options open to you are to throw crockery at the wall, bricks at the neighbours windows, or shoot arrows at anything or nothing in particular. When you would do anything just to be free from the suffering, the pain, then it is that time when I love you the most. I know that crawl space inside your head where you retreat to when life gets too much. Then is the time I would gather you as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. Then is the time I would surround you with My love and compassion. Then is the time to come to Me, and I will put My arms around you and hug you and comfort you. I love nothing more than to be involved in your world. I know everything there is to know about you, and there is nothing you can do, neglect, think, or say, that will stop Me from loving you. My entire being is focused on seeing you through your troubles, on being your closest friend, confidante, and companion, all to the express purpose of bringing you home with Me when I come. I will see you through your time of trial. Every one of your tears leaves it’s stain upon My cheek. Every cry you utter I echo before My Father. And together, we will see you through to the other end. Do not fear. Do not worry. I have been where you are. I have felt what you are feeling. I have experienced the injustice, the abuse, the slander, the pain, the suffering and even the death you fear. But I now live, and My life is now focused on ensuring that you also shall live with Me. So be not afraid. Be strong. Be of good cheer. I am bigger than your greatest fear. I am your Maker, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, and there is nothing I will with-hold from you that is to your good. My name is Jesus. Make Me your hope, your trust, your fortress. I will not fail you.

God will never ask anything of you that would be in your best interest to keep. Nor will He withold from you anything which would be for your benefit. Giving up everything means you relinquish your own rights and personal ambitions motivated by self interest that God, in His wisdom may recreate you as a new creature with motives and aspirations that center or focus on doing good for others. Bottom line...God as your Creator as every conceivable right to do whatever He likes with you. But because He loves you with such a fierce passion He will only take from you that which you offer. He will never impose Himself on you nor coerce you to do anything against your own desires. If you want to carry on in sin, He will allow you to do that, but you will have to face the consequences. If you want to be free from addictionsb bad habits and sin, He will do that also, and the consequence of eternity beyond your imagination.

Whatever we do in life we do as a natural response and reflection of who we are. We sinned in our unconverted carnal lives because it was natural for us to do so. A truly born again new creature in Christ may as a babe in Christ continue to sin, but it is unatural for him because he is a new creature. As he grows in faith, the sin will decrease and the works shall increase, all as a natural outflow of what is now a branch grafter ontoa good olive tree and producing good fruit. Unfortunately, what I see in mainstream and evangelical Christianity is rampant materialism and worldliness. This tells me that most 'Christians' today are not new creatures but still carnal branches bearing the natural fruit of a wild tree destined for destruction. If I said these words inmost forums I would be criticized as being judgemental, legalistic, and Pharisaical. It woul be good to remember who the Pharisees were, and their lives they led. They were utterly strict keepers of the law. Yet Jesus informs us that unless our righteousness EXCEED that of these most strict law keepers, we shall in no wise enter the kingdom. Remember also that Jesus did NOT correct the Pharisees when He observed their tithing of herbs...Jesus said to His disciples that that ought to be done, but aded that other aspects of the law were being neglected...love and mercy.

Yes, those that "sigh and cry concerning the abominations done in Israel" are labelled extremists, and Pharisaical. Or in the language of the current post modernist, 'intolerant'.

Agreed.

Although it is impossible for our finite minds to understand, Jesus was absolutely fully human, and will remain so throughout all eternity. The sacrifice the Son of God made was greater than dying...whatever form He had pre-incarnation (likely spirit form as His Fater is spirit) Jesus laid aside in order identify zHimself forever with the human race He redeemed. Luke 24:39 ‭Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.‭ Sure, He now has a glorified body, but it is still and will always be human.

Philippians 2:6-8 ‭Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:‭ ‭But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:‭ ‭And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.‭ I was in the proces of quoting the same verses when I saw your post. God with us...Emmanuel. Jesus had to become fully man else He could not be tempted in all things as we are, and understand our needs.

Yes...antinomianism is by far the easist way. Aside from the fact that anyone trusting in his obedience is doomed to failure, to live ones life striving to obey and do good works, or living up to a moral standard that is above that of your neighbors and friends, is a road paved with hard work, courage, conviction, and at times ridicule. For that reason not many choose that path: in fact, history will reveal that the great majority throughout Christendom chose the easier option...

God made Adam and Eve in His likeness, but after sin entered the genepool Adams descendants were made after the likeness of their sinful forbears. Genesis 5:3 ‭And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat ‭a son‭ in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:‭ Psalms 51:5 ‭Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.‭

No, God is not like us. As we picture Him on His throne, "high and lifted up", and contemplate His holiness and consider His glory and power, we shrink back in shame and humility. Or at least we should. And yet, although God may not be like us as we are, He sent His only Son to become one of us, that we, through surrendering to His will and purpose for our individual lives, may become like Him. It is an astounding thing that the Creator of the universe should forever lay aside whatever form He had, and take on flesh and blood in order to demonstrate God's infinite love for His creatures. We have a blood brother in the throne room of the living God, praying and interceeding with our Father on our behalf. All heaven is interested and intimately involved in our lives. Nothing we do, good or bad, passes the notice of our Father, which is why we can ever take utmost confidence in the truth, that "all things work together for good, for them that love God, and who are the called according to His purpose". Rom.8;28

C S Lewis in his book Screwtape Letters, described the demon's modus operandi with the following; “’running about with fire extinguishers whenever there is a flood. Get people to crowd to the side of the boat that is already nearly under. When people are lukewarm and apathetic, get them stirred up about the dangers of enthusiasm and emotion. If they are lazy, talk to them about the hypocrisy of the working community. If they are cruel, warn them against the evils of sentimentality..." In other words, let them hear loudly and repeatedly the warnings they don’t need. As I look around me at todays version of Christianty, I see evidence, lots of evidence, that the biggest threat to an individuals salvation is not one of seeking to obey and live up to a certain moral standard, but rather the opposite...believing ones salvation is secure despite rampant worldliness, materialism and selfish pleasure seeking.

C S Lewis in his book Screwtape Letters, described the demon's modus operandi with the following; “’running about with fire extinguishers whenever there is a flood. Get people to crowd to the side of the boat that is already nearly under. When people are lukewarm and apathetic, get them stirred up about the dangers of enthusiasm and emotion. If they are lazy, talk to them about the hypocrisy of the working community. If they are cruel, warn them against the evils of sentimentality..." In other words, let them hear loudly and repeatedly the warnings they don’t need. I have been participating in Christian forums for nearly decades, and have found a common theme running through all forums during that time. By far the most popular debates are the ones touching on themes of works based salvation, as opposed to salvation by grace alone, and inherent in these discussions are the multitudinous warnings against 'legalism'. However, when I look around me at todays churches I see evidence, lots of evidence, that the biggest threat to an individuals salvation is not one of seeking to obey and live up to a certain moral standard, but rather the opposite...believing ones salvation is secure despite rampant worldliness, materialism and selfish pleasure seeking.

Agree with Yowm's recomendation of Walter Veith. Veith's father was a top freemason...he has exposed their secrets and he is alive only because he is doing God's work. Aside from the ones Yowm mentioned, add Knights of Columbas and Knights of Malta. Walter connects dots between many secret societies , the vatican, and illuminati. And yes, the latter are not just a conspiracy theory in the mind of right wing extremist doomsday come hippy weed toking rastafarians.

Hi. Below is a link to my blog where I have dealt in detail with the futurist hermeneutic and how it developed over the past 500 years, why, and the result. I think that considering your determination over several decades to understand truth, you may find this interesting: as well as the two follow up articles, parts B and C. https://brakelite.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/characteristic-seven/

While confessing you haven't studied eschatology and are suspect over many aspects of it, you seem to have fully accepted a 'last week' " or 7 years interpretation to the various scriptures that reference 1260 days etc. How confident are you of that...why...and have you looked at alternative perspectives on those times?

I think the best answer I can offer is my own testimony. brakelite.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/from-blindness-to-freedom

Sounds like the sort of part-time work I could do from the comfort of home to boost my superannuation. No-one could fire me on account of not doing the job. Guaranteed 100% success rate.

Quite so. Question. On what basis therefore given your statement above, do the majority of Christians stand when spiritualizing the following texts of scripture, redefining the meaning of death to mean eternal life, and claiming a continuing punishing throughout eternity when the text clearly states that the punishment is eternal, which is as Romans 6:23 says unequivocably..."the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus". Ezekiel 18:4 ‭Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.‭ Matthew 25:46 ‭And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.‭ The punishment of the wicked and the rewards of the righteous are set in contrdistinction to one another throughout scripture. Death for one, life for the other. Both eternal.

Precisely. So why do you not believe what God has said? God says through Paul, that the wages of sin is....? Jesus said Himself that "whosoever would believe in Him would not..? Ezekiel said under the inspiration of the spirit of Christ, "the soul that sinneth it shall ...? According to the modern church the same answer could be used in all the above...."live forever". What kind of hermenutic allows the so-called Bible student to interpret words such as 'death' and 'perish' in a manner which means exactly the opposite?

How do you know I am not a JW or Adventist? And even if I weren't, can I not interpret scripture without recource to the church? Or do I rely on other men and their interpretations of scripture to define for me what is truth thus placing my eternal destiny in the hands of mortal men? My post wasn't directed solely to the writer ofthe post, but to all people who mischaracterize God by claiming that His purpose and intent for sinners is to torment them for as long as God lives, thus finding no justice. Even mortal men in their sinful fallen condition find dictators who would torture those who rebel against them odious, obnoxious, and worthy of God's wrath...yet we characterize God with the same quality of evil!!! As far as Antichrist goes....the teaching of scripture says that as the church falls away from the truth, and apostatizes by having relations with the kings and rulers of this world, it divorces itself fro her true Husband, is no longer God's church, and becomes Antichrist. This is the history of the papal church.

I know what that says, I've read it many times. To believe however that what it means is that for all eternity God, the angels, and us are going to be constantly witnessing the torturous screams and cries, the wailing and gnashing of teeth of countless millions of people many of whom will be our relations and some even our close friends, and somehow enjoying it without tears of either sympathy or sorrow, utterly and completely contradicts the rest of scripture regarding our eternal home and the rest of scripture regarding the character of God. Like I said, you need to think it through and cosider how that text and the few that are understood in a similar fashion, need to be revised. Hint. The text you cite above says the SMOKE ascends forever, not that the torment lasts forever. Also, look up other instances in scripture where the text says "forever" and ask yourself, is that still happening?

This is one prime example of the illogical nonsensical interpretations of scripture which paint an absurd, insulting and blasphemous mischaracterization ofGod. You do realize dont you that the redeemed also are going to be in the presence of God and angels forever? So the wicked are to be tormented in our presence...forever??!!! Seriously? And you truly believe that? Such entertainment will be joyful enrich our experience and enhance our appreciation of the love, mercy and grace of God no doubt. Do you people ever seriously think about what you are saying? Come on all you who claim to know and understand God. How do you reconcile eternal torment with a just God? Think! How do you reconcile eternal torment with a God who has the power and will to eradicate sin from the universe? You seriously believe God plans to immortalize sin? Why? As a reminder of the pain He and His Son went through to take away sin and put down the rebellion? Oh right, no chance you would consider any other alternative doctrine on the Biblical punishment of the wicked...only cults like JWs and Adventists believe that way right? Nuh, too proud to consider that they may be reading the Bible correctly and you not. Sorry bout the sarcasm, but of all teachings this eternal torment error makes me so angry...because it insults my Savior. GET OVER IT!!!

Hi bro, here is a link to a far more comprehensive study dealing with the characteristics and history of the little horn power of Daniel 7. .https://brakelite.wordpress.com/category/characteristics-of-the-little-horn-power-of-daniel-7/ I appreciate some of what you will read there is coming from a completely different perspective than you would be used to, or even contemplated. I understand that after years dealing with a particular topic from one perspective you may find it difficult to change your way of interpreting scripture. But bear in mind that observing end-time prophecy and studying eschatology from a futurist view point is only a relatively recent phenomenon. The reformers and earlier Christians compared prophecy with past and recent history and made their interpretations accordingly. You will be amazed at how, even in the minutest details, prophecy matches history, leaving very very little remaining to be fulfilled before our Savior returns. With futurism, where almost everything is still to be fulfilled, everything, literally, is open to conjecture and debate. Nothing is sure, as according to the hermenuetic,nothing has happened has yet. It is all guesswork. Historicism on the other hand contemplates prophecy as something which begins to be fulfilled at any time after the prophecy is given, and often from the very time it is given, not just for the very last days. Daniel 2 is a very good example of this. The 4 kingdoms began from Daniel's time, the 4th being destroyed at the second coming. the 4th kingdom at some time in history had to undergo a change...it became a mixture of iron and clay, therefore history must in some way bear this out. And it does. Subsequent prophecies in Daniel 7,8, and 11 and Revelations, cannot be understoood without reference to Daniel. Nor can they be interpreted differently. They are but magnifications of Daniel 2. Daniel 2 is the skeleton of prophecy...all prophecy following which deals with the kingdoms and times thereof are the meat and the sinews which makes it whole and complete....they are the details which adds to our understanding. But is we take Daniel 7 and place it in a context outside of Daniel 2 we get lost very quickly. Anyway, enough said. Enjoy your read at the above link. Some long articles,but I think you will find them very fruitful. God bless.

In 1825 a small group of men, dissatisfied with the spiritual condition of the Protestant Church in Ireland, met in Dublin to spiritually strengthen one another. Soon other groups were formed in Ireland and in England. The most famous of these was the one in Plymouth. This group came to be known as the Plymouth Brethren. Among the notables in these fellowships were Edward Irving, Dr. S. P. Tregelles and John Nelson Darby (who joined in 1827). At some point during this time, Edward Irving heard some mysterious utterances in an unknown tongue telling him that there was going to be a secret rapture of the church before the visible coming of Jesus. This was a new concept in the incredible journey of futurism. Futurists themselves will admit that this idea was alien to the Christian church until the 19th century. Dr. S. P. Tregelles, who, as we have noted, for some time belonged to the Plymouth Brethren movement but later abandoned it describes Irving’s experience: “I am not aware that there was any definite teaching that there would be a secret rapture of the Church at a secret coming, until this was given forth as an utterance in Mr. Irving’s church, from what was there received as being the Voice of the Spirit. But whether anyone ever asserted such a thing or not, it was from that supposed revelation that the modern doctrine and the modern phraseology arose. It came not from Holy Scripture, but from that which falsely pretended to be the Spirit of God.” (S. P. Tregelles, The Hope of Christ’s Second Coming, first published in 1864, and now available at Ambassadors for Christ, Los Angeles, California). From 1830 onward, a series of conferences were held at Powerscourt Castle in Ireland. We know that Edward Irving attended some of these as did John Nelson Darby and other key leaders of the Plymouth Brethren. At these meetings literalistic futurism became the prophetic methodology of choice and the idea of the secret rapture was adopted. The views established at these conferences soon spread like grassfire and penetrated other denominations. We must say a few words about John Nelson Darby. He was born in Ireland in 1800 and died in 1882. He was a brilliant law student at Westminster Trinity College. Though Darby was intellectually brilliant, physically, he left much to be desired. A brother of Cardinal Newman, who was a good friend of Darby’s describes his physical traits: “. . . a most remarkable man, who rapidly gained an immense sway over me. His bodily presence was indeed ‘weak.’ A fallen cheek, a blood-shot eye, crippled limbs resting on crutches, a seldom shaven beard, a shabby suit of clothes, and a generally neglected person, drew at first pity, with wonder to see such a figure in a drawing room.” (Quoted in McDougall, The Rapture of the Saints, p. 45). Darby soon broke with the Church of England and embraced literalistic futurism with a vengeance. Undoubtedly, one of the main reasons why he did not discern the Papacy as the Antichrist was his total disdain for history. He once remarked: “I do not want history to tell me Nineveh or Babylon is ruined or Jerusalem in the hands of the Gentiles. I do not admit history to be, in any sense, necessary to the understanding of prophecy.” (Quoted in, Oswald T. Allis, Prophecy and the Church [Philadelphia: The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company], 1977, p. 26). In the historicist method, a knowledge of history is of critical importance because it provides the reference point for the understanding of prophecy. But in futurism, an understanding of history is superfluous. It is of great importance to realize that between 1859 and 1874, Darby made six trips to the United States where he was warmly welcomed and his views were eagerly adopted. Darby’s writings, however, would have been forgotten had it not been for Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (1843-1921). Scofield was converted in 1879 and, though he had no theological training, he was ordained a Congregationalist minister three years later. At this time, Darby’s books were gathering dust in the few libraries where they could be found. But when Scofield discovered them, he came up with the idea of incorporating Darby’s futuristic ideas into a series of footnotes in the King James Bible. Thus in 1909, the famous Scofield Reference Bible was born. Soon, the notes were considered as inspired as the Bible itself. Even today, this is the Bible of choice among Protestants who uphold a futurist outlook of Bible prophecy.