Osterloh

From Jesus re: the mark of the beast ... https://iamcallingyounow.blogspot.com/

In all humility, this thread is the most important WARNING Christians could ever read! … EVERYONE (including Christians) who takes the mark of the beast will be cast into hell. Revelation 13:14-18 "And with all the miracles he (“another beast”) was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die. He required everyone — small and great, rich and poor, free and slave — to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast, or the number representing his name. Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666." Revelation 14:9-12 “Then a 3rd angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.” This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying His commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.” Revelation 20:4-6 “Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the 1000 years had ended.) Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him a thousand years.” JESUS CONFIRMS THE SCRIPTURE WARNINGS On Dec.3, 2023, Elizabeth Porter died for 15 minutes in a car accident. Jesus appeared to her and gave her a strong warning about taking the mark of the beast and told her to share with the world what He said! This 16-min. message is a most critically-important one for all Christians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIym7Zg6AqA

There was a slight error in the OP, so I repeat the John 6 passage here ... “All that the Father gives to Me will come to Me … of all He (Father God) has given to Me I should lose nothing … No one can (is able to) come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws (Greek: compels, drags) him … no one can (is able to) come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” (John 6:37, 44, 65)

Acts 3:16 NKJV ------- “Yes, the FAITH which comes through Him …” LB ---------- “FAITH in Jesus’ name — FAITH given to us from God …” Acts 13:48 KJV ------------------- “… as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” NLT ------------------- “… all who were chosen for eternal life became believers.” The ordaining and choosing comes BEFORE believing. Acts 16:14 NKJV, NASB “… the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” NLT, LB ---- “… the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying.” For Lydia to accept what Paul was saying, it was necessary for God to open her heart. 2 Peter 1:1 NASB --------- “To those who have received a FAITH of the same kind as ours …” NLT ----------- “This FAITH was given to you …” LB ------------ “… the kind (of FAITH) that Jesus Christ our God and Savior gives to us.” Faith is given by God and received by us. Jude 3 KJV, NKJV, NASB “… the FAITH which was once for all delivered to the saints.” NLT -------------- “… the FAITH that God has entrusted once for all time to His holy people.” LB --------------- “… the truth which God gave, once for all, to His people …” Faith is entrusted to certain people and given to them. Joe HEARS the Gospel >>> God gives the FAITH required >>> Joe BELIEVES the Gospel All of the NT verses can be shown to agree with election, for example … “All that the Father gives to Me will come to Me … of all He (Father God) has given to Me I should lose nothing … No one can (is able to) come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws (Greek: compels, draws) him … no one can (is able to) come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” (John 6:37, 44, 65) Is fallen man so drastically fallen that he is NOT able to come to Jesus? Really? … is the giving of FAITH not enough? … Really? Must fallen man be compelled (forced even) to believe in Jesus? Some erroneously teach that man just chooses to believe … and he/she is saved forever.

Usually, I present my case with solid NT verses, but here I will relay a very personal experience (which, I believe, is in line with the NT). On November 28, 2024, at about 3 am, the Lord reminded me of a tremendous experience I had in the Fall of 2012 … I was evangelizing in Eastern Europe when my wife was having all kinds of problems at home, and it was obvious that she needed me! I immediately flew home … and a week later, my sister phoned to say: our father was on his death bed and I should come immediately! So, I flew to Toronto, took the 3-hour bus ride to my parents’ home, arriving late that night. The following morning, I was alone with my father in his private room at the hospital. As far as I can recall, he was barely coherent … so we really couldn’t converse much at all. I must have felt led to clear all demons out of the room … while I praised the Lord for dying for us on the Cross to save us from going to hell, etc. That evening my father died with most of our family at his bedside. I believe it was 2 days later when my wife called to say: the Lord told her that my father was in heaven! We believed (and still do) that this was because of my time with him. IMO, this was a case of God electing a person for salvation and making sure that His will was accomplished. Surely, the Lord confirmed to my father that what I was saying was true! Also, I believe this experience ties in with the parable of the 4 soils. Re: the first soil, ”When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.” In our case, Satan was NOT able to interfere with the Truth I was sharing. “The faith I speak of is the kind that Jesus Christ our God and Savior gives to us.” (2 Peter 1:1) “… and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers.” (Acts 13:48)

Really, not much of a mystery ... God has chosen to reveal Himself as 3 Persons: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. (BEFORE the Incarnation, i.e. BEFORE God the Son was "created", the second Person of the Godhead was God the Word, John 1) God the Son was "created" by the Holy Spirit giving a fetus to the virgin Mary. This is why He was to be called "the Son of God". Then, God the Word came from heaven and became flesh-human-Jesus. Hence, Jesus was fully man and fully God.

Because of what is clearly stated in the NT … unredeemed man is NOT able to believe in Jesus and the “foolish” Gospel … due to a multitude of reasons! The Gospel is “foolishness” to those who are perishing" (1 Corinthians 1:18) Here are some of the best NT passages which testify to this: Inherited sin nature ● Romans 3:9-18,5:12; Galatians 3:22 Sin nature against God ● Romans 8:7 Enemy of God ● Colossians 1:21 Spiritually blind ● 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 Live in an evil world ● Galatians 1:4; 2 Peter 1:4 Slaves of/to sin ● John 8:34; Romans 6:6 In Spiritual darkness ● John 8:12,12:46; Acts 26:18 Spiritually dead ● Ephesians 2:1,2:5; Colossians 2:13 See Gospel as foolishness ● 1 Corinthians 1:18 Problems, persecution, worries, lure of wealth ● Matthew 13:21-22 The spiritual enemy, Satan ● John 10:10; Ephesians 2:2,6:11-12; 1 Peter 5:8 Satan’s army is against us ● Ephesians 2:2 Under Satan’s power & control ● Acts 26:18; 1 John 5:19 Deceived by Satan ● Revelation 12:9 Held captive by Satan ● 2 Timothy 2:26 Robbed of initial faith ● Matthew 13:19 Do you really think that people in this hopeless condition are going to be able to choose to believe in Jesus and the Gospel? “And those who heard it said, 'Who then can be saved?' But He (Jesus) said, ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.’ ” (Luke 18:26-27) A hopeless condition … changed to a condition of hope!

The problem for me is that many people have been raised from the dead. There is even an example or two of others in the Gospels. I just can't see how this is proof for the unsaved heathen who knows that others have also been raised from the dead.

I'm having a problem with people who read the Gospels and are told: Jesus was raised from the dead ... therefore, He was/is God. Do you kapish what I have just written?

Of course I preach The Resurrection, which was the original faith, i.e. the Orthodox church. The Roman Catholic church broke away from the Orthodox, and focused on The Crucifixion instead.

So, you are Arminian ... you believe man is able to believe in Jesus and the Gospel ... just with His free will ... and has no need of help from God. Please, what is your opinion of Lydia's experience in Acts 16:14? Thanks for your interest.

What do you think? ... Were the epistles only written to those who actually believe, i.e. those who actually are faithful, i.e. those who are involved in habitual (unrepentant) sinning.

I see this as a bit of a tricky difference!

Father God elects/chooses/calls those people who He desires to be born again and sanctified unto holiness. The Scriptures promise that these people are guaranteed to make it into heaven. Th OP explains all of this.

I've had problems with this. Some of the epistles are written to the "faithful". I've taken this to mean the believers who love Jesus enough to obey Him, etc. etc. They were NOT written to believers in the church who continued to be habitual (unrepentant) sinners! These people are NOT faithful.

I'm having a problem with this resurrection thing as PROOF of Divinity! Is everyone else who has been raised from the dead Divine also? Others in the Gospels were resurrected (ref. upon request). Smith Wigglesworth was used to raise people from the dead. etc. etc.

Let’s investigate and see if we can possibly get a solid understanding of the Incarnation (birth) of Jesus Christ. You will see below … In the beginning, the Members of the Holy Trinity were God the Father, God the Word, and God the Holy Spirit. Many churches teach that the Son of God (Jesus Christ) came down from heaven to be the Messiah, the Savior. But, this is just NOT true because Jesus was created (or formed) in Mary’s womb (on earth) … by God the Holy Spirit. Christ (English) = Cristos (Greek) = Messiah (Hebrew) How did the Holy Spirit perform this miraculous “Immaculate Conception”? Possibility #1: the Holy Spirit provided the male sperm necessary Possibility #2: the Holy Spirit “created” the fetus in Mary’s womb God the Holy Spirit “created” Jesus The archangel Gabriel said to the virgin Mary: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus … The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:31-35) Jesus was called “the Son of God” because His “Father” was God the Holy Spirit! And Luke quoted Isaiah as saying: Jesus would be “God with us” … And Gabriel said to Joseph: “… that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus … So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet (Isaiah), saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel’, which is translated, ‘God with us’.” (Matthew 1:20-23) Did Jesus inherit man’s sin nature? Years ago, a British lady doctor told me (via email) that every human inherits the DNA of BOTH parents. So, unless the Holy Spirit over-rode this (which is a possibility), the baby Jesus in Mary’s womb inherited her DNA. Does this mean that Jesus was “fully man”? “Therefore, it was necessary for Him to be made in every respect like us, His brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God.” (Hebrews 2:17) So, Jesus was “fully man” … But, how then could He be “fully God”? God the Word’s role in the “creation” of Jesus “… the Word was God … And the Word became human (Jesus Christ) and made His home among us.” (John 1:1, 1:14) So, Jesus was “fully God” … But, wouldn’t this over-ride His sin nature? Your comments on all of this would be most interesting! And just thought I’d ask: When did God the Word become a human being (Jesus Christ) … while Jesus was in the womb, or after He was born?

The OP quotes verses telling us WHY God elects some of us.

Perhaps you mean regeneration? We need to have saving faith in order to believe and to be born again.

I have not swamped the OP with a lot of Scripture quotations, but hopefully you will recall the NT verses which confirm the following … Man is doubly incapable of believing in Jesus and the Gospel 1 – Because of the disobedience (sin) of Adam and Eve, all humans are born with an inherited sin nature, and are bent on sinning instead of following God (Romans 3:9-18). Having a saving faith is against their very nature! 2 - All unsaved humans are captive prisoners of Satan, and are bent on doing whatever he wants them to do (2 Timothy 2:26). Jesus came to set the captives of Satan free (Luke 4:18). Having a saving faith is against our enemy’s plans for them, which, of course, is spending eternity with Satan and his demons in hell. If the God-worshipping Lydia (Acts 16:14) needs God to give her the necessary faith to believe in Jesus and the Gospel, surely everyone does also! Similarly, the “anyones” who believe in Jesus in verses such as John 3:16 are the ones whom God has given saving faith! Father God elects (chooses) and calls whomever He wishes Jesus says to the elect, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you ….” (John 16:15). Surely, here is a strong hint that we should investigate this matter further. Romans chapter 9 is the most famous proponent of God’s election … “… that the purpose of election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls. … So then, it is not of him who wills (to be elected, chosen, and called), nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” (Romans 9:11-16) God gives grace to whomever He chooses, but no one deserves grace (unmerited favor)! God gives justice to whomever He chooses, and everyone deserves justice! God wishes that all could be saved, but it is not possible because He insists on His justice. “You love justice and hate evil.” (Hebrews 1”9) God is not willing that any (of us) should perish, but that all (of us) should repent … … the “us” referring to His elect, who are promised salvation. Christians are called to confess and repent of their on-going sins, and the blood of Jesus will cleanse them of all their unrighteousness (1 John 1:7-9). The reason why Father God chooses some, but not others Father God chooses to elect some people for His great pleasure. He chooses to elect some to demonstrate to the whole world His great love, mercy, grace, etc. (Romans 9:23). He chooses to elect some to be companions for His Son throughout eternity (Scriptural?). Those not chosen are given justice, which sadly is what they deserve. Those whom Father God gives to Jesus are guaranteed salvation This is all about the unconditional security of the born-again believer. Multitudes of NT verses are God’s promises of salvation given to His elect. Surely, those of us who are born again should be continually praising God and thanking Him for choosing us … and for the Holy Spirit sanctifying us unto holiness … and for Jesus interceding for us before Father God in heaven.

The gift of faith-belief-trust-grace-salvation given when one is born-again has absolutely NOTHING to do with the gift of faith in 1 Corinthians 12, which is one of the 9 special anointings given for Christian service. IMO, no one receives any of these 9 gifts in 1 Cor 12 with any kind of power at all ... unless he/she has first received the baptism with the Holy Spirit. For example, the gift of faith in 1 Cor 12 is 100 times more powerful than the faith of a regular born-again Christian. This gift is perceived as totally amazing by the ordinary BAC. I know this because I've been there and done it. All 9 of these anointing gifts are way beyond the range of the regular BAC, as one should be able to surmise just by reading them. If it will help anyone ... don't trust what your church says about ANYTHING, but trust in the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit's explanation of them.

In the last days (we are in the beginning of sorrows now) ... truly anointed believers will do incredible miracles, and there certainly will also be many false miracle-workers!

Keep in mind who the writer is writing to, the Hebrew people. They had more than one baptisms, or cleansing. Yes, but there ARE multiple baptisms in the NT. An example of one other than water baptism is ... “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body (the church) … and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-14).

Are there not many more gifts (than these) given by the Holy Spirit to believers to do God's will? These 9 are the especially powerful spiritual gifts, IMO primarily to be used by the 5-fold ministry.

I've always understood there to be one baptism. Please explain? What passages are you reffering to? For example: Eph. 4:4-5 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Yes, I've heard it explained that the above refers to one Christian water baptism. Here's a better one ... Hebrews 6: 1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.