Indentured Servant

Since Wilkerson's 1994 teaching on this unnamed priest, the actual name was found in older manuscripts in the Dead Sea caves. Unfortunately, the name was left out of the Masoretic translation of circa 1000 a.d. The scroll in question was translated and authenticated as being written prior to the the first century, and bears the actual name of this priest. I have seen authenticated images of this scroll bearing the personal name of this individual. Whether someone chooses to recognize or accept the discovery of this name, the final prayer concluding this post is appropriate... "O' God, give us the Spirit of Zadok."

"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful WORD. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at (Hebrew = "in, WITH") the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." "In the beginning was the WORD, the Word was WITH God, and GOD is that (Hebrew Grammer is understood as meaning "That same Word as previously mentioned.") WORD." "The Father and I are One." "Remember your CREATOR..." {the Hebrew word Solomon used here is 'bara.' Bar- is the word for "son." The -a, Aleph, is the Hebrew origin of the Greek Alpha, as in "Alpha & Omega." This letter is often used to denote the Father.} {This word, bara, is used in Genesis 1:1... The Hebrew phrase, "bara Elohyim Aleph-Tav," can be rendered as "son-father God (plural) Alpha & Omega. -...the Aleph-Tav is ignored in English translations and is considered to be meaningless.} "I am the Alpha and the Omega." {There is no practical answer to the question posed, as the question assumes two separate entities, or beings. This is not the case. Both make up the ONE. Even though the father is greater, it does not lessen the statement of Jesus when he proclaimed, "The Father and I are One."} {Jesus, the man, was granted to occupy the one throne as the Right Hand of God, the extension of God that reaches down to us visibly and physically, providing us with a two-way access to God.}

Someone expressed (possible) confusion about what I wrote... Forgive my seemingly abstract comments. I was merely showing precedence that the Father and Son are together as One "entity," (if you'll pardon my word choice here). To separate Son from Father, one would have to claim two individual God's, a greater and a lesser God. That would be tantamount to a particular JW heresy.

Is "Lamb" not a metaphor for the One who said, "the Father and I are One?" Or, "If you've seen me, you've seen the Father?" So then, does this mean that the Lamb rules over the bride of the Father, (Israel/New Jerusalem), and is the Head of His own Bride AND Body, the "church, also? So do we stop being His Body in order to become His bride? As His Body, we are part of Him; as His bride, we would be reassigned our gender role from the male body of Him and to become the female body that He married. (That is, essentially, what will happen if the "church=bride" doctrine is valid.) The book of Revelation is literally a "revealing" of the identity of Jesus AS GOD... "I am the Alpha (the Hebrew letter 'Aleph,' denoting the Father) and the Omega. When Solomon wrote, "Remember your Creator," he used the Hebrew word 'bara' for Creator. 'bar' is Hebrew for Son; 'aleph' is Father. This word also follows Aleph-Tav (alpha-omega) in Genesis 1:1, although is ignored in English translations. That identifying phrase reads, "Elohyim Aleph-Tav bara" (bara= Son+Father= Creator) Your response may be that I'm "reading into the verse something that's not there." That would be valid, except it IS there and is no less there than the idea that the father and son (and Spirit) are three distinct and separate individuals, which speaks against scripture itself. Please understand that I am not disagreeing with you, but with doctrine that was created by "reading into scripture" something that scripture doesn't explicitly state, and teaches the opposite of what Scripture does explicitly state.

That is a very common, although, "doctrinal" understanding of end times. I used to teach this. The deeper I studied, the more this doctrine seemed foreign to Scripture. The OT prophets speak of the bride. God promised that He would redeem Israel through a "remnant," and return to her as husband. The prostitute in Revelation is God's adulterous wife, and prostitute. Most of John's vision concerning her is quoted from descriptions and prophecies about Israel. God promised to punish her in full view of the world, using her "lovers" to destroy her. When she is fallen, He will visibly return on My Zion with His bride, the 144,000 redeemed of Israel. This number is significant to understanding New Jerusalem. It is the sum, not only of the twelve tribes of Israel, but the twelve lengths of the cubed shaped New Jerusalem. (Cubes have twelve edges, or "foundations.") The ekklesia, often referred to as the Church, is not the bride, but the Body of the Groom. Israel represents New Jerusalem, the Body of Christ represents the Temple IN New Jerusalem. The ekklesia, (plural) is the Temple. It is also the Body, because in it is the Spirit that Jesus holds in His right hand in the beginning of Revelation. Please Search the Scripture for this. Do not rely on what you've learned through doctrine; ask the Spirit to teach you.

You mentioned that some tend to "write off" the metaphors and such because they contradict one's beliefs or "interpretation." I find nothing in Scripture that contradicts my "belief," as it is Scripture that instructs me to belief what is written. I hold no doctrine, creed, or dogma regarding the Word of God. God speaks in metaphors, allegories, and parables. We shouldn't create doctrine to define these symbols; we do need just to understand them. No, I don't think clouds are a metaphor for a white horse, but the metaphor wasn't "clouds," it was a "chariot." Chariots require a horse. I was merely using that metaphor to add a more complete picture of how and why God speaks with these elusive terms. Often, He will say the same thing using different "pictures." The parables of the sheep and the goats, the good fish & bad fish, the wheat & tares, etc, are all the same prophecy. Jesus spoke as God, using God's "dialect,"metaphors. Do you believe that if you ask God for wisdom and insight, that He will give you what you've asked, and more? I do not intend to offend your understanding of Scripture, but only to point out that we all have differing measures of reliance on man's attempt to explain little bits of the Bible, here and there. When we rely on the One who has instructed us to search for Him in Scripture, we are shown a perspective that is God's.

The "white horse" in Revelation is a metaphor that builds on the passage in Matthew 24. It IS the same event. When He returns, it will be to establish His earthly Kingdom. The white horse is a kingly symbol. No, there will not be an actual horse, anymore than an actual dragon, or falling stars, or a prostitute. (He may choose to have a horse when He sets up His kingdom, but that is a different matter.) Revelation is written in metaphoric, or symbolic, language. Have you read the OT passage that says that the clouds are God's chariot? That is a metaphor that blends the "clouds" in Matthew with the horse metaphor in Revelation.

I only meant that it was in response to something previously stated. I assumed people would read it. If I thought this was a "debate ONLY" forum, I would have withheld my submission to this topic, as I have previously indicated that I am (attempting to) back out of this conversation. It was obviously an error to post something that violated anyone's doctrinal upbringing. will you, and others, allow me to excuse myself from this conversation? Please...

...

Everything that I've been shown conforms with Scripture. I specifically asked that He allow me the ability to "share his thoughts." Incidentally, I never said that I believe the earth was "unknown millions" of years old. I absolutely believe it is less than 10,000 years old. There is research conducted by Canadian and Russian scientists that dates this planet's age as such, and no older.

I would never presume to critique the work of our Creator; however, I have every right and responsibility to critique human interpretation against what I've been shown. I chose to not to mention my communications with God, and will ask that you not critique His sharing of information with me. My comment was intended as a response to a specific person's post, not as fodder for debate. Admittedly, my comment was made using human reasoning. I suppose I could have just completed this by explaining everything in the manner in which I've seen it. Had I, I would immediately be rejected by everyone on here, since most people don't believe that God has the power to answer questions that we ask of Him in His Name, despite His invitation to do so. My apologies for any offense I may have caused. I will humbly leave this thread if my words have become an affront to your traditional beliefs. "Do all you can to live peaceably with others."

I am intrigued by this. I ask people why, if planet was non-existent prior to the first day of creation, why did God have to change it from "formless and void" (common translation) to taking the first couple days to make customized changes to it? If He'd just then created it, (and the whole universe), why wasn't it already the way He envisioned it to be? Of course, this has been mulled over now and then for centuries, but it is a fascinating perspective.

This was well written and inspiring. Jesus mentioned in Matthew 22:43 that David was "speaking by the Spirit" when he wrote Psalm 110. It is fascinating that (certain) Psalms can reveal to us this "in the Spirit" activity that God certainly wants to commune with each, and all, of us in this way. Thank you for this... I'll call it a "devotion" rather than a study. It would be welcoming to be a part of a gathering that was led by the Spirit in this way and allowed biblical guidelines to be used in groups. My in-the-Spirit meetings are currently me and the Lord...

You actually think the world owes you an explanation for everything you don't understand?! You have issues that extend past your lack of trust. What is your real intent here? To expose the global conspiracy against YOU?! My initial response should have sufficed. Had I known you were going to make demands and accusations against me, I would not have wasted my time... I supposed I found in you what I expected, as well. Perhaps I'd hoped for more than you have to offer. Please stop with your venomous comments. I sincerely meant to just offer that I, too, thought this was impossible... But rather than turn on everyone who offered information, I actually lifted a finger for myself. I suggest you do the same. It may change the self-inflicted "me-agsunst-the-world" persona you've comfortably wrapped yourself in... And ditching the self-righteous attitude that your refusal to try something new gives you a right to strike out at others might allow others to trust showing you thigs even though they know you'll reject them no matter how much proof or evidence you're shown. Please stop making harassing comments to me. I really thought my response was helpful. Please stop. I'm sorry if you're offended, but I do not deserve your hatred. Please stop.

I won't share details, but I "see" what God is speaking to me. I prayed like a prophet, and He granted me the insight of a prophet. He has shown things to me, and guided me to through Scripture to find Him and to have validation for the "Word" He has given me. I took Him at His Word... He has a standing invitation for anyone to ask for wisdom, understanding, insight, and the "hidden things." Through this, He has taught me to discern between scripture and manmade interpretations of scripture. I used to suffer thinking He is sometimes not there... After getting to know Him, I've realized He's always with me, but sometimes just silent unless I'm actively seeking Him.

I wasn't aware that you didn't have two pennies and a light bulb. Pictures won't "prove" anything to someone who refuses to see truth. If I offered my photos, you would accuse me of faking them, I'm sure. When I said it was a simple experiment, I meant even you could figure it out if you just tried. If you're not willing to invest a little effort, why would you insist that I do? I owe you nothing.

I had photos, showed them to a flat earth proponent who wanted to argue it was impossible. I no longer invest my time in such matters, but I just thought I'd share that it is possible. Knowing the size and distance of both sun and moon and their relative positions when viewed from earth during a solar eclipse, this can be, and has been, calculated to show this, as well. It wouldn't take having the sun occupy any more of our view to accomplish this. Just a point to offer, if I may... When making reference to the sun, there are those who might take you more seriously if you don't describe it as "orange," or even yellow, for that matter. Some people may mistakenly measure one's ability to understand simple science because of this common misconception. It's not a difficult experiment. If I'd never gotten myself backed into a conversation that challenged me, I probably would not have found this out on my own.

When Jesus called Satan "Beelzebub," it was a play on words. Translated, it is "Lord of the (dung) Flies." The word sounded like the phrase, "Lord of Possession," indicating that Satan and his "flies" could possess other living beings, (even pigs), but not have their own form. The context of this passage was about being possessed.

Easy experiment... I tested this by casting a shadow of a penny onto another penny. The shadow was smaller, because the light source was larger. The sun is much larger than the moon; and even at such a greater distance, it is still large enough to cast a smaller solid shadow.