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Acts 24:1-27 What are the methods the unsaved use to oppose the Lord's servants and their work? Having known that many people in high places are susceptible to flattery, Tertullus began with flattery. The appeal of flattery appeals to our pride. We cannot be successfully flattered by others if we don't flatter ourselves. Do we really want to believe what they say? Tertullus then used slander. According to Napoleon, whoever knows how to flatter also knows how to slander. His last weapon was to call on false witnesses who together supported Tertullus's lies against Paul. Yes, they were all lies. Three things made up Paul's defense: his life, his faith, and his service to his nation. Even though his enemies could not prove their accusations, Paul was not freed. There were many things God had for Paul to accomplish in Rome, so that prison was the safest place for him. For you and me, the principle is that we may not understand why God allows lies to triumph, but we must leave it all up to him. He's the one in control, and he's the one who makes the final decision. Know the Bible

In our Bible reading for today, it seems impossible to witness and teach the bible without encountering opposition. It is almost a certainty that whenever I post on message boards the truths of the Bible, someone will attempt to divert attention away from them. Most likely, you'll hear "Do Not Judge" to silence you when you stand for the bible. Paul did not flinch and looked this man in the eye and said, "You son of the devil,..." and blinded him as well. As a result, the proconsul believed. In other words, we should keep our eyes on Jesus and preach the good news all the time, not shying away from the truth. Know the Bible

It has been said that we (America) are similar to the Ottoman Empire which existed before WW1. If this is true, America must be taken down incrementally, or not so incrementally, idk. I assume this would equate to the nations needing to cooperate more diplomatically with China & Russia on a more long term basis. If this down sizing of the USA were from God Almighty, then it might be written for us to understand the end times governmental changes in Daniel 7. (Please read the scripture below and pray). The heart of a man given to the lion England (to think like a man, not a beast) while the eagle's (America's) wings are plucked off of it. This creates separation between the USA and England. It might be making a way for the four headed panther government to have authority, China? Which nations (animals) are the 3 ribs in the Bear's mouth?? (Ukraine, USA, ?, ?) Note: Israel has not committed weapons for the Ukraine war effort. This may be pivotal. I think it is likely Putin has gone beyond the point of life on this earth with eternal ramifications mounting because of innocent youth's deaths in Ukraine. If this is true, Russia will still continue on this path without him. Also, because of innocent youth's being exterminated by the millions in the USA, once areas have been bombed, the US government will abandon those areas on United States soil during the war. I call this is the "Isaiah 23 modern Phoenician city paradox." NYC + Dubai other western culture cities as well... I guess plan, pray and prepare for the heathen exercisers' in the church, get ready for safe zones in this time. They might be safe zones, or they might be slave camps like the one prophesied by Chuck Youngbrant in the 70s near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. I guess whichever church is leading in hope and praise music will be blessed with governing sovereignty in this time. Isaiah 23:1-3 Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For Tyre is destroyed and left without house or harbor. From the land of Cyprus word has come to them. Be silent, you people of the island and you merchants of Sidon, whom the seafarers have enriched. On the great watersc ame the grain of the Shihor; the harvest of the Nile[ was the revenue of Tyre, and she became the marketplace of the nations. Daniel 7:4-6 “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it. “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’ “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

I feel led by The Holy Spirit to start and lead a bible study small/cell group ( preferably for men because at this point in time, I am a single male ), In any case, I'm trying to search the internet for some good biblically focused bible study small/cell group books/websites. I say biblically focused because I prefer books that would focus on discussing bible passages and verses as opposed to books/websites that revolve around Christian anecdotes. In any case, please feel free to suggest some books/websites, and possibly list out their pros and cons. Thanks.

I feel led by The Holy Spirit to start and lead a bible study small/cell group ( preferably for men because at this point in time, I am a single male ), In any case, I'm trying to search the internet for some good biblically focused bible study small/cell group books/websites. I say biblically focused because I prefer books that would focus on discussing bible passages and verses as opposed to books/websites that revolve around Christian anecdotes. In any case, please feel free to suggest some books/websites, and possibly list out their pros and cons. Thanks.

As usual my Monday has been my busiest day, since I help out around the house a lot and this is laundry day, which is especially busy, Although my blogs will be mainly Bible Study, do expect a bit of humour thrown in and also be aware that I will be mentioning things that are happening in my life. Just so you know where I'm at. Introduction: I have to start my Bible study by explaining a bit about how I'm going about this, practically. I am a very methodical person about things like this. I am also practical. I like to be a doer not just a hearer. And I tend to like to keep things simple. I like studying book by book, rather than topically. I like this because I'm a big picture person and I like to see how things tie together with each other. My favourite part of Biblestudy is putting together the pieces of the puzzle. I've always enjoyed puzzles. A few weeks ago, I actually already started a Biblestudy. Therefore, what I'll do here for the first entries, is to go over my notes and share what I have so far. Because I don't really want to start from scratch. I read a portion of Scripture each day, eventually going through the whole Bible. This Biblestudy is apart from that. I use You Version quite extensively. I started my study with a lot prayer. I also begin each "session" with prayer and sometimes with a song or two. My approach at this point is as follows: I do a preliminary overview of the book, noting important points to look out for and trying my best to gain insight into the context. I use the Bible Project to help me with this. They always talk about how everything is "one unified story" and I like that approach. Makes sense to me. They always give nice outlines and so I have decided that I'd use that as a guideline for getting the big picture and then zooming in. (In You Version I use a basic reader I like to hear the text as well as read it, so I always put on the audio. Then I listen to a pastor called Kris Langham. I don't always agree with him, but his approach is nice and simple, and yet insightful. Apart from YouVersion, I use a few study Bibles that have good commentaries. However, I must add that that I try as much as possible not to use too many external sources. I rather trust that the Holy Spirit will reveal what I should notice. A famous name doesn't impress me. Like i said elsewhere, I always filter what people say. I find this helps to make it easier to apply personally and prevents this becoming an intellectual pursuit, rather than a search for truth applied. That being said, if you have any suggestions about things I should read, I am willing to take a look. I accept no one blindly, but neither do I write anyone off blindly.) So once I have my overview, I take things in "chunks" not necessarily whole chapters, nor just paragraphs. Rather I pace myself so that I get enough time to "chew" on the Word, while still moving forward steadily. Actually I often stop and audibly discuss with God what stands out for me and then I use the other sources to reveal what I might have missed. Of course I also physically write colour coded notes I know there is some controversies regarding what Bible version to use. I once read a book called How to Read the Bible for All it's Worth. It made a lot of sense to me and it influenced how I see this issue. I know I could be wrong, but I have always liked to use a variety of versions. My normal reading Bible is the ESV. That's what I usually start with. Recently a new Afrikaans translation came out, which my dad was personally involved in. This often has some interesting notes in it. So I use that. Then, I have a NIV Application Bible and a Thompson's New Chain Reference Bible (which is a KJV with a lot of very interesting and useful "extras"). If you have other versions you think I should look at , again, I'm willing to look at it. So now I come to revealing what book I'm starting with. Although I love both testaments, I have decided to start with the NT and then the OT. Mostly because I've read through the OT a lot lately and I get the sense I need to focus on the other side, so to speak. So I'm starting with the Book of Mark. Why Mark? Because my sources tell me it's the oldest Gospel and I've never really focused on it in depth that much. It just seemed like the right time for it. So in my next entry, I will be discussing my preliminary overview of Mark. As always, suggestions, comments and questions are welcome.

Does it seem out of character for god to agree to let Satan destroy a righteous man's life. Can you make any sense of this?

Hey Christ Family!!! I am so excited to be back and active on the Chat! It's so good to fellowship and see you all. I just want to share how my 2020 is going so far, and what I've been doing. So let's get into this! First Off, I've been drawing closer to God. I've developed a prayer and a worship life, and I get into the Word A LOT more. So many people in this chat has inspired, and helped me in some form or way. I am now a Youtuber, but I mainly operate (do vlogs) on my social medias, such as Instagram. (I'm not trying to boast) But I've helped so many people on there, and so many people have helped me. I might just share some of my Bible Studies with you guys, and what the Lord has been saying to me. Worship Guys, I CANNOT begin to express how much I love God, and how much I love to praise and worship the Father, and I lvoe to sing and write songs.. So, I'm so excited to share this new 2020 journey with you guys! Let's do this!

In another topic, I sought the wisdom of the community here. I asked what technique people use to resolve difficult to understand scriptures. I got many great answers. Here is result: Primary Sources: - Rely on God - He is supreme and He will speak - Spirit is trustworthy - Scripture Alone is claimed as the sole source by some - Within the scriptures, determination must be made as to which passage(s) contain the primary message, there after using that passage to understand other passages. Secondary Sources: - Counselors, direct contact and remote, play a role, but you must have a rubric (logic structure) with which to evaulate them. Their role is primarily to help with understanding the context of the whole of scripture. - Positional Authority (church government) has a high hurdle to jump to qualify as a source - if force is involved the hurdle is too high I am posting it again as the original post was so long that I think I lost readers. I just want to see if this makes sense to most people. Click the reaction icon at the lower right to indicate what you think of this list of decision points.

Five Minute Theology (updated from May 8, 2015) I recently purchased a small book entitled "Concise Theology - A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs" by J.I. Packer. I think the book is excellent, and it is what is describes itself as. Each topic in the book is only a page, or a page and a half, so it is truly concise. The topics also cite scripture verse addresses to support the conclusions. The book is also easy to understand for most people I think, assuming that they have normal capacity for understanding, and God's grace of the Holy Spirit to enable them to understand and accept spiritual truths. I was calling this, "Five Minute Theology, because that is about how much time it takes to read each topic. Those who are not born again, might have difficulty accepting it, as they do many things of God, and of course, even believers have trouble accepting and understanding the things of God at times. If that were not true, then all believers would agree on all doctrines, and likely denominations would be far less common or important. Copyright issues will keep me from posting the entire book online, but I thought perhaps, some people might be interested in reading a chapter at a time, so I thought perhaps I could quote small amounts of it at a time, in the Bible Study room of the Arrow Chat or Comet Chat feature of Worthychat. For those who choose to participate, they will not receive a seminary level degree of instruction on Christian theology, but they will come away knowing the basics of historic Christian theology, which in my estimation, would bring them easily into the upper 5% of believers, in terms of knowing what the church has believed and accepted, as the teaching of the Bible, concerning faith and practice. This amounts to, essentially, an elaborate statement of faith. My idea is to paste quotes of this book, into the room, and those present may read these quotes. Then afterward, if people have questions, or want to comment or otherwise discuss what was posted, they are of course, welcomed to do so. Now, of course theologians and lay Christians alike, disagree over so details or peripheral theology, and that will be no different here, so there may be some debate, some disagreement on some points discussed. This is okay, that can be done as long as people are willing and able to be civil and respectful in their discussions. For those who do not care to attend this event, or do not want to participate in the discussion and or just hate debate and disagreement, the regular section of Worthychat is open for them, without be disturbed by the activities in the Bible Study room. My hope and goal here, is that this will prove to be both instructional, and edifying, and that the discussion of these topics, will add a dimension of depth for our chatters, that is too often absent at times. We had the first chat session in July of 2015. I cannot commit to the frequency of these events, but I hope to make them a regular feature. This is still a bit of an experiment. Our chatters come from every time zone, and some have schedules which will keep them from participating no matter what time is chosen. This is a problem for which I know no solution. Possibly, it can be reduced by doing this at more that one day of the week, or hour of the day, we'll have to see. There are 94 topics, so as you can see, if we did this once a week, this would take about one year and 9 and a half months to finish. That is a big commitment for those who would want to attend, and for the one leading. Of course, chatters do not have to commit to attendance, but I do not think there is a chatter who would not benefit from attending. Of course, if you are interested, you can always just purchase and read read the book , but my thinking is, that we would or could benefit, from the discussion of the topics. Perhaps, we could even do more than one topic per week, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts and suggestions - about if you would be interested in participation, and best of good times to do this, etc. I am going to disable comments on this post here in my "Thoughts and Rants Blog" - I put this here for the exposure. If you want to comment, I suggest that you do so in the Worthychat section of the forum. You can see more of my blog entries here.

I primarily use the NASB, but occasionally I find it deficient; I will insert other translations if they can clarify the context. Those translations will be duly noted. Chapter one was an appropriate greeting, but chapter two stands alone and begins to immediately address fears that have come as the result of some false teaching. This theme was not a new to Paul as he had written to the Christ-followers in Thessalonica on a previous occasion. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 NASB 13) But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15) For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16) For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17) Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Considering the years between these two letters, the new members that had been added to the church body, and the addition of some false teachings, the fear has had a chance to creep in. I see the effects of false teachings frequently in the church bodies I have had dealings with, as people espouse things they know so little about; all the while continuing to cloud the issue. So let's dissect the passages and see if we can understand all that Paul is trying to say. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 NASB 1) Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2) that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. “with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,” Coming – is the Greek word parousia; a being near, that is, advent (often, return; specifically of Christ to punish Jerusalem, or finally the wicked.) Strong's concordance. In the explanation above I see two distinctly different things. One being Jehovah's return in the clouds to catch His church away. This catching away is called the harpazo, but it is also known as the advent or return. The second possible understanding is this idea of the punishment of Jerusalem or the wicked. This concept pertains to the wrath of God being poured out. One of the keys to understanding the difference between Jesus return for His church and His coming as the conquering Messiah hangs on this phrase - " the day of the Lord.” Using the NASB concordance, the expression shows up in 22 verses. 18 of those references are found in the Old Testament. Since the Tenach is designed for a Jewish audience then the language and references are expressly Jewish; that means that the phrase – the day of the Lord, is almost exclusively about the return of the Messiah. Of the four verses left and found in the New Testament, three of them are exclusively about the catching away of the church. This catching away is that time when Jesus comes back in the clouds for His church, and they will be caught up to meet Him in the air. 2Peter 3:10 leans more toward the time of the end, as it tells us that, “the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” While all of these things are a part of the seven-year period the implications are that this will happen almost all at once when Jesus returns to the earth for the final time. You see, this is one of those areas that are not that black and white. So, let's see if the context of the passage answers the question about when this event will happen. While I understand that Paul was addressing the body of believers in Thessalonica (a primarily Jewish audience,) these words also apply to us. I do not hear this complaint or question anymore, but I am aware that many do believe that Christ has already returned. If that is the case, what are we doing and why are we wasting our time? But Christ has not already returned. How do I know that? Well there are markers, or some might think of them as guideposts along the way, and Paul spells them out. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 NASB 3) Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4) who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. “The apostasy comes first.” Since apostasy means a falling away, I ask you, has that happened? Absolutely, and at an exponential rate. “and the man of lawlessness is revealed,” I want to show you some alternate readings. This second selection is from the Complete Jewish Bible, and it translates this passage entirely different from anyone else. Why is this significant? Because even the Muslims have prophecies, and one of them describes such a man; 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Darby Let not any one deceive you in any manner, because it will not be unless the apostasy have first come, and the man of sin have been revealed, the son of perdition; 2 Thessalonians 2:3 CJB Don't let anyone deceive you in any way. For the Day will not come until after the Apostasy has come and the man who separates himself from Torah has been revealed, the one destined for doom. A man who is a descendant of Aaron – The priests were to come from the lineage of Aaron. Since we know that the temple will be rebuilt, then practically every preparation would have to be made at this point, for a high priest to be installed. He then would be the one to enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of the lamb. The Muslim prophecies tell us that this Jew will reject the Torah, pay homage to the Mahdi, and follow him. Do you grasp the depth of this action? Many who have esteemed this Jew enough to appoint him as the high priest over the new temple will be deceived, turn from the true God, and follow his actions as they too will bow to the Mahdi in worship. This Mahdi appears to be the Islamic religious leader that will soon be saying peace peace. Most of this takes place 1260 days into the time of wrath upon the earth. I am always concerned that people will see my words as unbelievable. If, you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then, you are under a mandate to study to show not only, yourself, to be approved by God, but to judge the words being said to you, as to whether they are true or not. You are not doing this type of study to bash people, although I sometimes think that many should shut their mouths, but you are studying these things so that you can know what is right. Let me show you an example: I believe in the pre-tribulation rapture, regardless of the poor choice of words we traditionally use. Although there is a voluminous amount of those in opposition to this understanding, I did my homework and became even more thoroughly convinced that Jesus is coming back for His church that is waiting for Him, and, He is going to do so before God's wrath is poured out upon the earth. Specific reasons why I believe in a pre-wrath rapture. Matthew 3:7 NASB But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? The obvious thing I see here is that Jesus just acknowledged that it is purposeful to flee from the wrath, and, that there is wrath coming. Luke 21:23 NASB ... for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; Here we can see that the intended target is the land and these people. Now the statement, "o this people" is relatively generic and needs some clarity. Luke 21:24 NASB tells us that “they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations;” It is easy enough to see that a part of this fulfillment comes upon Israel and it's people, the Jews. However, pay attention, and you can see one other group, the Gentiles. The Gentiles and the nations are the same. If you are not a Jew, and you are a follower of Christ, then you have been engrafted into the vine and no longer fall under the category of being a Gentile in God's eyes. Those with a veil over their eyes will not get this concept. Since we are “in Christ” then we are part of the church and not subject to this wrath. Romans 1:18 NASB For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, What is evident to me is the terminology, the wrath of God. Pay attention to the words being used and upon whom they are directed. Romans 1:18 can be taken as a somewhat broad spectrum statement. An example of this broad spectrum idea – I know a man who came to church for a time and did all the appropriate things. He came down front, cried his eyes out, made sorrowful and repentant statements. Why he even got baptized in a swimming pool as a symbol of this new and changed life he wanted to live. That didn't last long. Does he belong to God and is therefore not going to be subject to this wrath because he is part of the church. I do not know, because any fruit he produces is rotten and stinks before it falls off the tree. This pattern has been going on for years. Ephesians 2:3 NASB Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. The Apostle Paul taught that we were formerly children of wrath, and no longer subject to the “wrath of God.” 1 Thessalonians 1:10 NASB 10) and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1:10 is one of the most specific examples that Paul gave us. Since we are in Christ, Jesus has rescued us from the wrath that is to come. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 NASB 9) For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, Many think that we deserve punishment. Well, that might have been true, but as followers of Christ, we are of those who have agreed to and accepted His salvation. You see, you need to have a firm grasp on what Jesus did. I am continually trying to remind people that all sins were forgiven – past, present, and future. Then what are people being punished for? Look at what Colossians 3:5-6 tells us, Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6) For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, NASB Simply put, you either follow Jesus, or you follow the god of this world, Satan. He will go to an eternal punishment, as will all those who choose to follow him. This punishment, as many want to believe, is not the end-all statement, as God is a merciful God beyond everything else; ask Jonah. And that is why we have the sheep and goats of Matthew 25. Take the time to study that. Revelation 6:14-17 NASB 14) The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15) Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16) and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17) for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" There are three things I want you to see here. Verse 15 gives us a description of some of the people affected by what is happening: kings of the earth; great men; commanders; the rich and strong, and every slave and free man. No one upon the earth is left unscathed by what is coming. In verse 16 we see them crying out to be hid from the presence of “Him who sits on the throne, AND from the wrath of the Lamb. This lamb is Jesus Christ. Since I used an example from the Revelation, let me point something out to you. This entire book is a Revelation of Jesus Christ. Even the rich, in this scenario, understood that God played a hand in this, and at the same time, they are acknowledging Jesus. It's all about Jesus. And the last thing, although I have already intimated it, is that this wrath is coming from God/Jesus. Since we are going to be like Bereans, a people who had enough sense to verify that what Paul was teaching was right, what then do we use as a basis for what is true? Keep in mind, that the Bereans did not have Bibles, they had some scrolls. Those scrolls were so valued that only a limited number of priests could handle them, and so the Torah and Tanakh were read aloud. This idea of scrolls changes the whole idea of Bible study. The Bereans had no New Testament, it was being spoken in their ears by Paul and lived out right in front of them. I, on the other hand, have over thirty translations of the Bible on my computer, and over forty commentaries that I can glean from. I have no excuses. The answer to the question is The Word of God. Now, since we know that there are errors across translations, is it wise to merely open the NIV for example, read it, and then say, “this is how that is supposed to be understood!” NO, because, as I said, there are errors. (Do not for a moment think that these errors are on God's part, as God's wisdom has been substantiated by His ability to get His message across plainly to those who choose to pursue this wisdom.) So, what am I saying to you? Be open but alert; trust the Holy Spirit to guide you; judge everything against the word of God, and, remove yourself, if you can, from false teachers. They will corrupt you with the simplest of things, such as David conquering Goliath when David was only four foot tall. That is not even close to the terminology used in the descriptions of David. King Saul, who knew David well for David was his ARMOR bearer, called him a youth. But what does that mean? Are these things critical to the story? NO, but if you are willing to build false images about the nature and character of David, what else will a false teacher do with God and His word. I can tell you what some will do, for I have experienced this first hand. These false teachers send everyone that comes to the Great White throne judgment to hell. There is nothing about that scenario that definitively points to that happening; these same teachers refuse to see that Matthew 25 and the story of the sheep and the goats, is just another picture of the Great White Throne. In other words, they will twist the gospel so tightly that in time, you will not be able to understand what is true.

“It’s not just that we don’t know our Bible but that we have so fragmented, dissected, and compartmentalized the Bible that we have lost sight of its great overarching story.” Hugh Whelchel i Occasionally I ask myself, what motivates me to write. In response, I would have to say it's religious opposition and a deeply seated desire to see the church walking in truth. The idea of walking in truth, in my mind, means a church that is trained appropriately in the Word. I don't see that happening at any of the churches I have been a part of. An aspect of that opposition recently occurred as a “brother” in Christ, told a friend of mine, that I believe life has to be one-way, mine. Have you read any of my posts? Do I present myself like that? Hardly, I attempt to show God's word as the only basis for truth, and, in a manner that people can understand. I suppose, to some degree, that means adding my commentary to what I write in an effort to promote understanding, but leaving the decision-making process to the reader, as they accept or reject God's word. With that understanding you are not rejecting me, you are denying God's truth and mercy, as you refuse what God's word says. Elijah, the prophet, bemoaned his situation and cried out that he was alone in Israel. 1 Kings 19:9-10 NASB Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10) He said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." And yes, that is the way I feel some days. God's response. 1 Kings 19:18 NASB "Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him." I realize that I am not alone, but the number of those who are passionate about God are few. I am fortunate to sit with a few of them on a weekly basis. Having had someone say of me, “he believes it has to be, his way or no way,” is somewhat like a slap in my face, and I can tell you I am highly intolerant of actions like that. So, why would someone say something like that about me? Perhaps it is because I am very passionate about truth and God's word. Sending everyone to hell at the Great White Throne has nothing to do with truth; it merely demonstrates how adamant this man is about judgment, something we are to leave to Jesus, [especially since ALL judgment has/or will be given to Him.] The Apostle Paul was not put off by the scholars of the Berean community. In fact, he thought highly of them. This body of believers did their research and found that Torah and Tanakh validated what Paul was saying. Having legitimized Paul's statements they believed. When you consider the limited resources, these men had, our accolades for them should be even more significant. Let me give you an example of what this opposition to, and the rejection of, the truth looks like. The man who leads the Monday morning study, once again pointed out that he was an ordained Bible study leader, not a pastor. As the leader, he has just about every week, exclaimed that everyone brought to the Great White Throne judgment is sent to hell. If you are a reasonable student of the Bible you should be asking, is that a correct statement? The answer is NO, but why would you know that? Because you have read the Word of God, as you should; you looked at the context; compared alternate texts and scenarios, and, like a hungry pet who has, awaited you to come home so they can eat, chewed on and ingested every word so that you could understand the depth and meaning of the Greek words being used and their Hebrew origins. But here is where the problem lays, as statistically, no one does that? The statistical work I am going to show you were undertaken by Lifeway Research in 2014. Here is an excerpt from Christianity Today.ii “Some Stats to Consider Bible Reading Americans read the Bible on occasion—churchgoers a little more. In a recent LifeWay Research study, we learned the following about our Bible reading habits among church attendees. They indicated that they read their Bible as follows: 19% - Every day 26% - A few times a week 14% - Once a week 22% - At least once a month 18% - Rarely or never. There are a couple of interesting takeaways from this study. Almost 60% of churchgoers open our Bibles at home during the week at least once. And for every person who is reading his/her Bible every day (19%), someone isn’t… at all (18%).” Do you think, in this condition of apostasy, that the numbers would improve any as time progresses? I was pondering this idea before pulling up the statistical information. My guess/estimate would have been about 20% of the “church” actually reading their Bibles every day. But even then I could see a problem with that number because I sit with some of these 20% per-centers, and know for a fact that they will not move off their traditional interpretations and understandings regardless of what you show them in scripture. Are you beginning to see a problem? Illiteracy has no option but to run rampant through the church; And, it is not just the church. I just read yesterday, 5/10/2018, that schools have found they are going to have to take down the analog clocks on the schoolhouse walls and replace them with digital clocks because no one can read them. Let's go back to the significant false teaching of the morning “bible” study – how that everyone coming before the Great White Throne goes to a fiery hell. The first question is: how does one study the Bible? It seems to me that everyone should know how to do this; in truth, I had to learn how. Every student should: Read the text without a premise. As you read ask, what is this passage supposed to be saying to me? Do not merely assume that the teacher standing before you, saying things like, “What Paul is saying here,” is the truth. [Here is a heads up. Paul, a former Pharisee, a man who was very skillful at what he did, had no problem speaking to JEWS, about this new life and grace found in Christ. This is the case as Saul/Paul spoke about the Hebrew wording within the Law and the Prophets and pointed out the evidence in those words, which led to an understanding, in those who chose to listen, that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah they longed for. Paul made it clear that our acceptance of Yahshua brought about this life and the hope we have come to understand.] The idea of reading without a premise can be applied to my pastor's sermons since he has a motive and a point to be made. In pushing his motive, he has created a premise and is working to make the scriptures fit his premise. These directed efforts often work in opposition to my understanding of Bible study. Look at the context. An example of this applies to what I am going to analyze momentarily – Matthew 25, where we see the sheep and the goats at the throne of judgment. The context surrounding this word picture begins in Matthew 21, when Jesus rides into Jerusalem, on the back of an unridden donkey – the Rolls Royce of the day, and He is perceived as the Messiah Israel hoped for. Unfortunately, He did not do what the disciples, nor the people expected, as He overturned the sellers tables, chairs, and loosed their merchandise where they had been selling, in the court of the Gentiles. And then, Jesus got into a verbal confrontation with the elders and Pharisees. All this activity shook the disciples and prompted them to ask, “when will all these things come to pass, and what will be the sign of your coming as the Messiah. I am always analyzing the scriptures even as the pastor speaks. I examine the context and what the interlinear Greek or Hebrew dictionary says the words mean. Occasionally, the pastor is preaching in opposition to what the words mean. As a side note: Pastor and I had a bad moment one day, as he challenged me about my intensive focus on end times and the eschatology books of the Bible. In his indictment of me, he said, “Notice how in my sermons, I present the gospel in a manner that brings about change in people.” I try not to overthink the pastor's words that day, but isn't that what the Word of God is supposed to do, change people? Look for a comparative text. Many of the Calvary Chapel pastors, like Don Stewart or the late Chuck Smith, used to say, “allow scripture to define scripture.” What does that mean? As I read the Revelation, I see where John, on two occasions, in speaking to the churches, uses the term the Synagogue (Rev 2:9, Rev 3:9.) Why is this significant? Because John, was not writing in code as some would ascribe, he was writing to Jewish converts/followers of Christ. And therefore, spoke in a language they would immediately understand. Greek, of course, was one aspect of this language but the other carried the oral history and word stories from the Old Testament. The evidence for this is rather extensive and is demonstrated in the writings of James (James 2:2) and the Apostle Paul. Read Acts 18. In every city we find Paul entering the local Synagogue and preaching. For over fifteen years Paul preached, almost exclusively, to Jews. It was only after years of abuse at the hands of religious Jews that Paul finally said, and I am taking this message to the Gentiles. The Apostle John, James, Peter, and Paul focused their attention on the Jewish community. Peter, although he had a brief exchange with the Roman Centurion's family, maintained, as did James and John, a focus on Jews. [Read Paul's account in Galatians 2,] Many of these believed for years that this gospel of Jesus was meant exclusively for Jews. Peter, in 2 Peter 3:10 says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” NASB This passage has clear and definite associations with Isaiah 13:9; Jeremiah 46:10 among others. In conjunction with the idea of comparative texts, was the indication that everything, aside from direct revelation from the Holy Spirit, came out of the Torah and Tanakh. Paul's letters; James words on wisdom, and the Revelation that John conveyed, all came from the Old Testament. We can put this idea of comparative texts into action where Revelation speaks of a multi-headed beast with crowns and horns (Revelation 13:1). This imagery is found in multiple locations but primarily in the words of the prophet Daniel (Daniel 7:7). Matthew 25:31-45, where we see the sheep and goats, is a comparative text. The words Jesus spoke were in response to questions His Jewish disciples ask him, and those words made sense to a Jewish audience. If you had been a student in Synagogue school you were expected to memorize the Old Testament teachings. Therefore, one might expect that these people were looking for these events to happen. Try to take in as much of the background wording into consideration as you can. When I look at Matthew 25:31-45 in the NASB, the segment that speaks of the sheep and goats carries the headline, The Final Judgment. That headline in itself gives me nothing of value except as a reference point. If I were looking for a direct association to the final judgment, there is nothing within these verses that define this explicitly by using that terminology. Can I find an inference of final judgment in verse 31? Matthew 25:31 NASB "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Here you see the Son of Man coming in His glory. This is the same Jesus that Stephen saw, as he stood before the Jewish council (Acts 7:55-56,) and it is the same Jesus that Daniel saw in Daniel 7:13. And, He will sit on His glorious throne. There is a passage in Joel 3:12 that would cause the audience listening to the speaker that day to take note. Joel 3:12 LITV Let the nations be awakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat. For there I will sit to judge all the nations all around. This passage in Joel can easily be associated with the judgment we are about to see in Matthew 25. These two points alone do not convince me, as we see Jesus coming in Revelation 19 prior to Him being seated for judgment, and, there is no account of Him sitting upon His throne in Revelation 19. To be honest, I have to stretch my mind a bit to see the final judgment. However, if I look at the next verse, the finality suddenly becomes clearer, especially if I have an understanding of Joel 3:12. [Mat 25:32 And before Him shall be gathered all the nations;] There is only one glorious throne. Is this the same throne that we see in Revelation? We have to look at Revelation 20:11 and see if there is something here that matches. Revelation 20:11 NASB Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. A great white throne Our only references to a white throne come from 1 Kings 10:18 and 2Ch 9:17, and they are effectively the same story 1 Kings 10:18 NASB Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with refined gold. Ezekiel tells us what he saw, Ezekiel 1:26 NASB Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. lapis lazuli - Sapphire - Clear heavenly blue. Apparently, the color is insignificant. In 1Kings 10:18 it is clear that this is a great throne, and in Daniel 7:9 Daniel sees the throne as being fiery flames. Although you don't see this happening in Matthew 25, Revelation 20:7-8 tells us that after the thousand years, Satan is released from his prison and he deceives the nations. Those nations, in turn, surround the city of God in an attempt to kill God and His people. Those gathered are killed in an instant. The next event scripture shows us is the gathering of the nations, or, as Matthew 25 puts it, the dead are brought before this great throne. Although my methods of sorting out what I read, and disseminating the false teachings I hear, might be different than what you learn in seminary, they work for me. You also just got the added benefit of some insight into a false teaching that seems to enjoy sending all who approach the throne of judgment, to hell. A serious look at scripture will demonstrate that such a teaching is blatantly false and damaging to our understanding of who God is. iThe Church’s Secret: Biblical Illiteracy in the 21st Century, Hugh Whelchel, writing for the Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics. March 13, 2017. https://tifwe.org/the-churchs-secret-biblical-illiteracy-in-the-21st-century/ iiBiblical Illiteracy by the Numbers Part 1: The Challenge https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2014/october/biblical-illiteracy-by-numbers.html

There is a lot of confusion on the timing of events in Revelation, I am going to place the events in Chronological order according to when the Events occurred. This seems to confuse many people, we actually have many people who believe the Seals have already been broken. We have some who put forth many ideas that seem inconsistent with the actual scriptures. I am doing this for a reference point to those interested. Revelation 1-3 is of course Jesus speaking to the Seven Churches. This really doesn't need to be discussed in this endeavor, its self explanatory. Revelation 4, John has been hearing Jesus' voice in Rev. 1-3, now he is in the Spirit, and is in Heaven, or sees a vision of Heaven. His vision begins as the 70th Week of Daniel begins on earth, the 24 Elders are in heaven in Rev. 4 as is the Church in Rev 5. We see this same Church in Rev. 7 and Rev. 19. The 24 Elders and the Four Beasts with Six Wings are continually praising God Almighty. In Rev. 5 we see an Angel announces their is a Sealed Scroll of God, and announces there is no man in heaven or on earth that is Worthy to open the Sealed Book. John cries, but an Angel tells him to Stop!! Jesus the Lamb is Worthy, he is not a man per se, but he is the Son of God who was slain for our sins, the Lamb of God. Jesus takes the Sealed Scroll from God Almighty, he is shown to be God also by the designation of having Seven eyes and Seven spirits, he sees all and is everywhere at once. The 24 Elders and four beasts fell down before the Lamb, the had harps and golden vials which are the prayers of the Saints (Israel's Saints on earth), then the 24 and 4 sing Worthy is the Lamb, and praise him for redeeming them out of every, Nation, tongue, people and kindred !! This denotes the Church is in Heaven. The Saints prayers are Israel, who have repented and turned to God just before the Abomination of Desolation (AoD), as Malachi 4:5-6 says. The Church is thus shown in Rev. 7, just after God Seals the 144,000. I personally do not know if the 144,000 is a real number of if it stands for All Israel, 12 is deemed a number of fullness by God, and we have 12 x 12 here. I am not willing to say I know for sure, either way, this is about Israel only, and God does protect Israel in the Wilderness for 1260 Days. Revelation 4,5,7,19 are pretty much the same vision, just a continuation of sequenced events. Rev. 4. God Almighty is Worthy. Rev. 5. The Lamb is Worthy. Rev. 7. The 144,000 are protected, the Church is is Heaven and is shown to have come out of every nation. Rev. 19. The Church is shown in Heaven for the Full Seven Year period of the Tribulation. Moving on, Revelation Chapter 6: The most Important chapter as per the Time-lines of God/Jesus. The Wrath of the Lamb is brought forth, Jesus opens the Seven Seals and allows destruction and chaos to come upon man-kind. Revelation 13 happens here, as does Rev. 12 where Israel flees into the Wilderness, as does Rev. 17 where the Anti-Christ/Beast destroys all Religions and thus all False Religions, thus the Harlot is destroyed by the Kings (Rev. 17:16) at this very time. The Anti-Christ/Beast is a Man, he is allowed to come forth by Jesus, Satan of course has been trying to create a one world governance for ages, but God/Jesus has never allowed it to come to pass, thus Paul speaks about the Holy Spirit restraining him from coming forth in Thessalonians. Now Jesus "Opening" the Seals, is only Jesus allowing Satan, who has now been cast out of Heaven, to bring forth the Man of Sin/Anti-Christ as the One World Dictator. This is the Lambs Wrath, but the inhabitants of earth do not realize it until the 6th Seal is opened, because that Seal is easily recognizable via the Scriptures in Joel 2:31 and Matthew 24:29. The Sun turning dark, the moon turning to blood and a Great Earthquake as never seen before, to go along with Heavens being shaken. Nevertheless, the Anti-Christ is allowed to come forth because of the Lambs Wrath at man-kind. Each Seal is meant to show Jesus is bringing these things to pass as Judgment, The White Horse represents the Conquering Anti-Christ/Beast, the Red Horse represents what the Beast being in charge brings to pass on man-kind. He will will bring War, Violence, Death, Destruction and Disease. He deceives to gain power by offering all parties Peace and Security, but of course he is a liar just like his father Satan. The Black horse is Famine and judgment, the Pale horse is Death/Disease and Hades/Grave. A 1/4 of all men will be killed. This comes from Conquering, and from demanding of all men that they worship the Beast as God, or die. Thus the Kings in league with the Beast do away with all Religions, there is no place for Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. etc. So the Harlot (Rev. 17:16) is Judged at this time, Israel is chased into the Wilderness, all Israelis who do not flee will be made to worship the Beast as God or die, the Remnant of Christ (Rev. 12:17) will also be murdered, unless they worship the Beast. The 5th Seal is opened as a testimony against man-kind, the Martyrs of Christ are told they must wait until their fellow brethren have been killed also, meaning they must wait until the Anti-Christ/Beasts 42 Month reign is over, then they will be redeemed and raised from the dead. The Church is in Heaven (Rev. 4,5,7 and 19) the Remnant pf the Church is on earth, and they are being murdered. Jesus now opens the 6th Seal, a Great Earthquake like never before hits, the Sun is Darkened, the Moon turns Blood Red and Meteorites hit the earth, man-kind now realizes they are in the Wrath of God, they have been deceived and for many its too late, they have already taken the Mark of the Beast, so they must try and join the Beast in defeating God, that is their only hope, and it is futile, of course. This is why they worship the Dragon and the Beast in Revelation 13 (Rev. 13 is happening at this same time as Rev 6 of course), their fate is set. But when it finally hits the they are in Gods Wrath they cry out for the rocks to hide them from the face of the Lambs Wrath, for "The Day of the Lord" has come upon them swiftly. They realize they are in the Day of the Lord, exactly what the Thessalonians had feared, its a 3.5 year period of Gods Wrath. It covers the Lambs Wrath (Seals) the Holy Spirits Wrath (Trumpets) and the Fathers Wrath (Vials). All three are Gods Wrath of course. The Two-Witnesses of course are active at this same time. They have shown up just before the AoD happens (Malachi 4:5-6), and they turn Israel back unto God, thus all Israel is saved, just as Isaiah and Paul stated, not every Jew, but Israel as a nation turns back unto God. God has given us the clues to the riddle to understand all of these players timing. Its rally very easy, but yet I still get NO,You are WRONG, even though I can't be wrong as per the Math (2 + 2 = 4). The Two-Witnesses timeline is 1260 Days of preaching and testifying. The Beasts reigns for 42 Months, Israel Flees to the Wilderness for 1260 Days.............It is all Gods ingenious planning that gives us exactly how everything goes down. We know the Two-Witnesses have to show up before the Abomination of Desolation happens because Malachi 4:5-6 tells us that Elijah will turn Israel back to God before the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, and because the Two-Witnesses die at the end of the Second Woe........Before the Anti-Christs 42 month reign is over, so if he reigns for the EXACT SAME TIME in length, 42 Months = 1260 Days, then they have to show up on the scene before the Beast comes to power !! There is no other answer, and we understand this because the Math can't be questioned. Its plain for everyone to see. So the Two-Witnesses show up, turn Israel back to God just as Zechariah 12:10 and 13:1 says, then when the Anti-Christ/Beast comes onto the scene, Israel Flees to the Wilderness and is protected by God for 1260 Days (Rev. 12). It all fits very nicely, and Gods time-line makes it unmistakable. Since Revelation 18 is Babylon (Governments of the World/Statue of Daniel 2) being Judged, that happens in part at this time also. The Seals are a judgment against the Governments of the World that have thrown in with the Beast and the Dragon/Satan. Thus 1/4 of man-kind is slain, the Sun is Darkened, the Moon turns Red, Meteorites hit the earth and a Great Earthquakes shakes the world. As we go forth, each set of Judgments become more violent in nature until we come to the last three Woes, the last Woe is the Seven Vials of Gods Wrath, the very last of which Destroys Babylon (Rev. 16:19) once and for all. IT IS DONE !! There is no actual Revelation 17 or 18 as per REAL TIME EVENTS. The Harlot is Judged in Rev. chapter 6, and Babylon is Judged by all of the Seals, Trumpets ad Vials of Gods Wrath. (Revelation 6 is the most important chapter when it comes to understanding the time-line of God per Revelation.) Revelation 7 is the Sealing of the 144,000 and the Church in Heaven that came out of the great tribulation, the 2000 year period of tribulation that the Church goes through during the Church Age. We know they are from every Nation and Tongue and they are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Just as Rev. 5,6, 7 and 19 go together, Rev. 6, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15 and 16 all go together. Rev. 10, 13, 17 and 18 are each on their own in that that they tell a story/vision that seems set unto itself. Rev. 13 goes with Rev. 6 as per the timing, but its revealing to us the False Prophet, the Mark of the Beast and that the Beast is a Man. Revelation 8 is the the Seventh Seal being sounded. It brings forth the Seven Trumpet Judgments. It of course happens after the Seven Seals, all of the Seals/Trumpets and Vial happen in Sequence, many of the other chapters of Revelation of course happen out of sequence or overlap. This thread isn't really about the Seals/Trumpets/Vials damage to man-kind, its about the SEQUENCES OF REVELATION, so there is no need to mention the Trumpets effects on the world, we all know what that brings forth. My Revelatin 6 Commentary was so long because it is the linchpin around which all of the Revelation time-line is revealed unto us. This is why God mentions the Middle of the Week in Daniel 9:27 and mentions the Time, times and 1/2 time in Daniel in a few places. This is why the Day of the Lord and Gods Wrath are mentioned in various places throughout the bible. That all happens in REVELATION CHAPTER 6. The Fleeing of Israel into the Wilderness also happens there, the Two-Witnesses come to turn Israel back to God, just before the AoD happens in Rev. 6, that chapter is key to most all of the End Time Prophecies as per the TIMELINES. Revelation 9 is the 5th and 6th Trumpets being sounded, better known as the 1st and 2nd Woes. The 2nd Woe is stretches forth into chapter 11 also, because the Two-witnesses die just after the 2nd Woe in Rev. 11. The 1st Woe is the Demonic horde being released from the bottomless pit, and Apollyon is released here also, he is King over them, he is the one that kills the Two-Witnesses in Rev. 11. This Demonic horde is allowed to maim and hurt mankind for 5 months, but not to kill them. The 2nd Woe is the 200 Million Horsemen, I think this is an Angelic Army of God, they have Breastplates like the High Priests of God whereas the Demonic horde has Breastplates of Iron like Rome. They slay a 1/3 of all the people left on earth. We now have 7 Billion plus people, close to 8 billion probably,so lets say there is a Billion plus Christians who are Raptured, that would leave 6 Billion people on earth. 1/4 or 1.5 Billion will be slain by the Anti-Christ/Beast leaving 4.5 Billion people, now here again, 1/3 of mankind are slain, or 1.5 Billion people again, leaving 3 Billion on earth. The reason I think these are Angelic beings is two-fold, they have the Breastplates of the High-priests and they destroy via "Plagues of God" because mankind is still worshiping devils made of Gold, silver, brass, stone and wood, just like in Daniel ch. 5, where Babylon is Destroyed (MENE, MENE, TEKEL) for the same reason. Remember, Babylon is being destroyed by the Seals, Trumpets (Woes) and Vials. Look below, that's what is happening. The 200 Million are of God, they are not men. Rev. 9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Revelation 10 is mostly a Mystery. There were seven thunders uttered but we are not privy to what they mean. It seems to me that we are being told that when the Seventh Angel sounds TIME will be no more, or the time will be up for man-kinds reign on earth as well as Satan's. As per the timeline of the vision, I don't think its really knowable, this is mostly a very secretive chapter. Revelation 11 of course is about the two-witnesses, but John is first told to measure the Temple of God and told the outer court is given to the Gentiles for the "HOLY CITY" is to be trodden under foot for 42 Months. Notice Jerusalem is called the HOLY CITY. Not a Harlot !! The Two-Witnesses have the power to pray forth all manner of plagues down onto the Earth, this starts just before Revelation 6 and lasts all the way unto the the 2nd Woe, just before the 3rd Woe or all Seven Vials. The Second Woe overlaps the Two-Witnesses deaths, they die in Jerusalem, which is not mentioned, but it is stated it is spiritually known as Sodom and Egypt, and its the place where our Lord died. Thus everyone knows its Jerusalem without John mentioning Jerusalem, so Rome would not be accusing anyone of sedition/treason since they had destroyed Jerusalem. Everyone knew that God had turned His back on Israel and Jerusalem. The whole world rejoices when Apollyon kills the Two-Witnesses who they felt brought forth all of the plagues against them via prayer. The Two-Witnesses are raised up by God and called to heaven while all the earth watches. An Earthquake again comes upon Man-kind, notice just before the 7th Seal there is a Great Earthquake, likewise just before the 7th Trumpet there is a Great Earthquake, and just before the 7th Vial there is a Great Earthquake when Jesus lands on the Mt. of Olives, these are WARNINGS to man-kind of impending doom. There is One Woe left, and that is to come upon man-kind very quickly. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. The Seventh Angel Sounds, and God takes Dominion, he is about to destroy the last vestiges of Evil with His Seven Vials of Wrath. Revelation 12 is only showing two things, Satan is cast out of Heaven at the mid-way point of the 70th Week, and Israel Flees to the Wilderness at the same point in time. God protects Israel (Woman). The Remnant of the Church who became Christians after the Rapture, becomes the Anti-Christ/Beasts target. Verses 1-6 only encodes the story by using Genesis 37:9. Revelation 13 is of course happening at the Mid-way point or during Rev. 6, that is when the Anti-Christ/Beast comes forth onto the scene. He arises out of the Sea, and the False Prophet follows suite. He is shown to be a MAN, and he demands to be worshiped as God, all that follow him must take the Mark of the Beast, all who refuse must be Killed. All Religions are wiped out, only the Beast can be worshiped, thus you serve the Beast or die, there is no middle ground. Its Humanism (The number of his name is 666) or death. Revelation 14 is the Harvest of the World, Jesus lands on Mt Zion, its Judgment time, this actually happens in Rev. 16, this is just a vision of the Harvest unto itself, an in depth explanation of the Harvest and here we also see Babylons Fall. The 144,000 we can't be sure who they are, I never say with a certainty who/what something is if I am not sure. We do know they are the First-fruits redeemed of the earth. An Angel with the everlasting Gospel preaches the Gospel (as a witness to their sins I assume) unto every nation and kindred. Another Angel announces Babylon is Fallen, this actually happens at Rev. 16:19, in the same exact sequence, Jesus lands on the Mt of Olives, then destroys Babylon (The Nations that gather against God and Israel). The Angel says Babylon made the nations drink of the wine of her fornication's. This can only be Babylon, the Beast Nation that thrust False Religion onto all the World. Israel may have sinned against God, and served false gods, but they in no wise carried forth these false Religions and false gods to the nations of the world, Babylon is the Mother of False Religions/False gods. Babylon is the Head of Gold of the Statue, and we know the statue gets Smashed by Jesus Christ the Rock, and then the Kingdom is given to the Saints. The third Angel then warns all, if anyone has taken the Mark of the Beast, the same will be judged and tormented with fire forever and ever. The Angel announces that the Saints that die will be rewarded henceforth, they just need to be patient. Then the cycle is Thrust in and the Wine-press of Gods Wrath is revealed OUTSIDE the City meaning of course at Armageddon, and the Blood comes up to the horses bridles. This Chapter basically happens in Rev. chapter 16, but this is an enhanced telling of the Harvest. Revelation 15 is of course the Seven Vials of Gods Wrath being delivered from he Four Beasts unto the Seven Angels. Revelation 16 is the Seven Vials of God being poured out upon man-kind. These are all manner of plagues, sores, diseases etc. etc. The 6th Vial is poured out and the Euphrates is dried up, just like in Daniel, and then Babylon falls. These Nations gather themselves against God and Israel at Meggido, better known as Armageddon. The 7th Vial is then poured out, and Jesus lands on the Mt of Olives just like Zechariah 14 says, and he then defeats Babylon (The Nations that Gather at Armageddon Rev. 16:19 Babylon/The Nations FELL) the Anti-Christ/Beast and all of his Kings and Armies, just like Rev. 14 says and just like Rev. 19 says. All three are basically the same events from different perspectives. Rev. 14 is the Harvest, Babylon is Defeated and Harvested to the Grave. Rev. 16 is Seven Vials being Poured out. Babylon Falls when Jesus lands on the Mt of Olives and destroys them Without Hand/By the Holy Spirit. Rev. 19 is the Church Marrying the Lamb, then Returning with the Lamb to defeat the Anti-Christ and his Minions. Revelation 16 ends the Reign of Man-kind, the Angel says; IT IS DONE !! Revelation 17 is if course as I explained in the Rev. 6 commentary, the Harlot being Destroyed, it also explains who the Seven Headed Beast and the Harlot is in full detail, but the Harlot is actually killed off in real time during Rev. chapter 6. The Harlot is All False Religion. When the Harlot is killed off in Rev. 17:16 we see that the Kings hate her and burn her. (But they love Babylon or World Governance) Revelation 18 is Babylon being Destroyed by the Seal, Trumpet and Vial Judgments. God tells His people to come out of Babylon, that is a Warning for the Jewish peoples to come back to Israel, if they stay in the Babylonian countries of Europe, they will have no shot at survival when all of this comes down. Babylon being inhabited by Devils only means that Satan is cast down from Heaven and Apollyon and his horde has been released from the bottomless pit. The commerce of Babylon will be destroyed when Gods plagues start reigning down, of course. When Babylon is burned and destroyed, the Kings will cry and lament her demise. (Babylon = World Governance = The Statue of Gold, Silver, Brass, Iron and Clay) Revelation 19 is the Church in Heaven for the full Seven Year Period. She marries the Lamb, puts on White garments, then we ride White horses back to earth with Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, then he defeats the Anti-Christ/Beast and his Armies without hand/by the Spirit of his mouth, and he casts the Beast and False Prophet straight into hell (Rev 19:20), just like Daniel 7:11 says. Revelation 20 is Satan being bound for 1000 years in the bottomless pit, then the Judgment seats are set up for the Beheaded/Martyrs of the Tribulation in 20:4, they are judged at this point in time and found to be righteous. They will live and serve with Jesus on earth for 1000 years. The Evil men of Satan will remain in the grave until the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth is over, then they will be judged after Satan is loosed for a season then conquered once and for all after he deceives the nations yet again. All the dead will be Judged at this time. Revelation 21 is the New Heaven and New Earth coming down, no use going into detail, we know this is at least 1000 years into the future. Revelation 22 is of course us living in Heaven with Jesus/God forever and ever. Glory to God.

Why are there so many versions of the Bible? Catholic version has 73 books and Protestant version has 66 books. Which of these versions is authentic and how?

This will be too long to interest most of you, but it is a Topical study, and as it is, I left things out. It was prepared for a live, in class study, not as a Forum post. Bible Study Notes – All verses NIV Discipleship/Evangelism 10/10/2015 – Omegaman 3.0 We may not be able to get through all of this material, I am not well known for keeping things short. However, if we do not get through all of this in our discussion, you may follow through on you own with the rest of the material. Matt 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” “Make disciples” is the Greek word “mathēteusate“, (math-ayt-yoo'-sayt-eh) to disciple (as a verb), IE. helping someone to progressively learn the Word of God to become a matured, growing disciple (literally, "a learner," a true Christ-follower); to train (develop) in the truths of Scripture and the lifestyle required, IE. helping a believer learn to be a disciple of Christ in belief and practice. (from Helps Word Studies) Notice in v. 19 that these disciples, are to be baptized, so we are talking about believers here not merely people who learn about things (students). Question 1. What commands did Jesus give in verse 19? Question 2. What command did He issue in verse 20? Question 3. If disciples are to make disciples, and they are to be taught to obey commands . . . then what things are we (as disciples) also told to do in obedience? Question 4. If disciples are to make more disciples, and teach them to obey everything that Jesus commanded, is merely telling someone a basic Gospel message, really fulfilling this great commission? When we tell others about Jesus and His Gospel, we refer to this as evangelism. Sometimes we call this witnessing. The word “evangelist” comes from the Greek word “euangelion” or “euagglion” (yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on). Question 5. What 5 letter English word do we see in both “evangelist” and in “euangelion”. Question 6. That word, comes from the Greek word “angelon”. What does that word mean or what is it that an 'angelon' does? The prefix in 'euangelion', “eu” it means common (as in common, not ordinary) or good. So, an evangelist, is one who brings a message of good news. Romans 10:14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” So we have seen that disciples, us, have been commanded by the Lord Himself, to make more disciples, and that this means not only bringing them good news, but teaching them everything He taught his Apostles, to obey. Question 7. If we do not do that, which better describes us?: a. obedient followers b. rebellious excuse makers Back to the topic of “good news”, we sometimes call that the Gospel. According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, the word gospel is a word of Anglo-Saxon origin, and meaning "God's spell", IE., word of God, or rather, according to others, "good spell", IE., good news. It is the rendering of the Greek evangelion, IE., "good message." It denotes (1) "the welcome intelligence of salvation to man as preached by our Lord and his followers. When we see the word “gospel” in the Bible, it is a translation of that same Greek word, that we get the idea of evangelist and evangelism from. They are extremely linked ideas. When Jesus tells us to make disciples, and to teach them to obey everything that He told the Apostles, we need to consider that Jesus told the apostles to preach His gospel. Therefore, He has commanded us also, to be evangelists. Eph 4:11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Question 8. According to Eph 4:13, at what point is Christ's gift of evangelists, for the equipping of His people for works of service and the building up of the body of Christ finished? Are we there yet? Some see that evangelists are a gift, then say “I do not have the gift of evangelism.” Now it could be argued whether “evangelism” is a gift, or if only “evangelists” are a gift. People have seen this both ways. Let's look though at what Paul said to Timothy in 2 Tim 4: 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Question 9. According to verse 3 and 4, of 2 Tim 4,what will happen? Question 10. Has that time come, do you think? Question 11. Can you think of any of these doctrines that tickle or scratch itching ears? Name a few. Question 12. What can we do to counteract these false teachers? Question 13. In verse 5, do you see the word “gift” anywhere? Question 14. In verse 5, what sort of work is to be done? Question 15. Is it possible to do the work of an evangelist without being specifically gifted in that? Question 16. What sorts of things, do you believe hinder people from doing the work of an evangelist? Question 17. What are some ways we could overcome these issues? Question 18. What do you think the Gospel actually is? What is it that we need to be telling people? Question 19. Part of Jesus great commission that we looked at in the beginning, included us teaching the disciples we make, everything He taught. Does standing on a corner with a bullhorn, or leaving a gospel tract with someone, accomplish this part of Jesus command? Question 20. If not, what are some ways we compensate for that shortcoming? One thing that the bible tells us also, is the idea of preparation. 1 Pet 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. Question 21. What is the first thing we are told to do in the above passage? What is the second thing we are told to do and in what manner are we to do this? 2 Tim 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Question 22. How does 2 Tim 2:15 relate to 1 Pet 3:15? How much effort does the Timothy verse imply? That word “reason” in 1 Pet 3:15 is a translation of the Greek word “apologian”, we get our word apology from this. However, this does not mean to say “I am sorry”. It means to provide a defense – that is to say to present a reasoned case, as an attorney would in a trial. We also get our word “apologetics” from this. Apologetics, the science of defending ideas, Christian apologetics, is a sub-species of evangelism. However, it is a back-up to witnessing, It is a legal term, just as the word witness is a legal term. Witnesses, give testimony to what they know. That is where we start. We testify of Jesus, and when necessary, we defend our faith, but always circle back to the gospel, and not be distracted from what our hearer really needs. Jesus, is the issue, being able to defend how all of the animals could fit on the ark is getting side tracked, and will not win anyone to the gospel. There are other ways not to to evangelize. You may have heard someone say, perhaps you have said it yourself: “Preach the Gospel, if necessary, use words”. Some believe that if they just live their lives in a holy way, people will see Jesus in them. There is a technical, theological term for this: “Horse feathers”. No one is going to see you order a diet cola at a restaurant when they order a glass of wine and think: “Gee, this person is really different, I think I will give my life to Jesus!” It is a great idea to live a holy life, failing that does tend to discredit your message, but success at it, will not convince someone of the truth of the gospel, let alone inform them of what the gospel is. Similarly, a rational person can look at the marvelous design and vastness of the universe, and reasonably conclude that there must be a brilliant and powerful creator. That means they have no excuse not to seek God, but it does not reveal what God requires of us, that is where we come in, that is our job, to present the problem, and provide the answer. So, preach the Gospel, if necessary, use words. However, realize that in order to preach the Gospel, words are always necessary. Living it out is also necessary, in order to add credibility to the message. When we fail to proselytize, we are demonstrating that we do not take our faith seriously, because we are disobedient to our God. We are also demonstrating that we do not care enough about others, to put out a little effort to insure that they are adequately informed to inherit eternal life. Question 23. What are two things you can do, to either increase your efforts at evangelism, of make yourself more effective at evangelism? Question 24. If the gospel is “good news:, is there also bad news? What is the bad news? Should people be told the bad news as well? Why or why not? Question 25. Do you personally, feel, that you do not know enough about the Bible or how to defend your faith? Was there a time, when you did not know how to drive a car? What changed? More to think about Penn Jillette, atheist, said something very profound and haunting: “I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me alone and keep your religion to yourself—how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?” Roman 1:14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the Godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Matt 10:32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. James 4:17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. Some Final Thoughts What we have seen, is that it is not our job to save people. It IS out job to tell them. We have seen that it is not optional, it is a command. We may understand that God chooses people for salvation, apart from our efforts, and be tempted to conclude, that God does not need us. It is true that God does not need us, but He has given us the task to preach to everyone. We do not know who the chosen are, that is why we need to get the message to all. We should not see this, as a chore, we should see it as a privilege to be included in God's plan, to be used for His purposes and His glory. Do not be anxious, just trust the Lord, and be obedient. He can bring the right things to say to mind at the right time. How much better though, if you take the trouble to prepare and learn about the things you need to say. Memorizing scripture, and apologetic techniques and information, is not only for others, it builds your own faith and knowledge as well. You will have more confidence, and feel better about yourself, knowing that you have made efforts to be faithful. Matthew 25 14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,a each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16T he man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ 23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 24“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Anyone remember the blood moons thing? Apparently there's another blood moon coming up on September 16th. I don't doubt that there are signs in the Heavens and that prophecy will eventually come to pass, but think about all the damage these false alarms cause to the Christian witness. It seems like people just like the attention that comes from making predictions. At least over on youtube there's a new end-of-the-world prophecy every month, and the videos predictably get thousands of views. Why?

"Luke Warm Christian" gets thrown around alot these days. What is The lord actually desiring for us and warning us about? What is the lord telling them to repent of and what is he symbolically informing them they lack. I do not think the Lord makes Idol threats. What is He promising to do to them if they continue without repentance? “The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator[a] of God’s creation says: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit[b] you out of My mouth.17 Because you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be committed[c] and repent. 20 Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me. 21 The victor: I will give him the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also won the victory and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 “Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”

New Bible Study Youtube Channel. Dr J Vernon McGee Thru The Bible Program. Please Subscribe & Share Videos are being Uploaded Daily. http://youtu.be/RhE44qRSZrc Thanks

There is a New Bible Study Video Channel for Please Like, Share & Subscribe Videos are being Uploaded Daily...It's a Great way to Study God's Word; and actually get thru The Entire Bible. It was originally a 5 year program; will take about 1 year if you play 3-5 video per week. The First Video (Genesis Into is here) Thanks & God Bless *** Removed embedded video and link. *** All videos are required to be posted in the Video Forums, under the proper forum title. Please keep in mind that this site is a ministry and not a site where people can post whatever they want wherever they wish.

Hello friends I am a 21 yr old person doing graduation.I am a born again Christian yet like everybody else i too have spiritual struggles. So Since the last few months i have been seeking an accountability partner with whom i can do regular bible study as well. But I have been unable to find someone from my church. Besides i m seeking a female partner preferably because pastors advise us to have accountability partners of the same gender. Yet any brother in Christ is welcome. I really hope sincere christians seeking fr partners like me will respond .this is a very important thing for me.So please do consider if you need it too.God bless you all.Thank u.

I'm asking this, because I'm not sure. I have a friend in NJ and she said she was watching a TV talk show called Hannity. She said they reported that a man was given a short jail sentence, but 3 years of Probation, for conducting Bible studies out of his home. She said she thinks this happened in Arizona, but wasn't sure. She says they were able to arrest him because conducting Bible studies was a breaking of some kind of local codes. Has anyone else heard of this? Is it true, and if it is, does anyone know anything more? If this is true it has to be the worst thing America has done since banning prayer in public schools. Stuff like this really scares me. Then we all sit here talking about which candidate is more in line with the Bible, and one state has jailed a man for Bible studies? My friend isn't a flake, she usually knows what she's talking about. But I hope she's wrong about this.