Interesting passage gives insights into Predestination and Foreknowledge

[B-B]

19 minutes ago, Heaven_Bound said:

This is really good here!

Others may disagree with you, but thank you.

19 minutes ago, Heaven_Bound said:

Which is why I cringe when people claim they read the Word of God literally

....well.......you may not be happy to hear this from me, but I actually believe that the Bible can and should be read literally. (Now whether all of it should be read literally or not, or which parts should/shouldn't be, are questions that will probably open another can of worms...)

19 minutes ago, Heaven_Bound said:

If the Holy Spirit, a Spirit, wrote the Bible, then it was intended to be understood through the spirit of the Reader, not the mind where reasoning can distort truth

...I'm afraid I'm not quite sure what you mean here. Would you mind maybe expanding..?

Edited April 26, 2022 by B-B

[Alive]

52 minutes ago, Your closest friendnt said:

Revelation 3:20 is not asking someone who does not believe in Jesus Christ to choose to believe or not to believe in Jesus Christ. 

This is always an important point and that is to realize who the audience is.

[Selah7]

27 minutes ago, Your closest friendnt said:

@enoob57, Your introduction statement: "God's Word says all must choose", it has nothing to do with the context of Revelation 3:20. 

Revelation 3:20 is not asking someone who does not believe in Jesus Christ to choose to believe or not to believe in Jesus Christ. 

Because Revelation 3:20 is about mature Christian believers who are members in an established Christian Church and not limited to that, it is a call to mature Christian believers disciples of the Christian faith. 

It is not about unbelievers asking them to choose Jesus Christ. 

It is Jesus Christ asking his own mature believers to give him some time in some specifics and important situations, about matters in understanding what we believe, 

It is as if he is saying to his own mature believers indoctrinated in the teachings of Godly Christian Men, and generally to everyone who is thirty for something only him can give.

We see that first when we understand whom he is addressing and this is his own who are members of one of his favorite churches.

And then he says of the wonderful things that will happen to them if the give him some time to tell them about many things, things about the faith, and about him, which he is only the one he has that can nourish the thirst of the believers,  things they cannot find to where they are, and they can have them only from him, when they have supper with him, this is the way he put it.

Saying in some things you have sit down in the table of Men, now come and sit in my table and have supper from with me and eat from the food I will served you. 

Then the result is in the following verses to verse 3:20. 

The message of Revelation 3:20 is that we cannot find everything that we can have in the bible as it is or in the teachings of people who love Jesus or call them selves teachers or divine servants, because they are still learning and are still being weed or being corrected, but 3:20 it tell us not all of them they let Jesus Christ to corrected in many or some things, as they want to hold on in what they have, and they see Jesus attempts to guide them as someone who is not Jesus but as someone who is a wolf in sheep's clothing and are keeping him out of their hearts in some matters. They do not accept what he is telling them to let go of some things they value, example to let go of the Holy Mother and get hold of him, or to give me, more room in their hearts. 

Jesus is saying to the Laodicean church (and to us today):

(20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Knock, knock—Jesus Christ is right there, at the door.... He would like to invite you to the upcoming wedding feast (Rev. 19). Do you have "ears to hear" what He's saying? If you do, you must let Him in by opening the door to your heart.  It isn't going to open by itself.

S.

 

[Your closest friendnt]

1 minute ago, Alive said:

This is always an important point and that is to realize who the audience is.

Please elaborate a little who the audience are in the specific scripture in Revelation 3:20.

I was about to give a reputation because your statement is a good guidance that carries it's way to our days and beyond. 

But who the audience are in the specific situation in 3:20.

To whom Jesus was giving this message and to whom Jesus wanted this message to be read to.

[Your closest friendnt]

7 minutes ago, Selah7 said:

Jesus is saying to the Laodicean church (and to us today):

(20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Knock, knock—Jesus Christ is right there, at the door.... He would like to invite you to the upcoming wedding feast (Rev. 19). Do you have "ears to hear" what He's saying? If you do, you must let Him in by opening the door to your heart.  It isn't going to open by itself.

S.

 

Thank for posting the Relevant scriptures which revealed the audience. 

John is asked to write down what was told to him. And gave the instructions that the letter of the Revelations of Jesus should be given to the Churches and be read for all in the church. 

I don't have the reference scripture right now, but I am sure that instructions was given to John.

[Alive]

13 minutes ago, Your closest friendnt said:

Please elaborate a little who the audience are in the specific scripture in Revelation 3:20.

I was about to give a reputation because your statement is a good guidance that carries it's way to our days and beyond. 

But who the audience are in the specific situation in 3:20.

To whom Jesus was giving this message and to whom Jesus wanted this message to be read to.

To the 7 churches in that region.

[Your closest friendnt]

1 minute ago, Alive said:

To the 7 churches in that region.

Thank you 

[OneLight]

Revelation 1:1-3

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.  Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Though the letters were addressed to each individual church, it is meant to all His servants to read and hear what is written and to keep them.  No where does it even hint to just read and claim it is not for us.

[Your closest friendnt]

@Alive, your question it good if the specific scenario of facts is given.

But in this situation is not, and the question is related to our every day situations,

(and different scenarios will give a different answer,)

and not to a belief in Jesus Christ because it is not worded to reflect that, if we trust in what Jesus did, in his obedience to the Father in Heaven the one whom voice was heard from Heaven. 

I say that because in our life we do not have to have faith in many things we do because we take many things for granted and we do many other things in a Robotic habitual or impulsive state of being, sometimes acting first and then  think later, and if that happens  

Edited April 26, 2022 by Your closest friendnt

[Starise]

1 hour ago, B-B said:

Hi there 😀

 "...understand most of Scripture through study".

Yes indeed, Scripture exhorts us to:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15

 

...in my opinion, it may not actually be a lack of study which is the real issue...But rather, who exactly is rightly dividing the truth?

Folks can convince themselves that their own personal study of the Scriptures has shown them, that their interpretation of Scriptures, must be the correct interpretation..even though other godly, scholarly learned folk, arrive at a different interpretation, after having invested much much study time & effort too...

Thanks for your comments. This happens frequently here. I have probably been guilty of it at times.

I guess what I was referring to would be more along the lines of overt contradictions to what the bible clearly says. The sorts of things that would cause the average believer with average study, the person who knows all of the basics to do a face palm.

Take the example of  a recent thread about eating animals for food. Maybe you remember that one? I didn't even get involved much in it because I knew it was going to probably be 500+ posts that would not take us out of the hole as long as that individual wasn't going to open up to solid bible teaching on the subject.

No. They had made up their mind eating animals was murder. Even when out gunned 5 to 1 with solid examples against it they wouldn't budge.

In this case we've been talking ( in this thread) about the way God draws men to Himself, how men are ultimately saved. What we haven't discussed as much is the alternative to coming to the Lord. It's going to Hell literally.

This is why I'm often on high alert when this comes up. I know God is in control, however I don't ever want to be responsible for anyone in any way misunderstanding the importance of this decision.

The Bible is very clear on the subject of salvation, but it seems even we believers or people who might think they are believers but really aren't, muck it up sometimes.

If there is even a hint of misunderstanding on this by anyone I feel an obligation to attempt to clear it up. When a person comes seeking the Lord through His leading they need clarity, not confusion.