First of all the Holy Spirit is NOT a “Who” it’s an “It” A broad definition of the words “Spirit of God,” or “Holy Spirit,” would be—the divine WILL, INFLUENCE, or POWER, exercised anywhere and everywhere, and for any purpose in harmony with the divine will, which, being a holy will implies that the steps and operations of the Holy Spirit will be in harmony with holiness. God exercises his Spirit or energy in many ways, using various agencies in…
As a new member of a bible study forum I noted that various discussions had been made on the subject of dispensationalism, some arguing for, others against, that is to say whether or not it was a man-made doctrine or one actually taught in the scriptures. First of all it might help if we define what a “dispensation” is, as there are various meanings or definitions to this term. Dispensation: an act or instance of dispensing; distribution; for example the…
We present the following due to the fact that many brethren at one time (and some possibly even still today) believed that the harvest period was over, that spirit begettal had ended, that those being called now were being called in respects to matters concerning the earthly phase of the kingdom. This (false) idea has likewise been propagated by our JW friends. This is likewise being presented because in our study on the “Time Features of the Great Pyramid” we…
A brother writes: In John 18:36 our Lord is recorded as saying “My Kingdom is not of this world” ; we take this to mean that the consecrated have no part in the affairs of this world, as it is not our time to do so. When the Church is complete (head and body) then we will meddle in the affairs of this world. In the meantime we should be living our lives as pilgrims and sojourners. We are in…
It should be evident now from the foregoing study as well other studies found both here on this forum, and on our (Bible Student) blogs and websites that it is our belief that the Lord Jesus returned to earth in 1874, but nevertheless at present known only to those who are fully awake and who have taken notice of the “signs” the Lord stated in Matthew the 24th Chapter which would reveal his parousia or presence. Having studied the matter…
“Many Christians today are waiting for Jesus’ coming. A similar class lived at the first advent that, nevertheless, when he had come, could not believe it. They received him not, but rejected and slew him, because he came not in accordance with their earthly ideas. Similar earthly ideas blind the eyes of most Christians today. They, like the Jews, are looking for an earthly (fleshly) king, (and thus a visible appearance). It seems strange that they cannot realize that, since…
We will now examine scriptures which teach that that many in the Church, the Professing Church (the church nominal), as well as the True Church will, for a time, be ignorant of the Lord’s presence, AND of the “harvest“ and the ending of this age, while he is actually present, and the harvest work in progress. The closing verses of Matt. 24, from Verse 42 on, are very significant. In Verse 37 our Lord had shown that the world (as…
“Our Lord’s Parousia in the Harvest” “The Greek is a very exact language: a fact, which greatly enhances its value in giving exact expression to truth. Thus, for instance, in our common English Bibles, the word COME is used to translate thirty-two Greek words, each of which has a fine shade of difference. Instances: “Ephistemi” signifies to overtake, as in Luke 21:34–“COME upon [overtake] you unawares“; “Sunerchomai” signifies to gather or come together, as in 1 Cor. 11:18–“COME together in…
“In Like Manner” What, now, is taught by the statement of the angel at the time of our Lord’s departure–Acts 1:11–“This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come, in like manner, as ye have seen him go into heaven“? A careful examination of this text will manifest its harmony with the foregoing. Many seem to think the passage reads, as you SEE the Lord ascend into heaven, so, in like manner, you shall SEE…
We continue now with our study of the manner of our Lords Second Advent, we were previously examining some seemingly conflicting scriptures in this regards. The scripture we had examined last was (1 Thess 4:16) in regards to the “Shout”, “The Voice of the Archangel”, and “The Trump of God”. “IN FLAMING FIRE” The next of these symbolic statements can be readily understood, if the proper meaning of symbols were borne in mind. It reads, “The Lord Jesus shall be…