2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 A word of Warning, continued Although the warning here comes near the end of this chapter (Verses 9-12 respectively) nevertheless for the sake of those not so familiar with the implications of the text we should begin with Verse 1 in order to get the full picture of events, some of which is in the past, and some of which is yet still future. Another reason for our going into such detail in this particular instance…
What does it mean to be baptized in the Holy Spirit? As was mentioned in our previous post the baptism of the holy spirit came upon the Church at Pentecost and as such has continued with us even unto this day. To be baptized in the holy spirit is to be baptized into Jesus Christ, and to be baptized into Jesus Christ is to be baptized into his death. Even as the Apostle so states in Rom 6:3-5: “Do you…
We have put together the following reply in response to a comment made on one of our post in which we had stated: “The Scriptures make a distinction between the faithful of the past who were moved by the holy spirit, and those during the Gospel age who are begotten by the holy spirit. Both have the holy spirits presence and guidance, but only those begotten of the holy spirit are begotten to a new nature, a spirit nature. A…
Matthew Chapter 24 VERSES 23 and 24 “Then (during the period described in verses 15-19) if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false Christ’s and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” The deceivers here described certainly are not the fanatics who from time to time have claimed to be Christ and have deceived but few possessed of any degree…
Matthew Chapter 24 One of the many stumbling blocks we observe in correctly interpreting this prophecy is in establishing the proper sequence of events. Unfortunately many imagine events as one directly following the next just as it is written, but that is not how events are being described. Perhaps before we proceed on to Verse 23 a review of what we had learned earlier on in this study might help. If you recall in Verses 4-8 our Lord had briefly…
Matthew Chapter 24 Once again, Verse 21 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” “In the days previous to the flood the fallen angels had materialized and taken human wives, and violence was in the earth. In other words, incidental to and preceding the Flood, there was the prevalence of evil, but all that evil was not the trouble. THE trouble was the…
Words and Phrases The Seven Spirits The expression, THE SEVEN SPIRITS, occurs four times in the book of Revelation. A comparison of these usages reveals the likely interpretation of the meaning. Rev. 1:4: shows the seven spirits BEFORE THE THRONE —a symbol of the position of SERVICE. Rev. 3:1: points out that Jesus also has these spirits, that 1:4 showed them to be God’s is here strengthened by stating that they are “OF GOD.” Rev. 4:5: “defines” these spirits by…
Words and Phrases The Four Living Creatures HOW DO WE KNOW THE FOUR BEASTS REPRESENT GOD’S ATTRIBUTES? It has become standard Bible student response to say that the four living ones (four “beasts” in the KJV) of Revelation represent the four attributes of God —Wisdom, Justice, Love, and Power. From whence did this understanding come? It seems to have been defined by Brother. W. I. Mann in 1883 (See R529). To summarize his explanation, we give the following: By building…
Matthew Chapter 24 VERSE 22 “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” What is the thought of “for the elect’s sake”? “By means of” or “through” the elect, these days will be shortened because the Church glorified and with Jesus at this time, will stop the trouble. The word “sake” is not in the original Greek—it should be italicized in the King James as a spurious…
Without Chronology, the Interpretation Goes Astray Many of those who attempt to interpret Revelation don’t see that the time periods of 1260 days, 42 months, and 3 ½ years are NOT to be interpreted as LITERAL time periods. For that reason, they think that many of the events fall into a future 3 ½ year period, a future time frame. Time in Revelation is interpreted symbolically, and it should, as a general rule, be computed at a day for a…