A failure to clearly discern the distinction between, first: the sacrifice which Jesus gave for our sins, on account of which we have been granted repentance and remission of sins, and second, the sacrifice we have been called to make with Christ as sharers of his sufferings and to fit us to share his glory, has been the source of much confusion of thought. In consequence, some preach: It is ALL grace, we can do nothing; God through Christ does…
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor 6:2; Isa 49:8 These words of the Apostle, quoted from the Prophet Isaiah, are generally understood to be a call to the world to improve the present opportunity of accepting Christ by faith in order to salvation, with the warning that the present time furnishes the only opportunity, this being the day of salvation. But this is NOT the meaning of the text. Neither the…
Babylon the Great “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me (the John class, representing the Lord’s people still in the flesh here at the end of the gospel age, i.e., during its Harvest), saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sits upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the…
DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTERFEIT HEAVENS Jesus declared that his “kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36) True Christianity was not meant to be a religion, i.e., a sect to be set up as a Kingdom now, but it was simply a gracious opportunity for one to develop as a disciple of Christ—to know the mind of the Lord, to emulate his character and ultimately to reign with him at his second coming. And, thus, the Church was to remain…
“Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day (the Day of the Lord) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that Man of Sin be revealed, the Son of Perdition; Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God…” “And then will be revealed the Lawless One (that is to…
Isa 29:9-22 Continued. Verses 13 and 14 “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near to me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: therefore, behold I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the…
The following is a brief study of Isa 29:9-22 however we especially note Verses 9-14 “Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with intoxicating drink. For the Lord has poured out on you The spirit of deep sleep, And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers. The whole vision has become to you like the words of a…
Thus far in our examination of Hebrews 6:4-6 we have determined that those, 1) Who were once enlighten 2) Who have tasted the heavenly gift 3) Who have become partakers of the Holy Spirit 4) Who have tasted the good word of God 5) Who have tasted the powers of the age to come …Were in fact those who were truly consecrated believers, i.e. those fully justified from all things, begotten again through the Holy Spirit to a new nature….
We now continue with our examination of Heb 6:4-6 to determine to whom it applies. In our last post we took a look at the opening part of Verse 4, viz. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlighten…” Upon investigation we established two facts, one that only those who have been justified by faith, constituted righteous and holy in the sight of God could receive true enlightenment, (knowledge of the truth), and two it appears most certain…
“For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall cone to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” — Luke 21:35-36. One would suppose that words so full of warning, and of such deep significance, spoken by Jesus to His disciples, for the benefit of those who should be…