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shirlmygirl 17-Sep-21, 13:12 |
 Deleted by shirlmygirl on 03-Nov-21, 12:51.
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shirlmygirl 04-Oct-21, 13:12 |
Deleted by shirlmygirl on 03-Nov-21, 12:51.
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REMINDER |
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THE FINAL FIRESTORM www.youtube.com |
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BIBLE PROPHECY "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. Amos, chapter 8, verses 11 and 12 (Amos 8:11-12) NKJV. The Book of Daniel is very prophetic, and chapter 12 indicates when Michael, The Great Prince (Jesus) stands up. "And they that be wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever". But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end, many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased". Daniel, chapter 12, verses 3 and 4. (Daniel 12:3-4) NKJV. The Series is available on Youtube. |
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I've been very interested in Bible prophecy since reading The Late Great Planet Earth at around age 12. As Doug Batchelor noted, that book includes the idea that the Second Coming would occur by 1988, forty years after the restoration of the nation of Israel. So I never expected to be still waiting in 2022. But with hindsight the view that "this generation" refers to those who witnessed Christ's death and resurrection, and looks forward to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, does make more sense. My understanding of Matthew 24 and 25 is that Jesus is presenting essentially the pre-Trib Rapture view in chronological sequence: first the event where one is taken and another left behind, then the Tribulation (the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth), and then the actual Return. That, I think, is why the sheep and goats judgement is based on works more than faith. Those saved by faith have already been Raptured, or martyred in the case of believers during the Tribulation. So Jesus is judging the Tribulation survivors, based on whether they helped or persecuted those who came to faith after being left behind at the Rapture. And what is at stake is not immediate entry to Heaven, but entry into His millennial kingdom, that's why the criterion is not saving faith. I believe that those whose works qualify them for the Millennial kingdom will still need to take the step of repentance and faith in order to be saved for eternity, but their support for persecuted Tribulation believers will have won them the time and opportunity to do so. I don't think there's as much interest in Bible prophecy in the UK as in the US, but there is some and it's quite likely that the idea of leaving the EU gained some support from those who believe that the EU will be the Antichrist's power base. It's very noticeable that those Christians who argue for the UK to stay in the EU invariably use the same political and economic arguments as non-Christians do, whereas those who try to look at it as a spiritual issue have backed "Brexit". |
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Context is everything! I think any other understanding is unhelpful. If, say, someone said "What I'm writing refers to something that will happen in two thousand years from now", he would have been laughed at. Everyone in Paul's time 'knew' that they were in the Last Days already; just read Hebrews 1:2! But even if they had accepted that, why would they have bothered preserving those words? Writing and copying books was an expensive business, all for something that would be useless for a hundred generations and then of only momentary value. My view of the Scriptures, including prophecy, is that it is of application in the NOW and at all times. Prophecy isn't about the distant future, but about how to understand our situation from a God's-eye perspective. That means that we need to understand the circumstances of those first readers, look for the way the words would have been understood by those first readers, and tease out the underlying perspective, and then 'translate' that underlying perspective to our own situation. The specific answer might be the same, or it might be different if our culture has radically different customs, but the principle is the point. Example:- 1 Tim. 2:9 - 12 "Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive apparel, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet." To apply this directly to the church today seems obvious, and many do what is obvious. But what were the circumstances facing Timothy in Ephesus at the time? First, the word used for 'exercise authority' is not the usual one, but used only here in the new Testament. In the wider Greek world it had a darker meaning. It was literally 'do do for oneself'. It because a euphemism for suicide, but was also used to mean 'a law unto himself'. Paul here is saying he does not want a woman to USURP authority. This was for the broader reason that the Classical world was very patriarchal. For a woman to hold authority over adult males (except slaves) was considered scandalous. Paul repeats this command to avoid scandal in other places (1 Cor. 14:23 = "Therefore if the whole church gathers together and all the people speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are insane?" and summarises in 14:40 = "But all things must be done properly and in an orderly way." Also Col. 4:5 = "Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.") Therefore Paul's over-riding concern was that the Name should not be brought into disrepute in the eyes of outsiders. A second consideration was the location. Ephesus was the centre of the worship of Artemis. In Acts 19 Luke records a riot there when Paul's preaching started to bite into Artemis-worship. Many modern readers don't realise that the worship of Artemis included 'scared prostitution', often to seek the goddess' blessing on a pregnancy. Paul didn't want the women dressing up as if sacred prostitutes in the worship of Artemis, which could be distracting to the males present. (I don't think this is a problem in most churches today.) It is why Paul closes this paragraph with the comment in 1 Tim. 2:15 "But women will be preserved through childbirth—if they continue in faith, love, and sanctity, with moderation." So the underlying principles are firstly that our worship need so be sensitive to the surrounding culture, and not cause needless offence or temptation; and secondly that we need to remain faithful to Jesus, and not take out 'insurance' in ways that contradict our faith in Christ. When applying these principles today, we have ask how closely our surrounding culture copies that of the classical world, and in what way is it different. Otherwise, we will be applying the answer to one question to answer a different question. That would not make sense. First, in most of the modern world, 'authority' in the church is more formalised than in those earlier, more charismatic days. It is conferred by appointment, not assumed by individuals. So a woman who is authorised as a Minister of the Word, is not 'usurping authority';, but serving here congregation in a lawful way. Whether or not women should be so authorised is a matter for the church concerned. Second, it is no longer scandalous for a woman to have authority in the world at large; therefore a woman having authority within the church is no longer a scandal generally. And thirdly, not many men in our congregations are former worshippers of Artemis. No problem there! But even so, all Christians should dress modestly, by the standards of their culture. These same principles also apply when understanding prophecy. |
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