Show me where you think Scofield denied Christ.
>> This is my belief, Cynical Bear: Jesus said (more than once) that John the Baptist WAS Elijah, and I believe Jesus.<<
If you believe Jesus meant those words literally than you also must confess that scripture contradicts itself. You must also believe that the “violent” took over the kingdom of heaven because Jesus also said that just prior to His comment about Elijah.
First the contradiction. The Holy Spirit through Luke tells us that John the Baptist was to go in the spirit and power of Elijah not the physical being of Elijah.
Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Now for you to say Jesus meant that John the Baptist was physically and literally Elijah you have a contradiction within scripture on your hands.
What was the “spirit and the power” of Elijah? John the Baptist is the New Testament forerunner who points the way to the arrival of the Lord, just as Elijah filled that role in the Old Testament. Elijah didn’t turn into John the Baptist. Elijah appeared with Jesus at His ascension into heaven. In your interpretation you would have him going from one person into another and then back again into the first.
The second problem you have is that if you believe that Jesus meant that John the Baptist was physically Elijah ”because He said it” then you also must believe the “the Kingdom of Heaven” was taken over by the violent ”because He said it” in a previous verse.
Now we come to the meaning of the name Elijah. In the Hebrew the meaning of the name Elijah means “My God is Jehovah”. It is what the prophet Elijah declared when prophesying about the coming of the Lord and it is what John the Baptist role was also. That is the “spirit and power of Elijah. There will be one more who comes “in the spirit of Elijah” before Jesus comes again although you have said you believe that has already happened.
Now until you can recognize that fact I will not respond to you again. There is no sense in wasting time with you if you can’t see that simple truth. As the rest have said I too will ignore your posts unless you can recognize that John the Baptist was NOT physically and literally Elijah.
>>>If you believe Jesus meant those words literally than you also must confess that scripture contradicts itself.<<<
I believe that Jesus said that John the Baptist was Elijah, because (drum-roll) Jesus said he was Elijah. How does that contradict the scripture, Cynical Bear? Explain yourself?
Since the Words of Jesus will judge me on the last day, I would be hard-pressed (or, be an absolute fool) to NOT believe Jesus when he said,
"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." (Mat 11:12)
Explain yourself, Cynical Bear?
Philip
>>>Now until you can recognize that fact I will not respond to you again.<<<
Is this absolutely, positively your final, final, final, final, ..., final notice you will not be responding to me again, Cynical Bear?
Philip