Posted on 01/23/2003 10:46:30 PM PST by Jael
Edited on 01/23/2003 11:18:23 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
1 Sam 30:18-20, "And David recovered all that the (1) Amalekites had carried away: And there was nothing lacking to them, (2) neither small nor great, (3) neither sons nor daughters, (4) neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all. And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil."
Prov.18:19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.
In any branch of the service, the main objection is to be in shape, to be ready to go to war. Not only to go, but also to win any battle that may face them. In the course of the battle, there are casualties; i.e. death, wounded, etc. However, there is one casualty that brings not only the unit together, but a nation, and that is the p.o.w.(the prisoner of war) The thought of an enemy holding one of our own men or women hostage brings anger and aggression to the point of strategy of recovering and bringing them home. Lives have been lost, millions have been spent around the world in order to achieve this goal.
The Bible than says that David recovered all. And not only that, but his attitude was "These things (his wives, sons, daughters, flocks and herds) are mine. God gave them to me and I'm taking them back!" It is quite apparent that David did not do this all on his own, but he had help. They were all of the same mind, and had the same motive; to rescue and bring back to their homes all that God had given them.
As Christians, we are in a army. And our goal should be the same as the worlds, to be in shape, to be ready to go to war. We also have battles and casualties. However, our view of the p.o.w. is different than that of the worlds. Unfortunately, the Christian of the 90's have little use for those that have either deserted or have been taken captive by Satan. The general feeling among most is "they are reaping what they've been sowing" instead of getting angry at the wiles of the devil and making strategies of how they can be recovered. Most forget what the Bible says in 1 Cor.10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
However, our strategy for recovering those taken captive is quite different than that of a regular army. Those taken captive in a war wait earnestly for their liberators, while those taken captive by Satan most times do not wish to be liberated, but to stay in captivity. The objection of this ministry is to show them their need to recover themselves out of the snare of the devil.
However, that is not the only reason. When we see one of our brethren fall away from church, from service to the Lord, we need to do everything that we can to try to rescue them. Bitterness and anger is a very tough enemy to face. Feelings get hurt intentionally and unintentionally. As we move closer and closer to the Lord's return, it takes less and less for Christians to drop away. Not only will we use the Word of God to restore them, but also we will use longsuffering, patience, understanding, and wisdom to restore unto them the joy of their salvation. (for there is no joy in the clutches of Satan.)
An eight (number of new beginning) week course that will go over the subjects listed below. Our plan is that at the end of the eight weeks, they will be ready to return to their battalion (church) and get back in the thick of the battle.
Forgiveness (Col.3:13) |
Prayer (Col.4:2) |
Peace with self and God (Col.3:15) |
Warning of the dangers of bitterness and the damage it causes(Col.1:28) |
Growth (Col.3:16) |
Rewards (Col.3:24) |
Service (Col.3:24) |
Restoration with the brethren and with God (Col.2:2) |
This study could not have been accomplished without the mercies of my Father, the sacrifices of my best Friend, and the wisdom given by my Comforter. Therefore, all glory and honor belongs to the Godhead for any and all fruits that may result from it. Bro. Mike Althaus
All scripture used is taken from the Word of God--KJV 1611
Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
Acts 7:60 And he (Stephen) kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.
Gen.50:17 ... and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. (Joseph's brothers)
The first step back into fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ is being back in fellowship with other Christians. We are commanded by the Lord to take care of our differences between each other first before we go before Him for anything. (Matt.5:23-24) Our prayer life is hindered, (Prov.28:9) our worship is hindered,(Matt.5:23) and our fellowship with the Lord is hindered. (1Jn.1:6-7)
For many, this is the hardest step taken because of the hurt they might have felt, whether intentional or not. Our human nature is one of revenge. We don't want to forgive, but rather we want to retaliate. There are several ways that an individual does this:
However, God in His patience, tries to draw them back through several ways:
In this lesson, we will look at the three areas of forgiveness. These three need to be confronted before we can have restitution with Jesus.
Gen.50:15-21 And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
Although Joseph's brothers did him much wrong, Joseph was ready to forgive.(Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.)
How was he able to do that after all that he went through because of them.
a) There was no malice in his heart towards them. In Col.3:8 we are to put off anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.(All these take care of the first way we try to strike out with) and we are to put on kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; and we are to forbear (put up with) one another, if any man (or woman) have a quarrel against any; (that means you against them, or them against you!) and we are to do it even as Christ forgave us (we didn't deserve forgiveness, but He made a way anyway; that being the cross at Calvary) so also do ye.(That is a command, not a suggestion)
b) Joseph forgot about it and he didn't continue to bring it up! (And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.) It was his brethren that brought it up, not Joseph. It was never mentioned again after Joseph put them at ease about it. If you are ready to forgive, then you must be ready to bury it and never allow it to resurface again. Micah 7:19 ".. thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." Jer.31:34 .. for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
The Lord is ready to forgive because He is ready to forget. The question is: ARE YOU?
There are two kinds of forgiveness: us hurting others, and others hurting us. In these lessons, we will be looking at the latter. Although Joseph's brothers did him much wrong, Joseph was willing to forgive them. What is needed to willingly forgive someone when you know perfectly well that it was not your fault, it's cause you much pain, and bitterness is springing up in you.
a) You need to overlook the cause of the problem. ("God meant it unto good") Yes, they caused Joseph grief, heartaches, and loneliness. Yes, they caused him to be accused falsely, caused him to spend time in prison, to be sold and treated like a slave. Yes, they cause him anguish to be separate from the ones he loved, his father Jacob and his brother Benjamin.(**personal note: I believe Joseph was closest to Benjamin because (a) they were brothers, not half-brothers and
(b) they came from Rachel who was Jacobs first true love) But yet, when there was a famine in the land, he made sure his father and brothers were taken care of. Why? If anyone had a reason to be bitter and get revenge, it certainly was Joseph. Being the second most powerful individual in Egypt, he was in the position to do serious damage to them if he wanted to. But he didn't. Long before king David penned these words, the Lord already showed Joseph that the LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.(Psa.145:17) He was able to overlook what they've done to him.
That kind of attitude can only be a result of the Holy Spirit. Eph.4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. I'm thankful that the Lord overlooks many of my faults and He tells me to do the same.(Matt.18:32-33)
b) We need to look at the cause of the problem. The reason Joseph's brethren sold him in the first place was because of jealousy and envy. (Gen.37:4,8,11) These are the same reasons that the scribes and Pharisees delivered up Jesus to Pilate (Jn.11:47-53; Matt.27:18) But yet both these men were able to forgive. Eph.6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
When we can fully grasp this Scripture and understand what it means, we then can see the cause of the problem; know that it is the satanic empire attempting to disorganize the body of Christ through our hurt feelings and our pride (only by pride cometh contention Prov.13:10) and overlook anything and everything that will stand in the way of our spiritual growth and walk with the Lord.
Has someone done you so wrong that you are willing to give up:
a)His mercy (Matt.5:7)
b)His rewards (Lk.6:27-35)
c)His forgiveness (Mk.11-25-26)
d)His compassion on you (Matt.18:32-35)
e)His blessings (1Pet.3:9)
The time is short, the cost is heavy, and our judgment is at hand. Psa.86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Would to God we as humans would have the same mind.
Bumps appreciated. Thoughts and comments welcomed.
Later, Jacob, with his mother's blessing, tricked Esau out of his blessing as well: Gen 27:30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me. 32And Isaac his father said unto him, Who [art] thou? And he said, I [am] thy son, thy firstborn Esau. 33And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where [is] he that hath taken venison, and brought [it] me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, [and] he shall be blessed. 34And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, [even] me also, O my father. 35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. 36And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? 37And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? 38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, [even] me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. [Can't you just feel his pain? and I mean that sincerely.] 39And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; 40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck. [IIKings 8:20].
41And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then [after that] will I slay my brother Jacob. 42And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, [purposing] to kill thee. 43Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; 44And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away; 45 Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget [that] which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day? 46And Rebekah said to Isaac [good ruse], I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these [which are] of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me? http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Gen/Gen027.html#30
So Jacob fled, eventually marrying Leah and Rachel, and two handmaids there. Esau, to spite his parents, went to his uncle Ishmael and married one of Ishmael's daughters.
The next time the two brothers met (20 years later?), Jacob was very frightened when he heard his brother was coming with 400 men to meet him, so he split up his company, his family, and his goods. He sent the handmaids and their children ahead of Rachel and Leah and their children, so that if Esau killed those in the first group, perhaps the one pulling up the rear could escape. The meeting was much different than Jacob anticipated:
Gen 33:1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. 2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 3 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. 5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who [are] those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant. 6 Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. 7 And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves. 8 And he said, What [meanest] thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, [These are] to find grace in the sight of my lord. 9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself. 10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. 11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took [it]. God had dealt graciously with both brothers, and Jacob, still feeling guilty for stealing Esau's blessing, returned to his brother some of the blessings he had received.
However, although it appears the descendants of the two often got along and even appeared to often name their sons (with an Israelite or Arabic twist) after each other, the descendants also carried a blood feud that has continued to this day.
This is an area I don't know much about, and I get twisted around in all the genealogies, but I hope to have more time to study it (if the two of them don't start WWIII first). I guess Kings and Chronicles is where most of their history is written. (?) Would that they could find forgiveness in their hearts toward one another once again.
One of my favorite resources for studying the Bible is www.blueletterbible.org. It's "word search" feature is great for looking up passages because it allows you up to five words at a time.
I've recently come to appreciate greatly the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge feature (The K to the left of the passages) for getting an historical (OT to NT) perspective on a particular passage, and it really helps to explain some passages that are unclear. And then, what would I do without the commentaries (letter "L" to the left of the passages) by Matthew Henry and JF&B? When I'm really pressed for time, I'll just check out JF&B, but when I have more time, I check out both of them. It's been said that every Christian should read Matthew Henry through at least once. I haven't reallly tried the other commentaries, other than a more modern one yesterday which was very good, but my pea brain forgets what it was!
Another feature is the "I" for images/maps, including the map of Gog and Magog. I think the first "Gog" (which means "head") was Nero (see the Beast of Revelation Identified). Justyn Martyr (after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD) said that the prophecy was fulfilled that as the descendants of Shem had retained "the property and dwellings of Canaan; and again that the descendants of Japheth would take possession of the property of which Shem's descendants had dispossessed Canaan's descendants: and spoil the descendants of Shem, even as they plundered the sons of Canaan. And listen to the way in which it has so come to pass. For you (Trypho, a Jew), who have derived your lineage from Shem, invaded the territory of the sons of Canaan by the will of God; and you possessed it. And it is manifest that the sons of Japheth, having invaded you in turn by the judgment of God, have taken your land from you, and have possessed it. Thus it is written: 'And Noah awoke from the wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him; and he said, Cursed be Canaan, the servant; a servant shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. May the Lord enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the houses of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.' Accordingly, as two peoples were blessed, those from Shem, and those from Japheth, and as the offspring of Shem were decreed first to possess the dwellings of Canaan, and the offspring of Japheth were predicted as in turn receiving the same possessions, and to the two peoples there was the one people of Canaan handed over for servants; so Christ has come according to the power given Him from the Almighty Father, and summoning men to friendship, and blessing, and repentance, and dwelling together, has promised, as has already been proved, that there shall be a future possession for all the saints in this same land. And hence all men everywhere, whether bond or free, who believe in Christ, and recognise the truth in His own words and those of His prophets, know that they shall be with Him in that land, and inherit everlasting and incorruptible good." http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/ANF-01/anf01-48.htm "CHAPTER CXXXIX - The Blessings, and Also the Curse, Pronounced by Noah Were Prophecies of the Future"
[Isn't that something. The Jews and Arabs are fighting over "Israel", when God has promised it to His son, Israel, who is Jesus Christ, and ANYONE who believes in His name. If they could just accept Jesus Christ, they could be there living in plenty tomorrow. Funny thing, I can't think of anywhere I'd less want to live!]
But didn't God promise "Israel" to the Jews? The answer is in Joshua 23. 11Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God. 12Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you [oops, I wonder if this included the Edomites?] : 13Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you: but they shall be snares and traps uto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you. 14And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof. 15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you. 16When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed your selves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you. (See Justin Martyr above).
The sons of Japheth became the Gentiles, and somehow the idolatrous tribe of Dan (whose mother, Bilhah, a handmaiden, who came from up thataways) figures in there, I think, because the Romans carried the eagle ensign, which it is said, the tribe of Dan took up in defiance of God, Who said they would be a "serpent by the way, an adder in the path". Which they have, in the sense of twisting and turning around the earth, and probably back again a few times. Do a flag search for the eagle! Now their modern descendants are feeling more bold, and are displaying the serpent as well. (See Amos 8:14 - and Rev. 20:8,9 IMO - for the end of that story). An interesting aside on the eagle. Run a series of concordance searches on the word, and you'll find it ends up saying something about evaporation (by the flapping of the wings, I think); to wax cold. Remember what Jesus said about "the love of many will wax cold"? Could be just coincidence, but when the people said "We have no king but Caesar" (whose ensign was the eagle), I wonder if that was what He had in mind?
I use blueletterbible.org a lot anymore to check up on what people like Jack Van Impe and others say. I've come to see that like a lot of other "Christian" preachers, Van Impe has an agenda, because he twists and turns the scripture to make it say what he wants it to. Right now he's on the attack against the preterists, and showing his ecumenical leanings more and more in the process.
Another Bible site I ran across recently that I really like because it links to more information on names and words within the text of the Bible verses, is Christiananswers.net. It also has a good little lesson on the Bible from beginning to end, which would be good for children or just "babes in the faith". I learned quite a bit from it myself. www.christiananswers.net/godstory/creation1.html . (I think it also comes in about 27(?) different languages.
When I want to know more about the book of Revelation, I go to preteristarchive.com (at this point, I'm a partial preterist) and read Josephus' War of the Jews, or whatever; or David Chilton's "Days of Vengeance" online. I gave the latter URL out a few times before I had read the whole thing. Then I heard that he had been a Catholic and the book was a Jesuit plot, and I wanted to check it out a little more thoroughly before I gave it out again. I still don't know if the book "is a plot" or not, but he confirmed a lot of things I was starting to figure out, and I agree with what I've read so far (I jump around in it quite a bit).
He gives an interesting explanation for the birth of Christ as written in Revelation 12. Curiously, or not so curiously when you consider the face of the devil that appeared in the flames of the towers, the devil always trying to mimic Christ, David Chilton seems to have pinned down the date of Christ's birth to September 11, 3 BC, during a two-hour period when "the moon was at her feet", and at the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets. To read it, go to http://freebooks.entrewave.com/freebooks/docs/html/dcdv/dcdv.html and hit pages 323-328...p. 328 is the first mention of September 11, I believe. (CBN News had a story, "Star of Wonder", that seemed to confirm it...hmmm?) But don't take my word for it or his word for what he writes; always double-check with the Bible.
Sorry to ramble. I've been asked more than once by folks who I've gotten together with to discuss the Bible, if I couldn't just keep to one subject. I always tell them emphatically, NO! One part is connected to another part which is connected to another part and so on, and I want to know it all.
Here's praying for a peaceful solution in the Middle East. My kids are tired of living in a war zone, and I'm sure the kids in the Middle East are too (not to mention how the American kids feel who have watched their parents go off to the ME.) I'm still haunted by the face of a very dignified Arab gentlemen in Baghdad I saw briefly on the news on Christmas eve. He appeared to be sitting in a church, and he looked SO sad, facing what they were saying was an inevitable war. I felt sorry for him before; now I know firsthand how he feels.
Anyway I quickly skimmed the JF&B commentaries on Obadiah, and saw that Edom was the ancient enemy and the last foe to be conquered. (Romans 9:13 seems to be strongly suggesting physical Edom, but we may be talking about not only physical Edom, but spiritual Edom here. I feel like we have definitely entered that realm big time. The New Covenant of Jesus Christ is a covenant of grace and NOT race. His people are all over the world, in every nation, being persecuted to the end. One of His missions was to search all hearts, "prove" them -search "to prove you" -, and elect those He knew He could bring back to His Father. I've been hearing and reading that Jesus is appearing in dreams to people in the Arab world. I pray that this is true, and if it is, I think this is extremely significant. Then again, it is beginning to look like only a remnant of Edom will be saved, doesn't it?). But I also think the final battle will be God's. If you read any of Josephus, you may have noticed the passages where he related that many testified of the angelic soldiers and chariots waging war in the streets of Jerusalem and in the heavens. (I can't check for you, but I think it was under the heading of The Signs Preceding the Destruction - other signs included the comet that hung over the city for a year, the cow being led to sacrifice giving birth to a lamb (?), the huge, heavy temple doors that usually took several to open being flung open by themselves and loud voices saying "Let us depart from this place". David Chilton's and Matthew Henry's views of Rev. 20:7,8,9 seem to agree as well, that this battle is God's, so that no one else gets the glory, and the world will know that He is Who He says He Is (the Great I AM!) Searching an old post this morning, as well, some one had made reference to Isaiah 59 http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Isa/Isa059.html#1". It is very comforting at this time. Verses 1-14 names the transgressions of ourselves and our oppressors. So people need to be searching their hearts and confessing their sins to the LORD; He is graceful and just to forgive and he who falls on the Rock will be broken (truly contrite for their sins), but he who the Rock falls upon will be ground to powder. Verses 15-21 shows God coming out of His secret place like the TRUE Roaring Lion that He is, to "contend with those who contend with you". (And I sure hope this is sooner rather than later. I hope Christians reading this know that His power in you is greater than he that is in the world. The power of prayer in the hands of the people of God is a sword - PLEASE USE IT! A lot of Christians don't seem to realize that God set up His kingdom on earth (see Dan 2:44) when Jesus overcame Satan/Lucifer/death when He rose from the dead. He said the last enemy to conquer was death, and He did that! Jesus also said at the Last Supper, I will not drink again of the fruit of this wine until I drink it new with you IN MY FATHER'S KINGDOM. Acts 10:41 records that He ate and drank with the disciples. It doesn't say they drank wine, but He had told them to do that when they met, in remembrance of Him. What do YOU think they drank? Great passages here: http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Rev/11/15.html.
I found this one of great interest. "Isa 27:13 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem." Someone was on CBN News this morning talking about the Christian church in Assyria, and how they have been persecuted for decades. Someone had posted a link to www.ninevah.com some time back, and one of the articles there related how the Vatican had used Islam to push people into the arms of the Catholic Church, the same way the British Monarchy, according to The 500-Year History of the Neo-British Monarchy, has used Islam and Judaism as a squeeze play against Christians. I wish I had time to post the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge for all these verses, but I wrote down earlier the TSK for Isaiah v.19 http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Isa/59/19.html.
Back to the original point of your post re "forgiveness", I found that I had made some notes regarding TSK for several passages:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Mat/18/35.html Admonishes us in no uncertain terms TO FORGIVE.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Mat/6/12.html
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Mat/6/14.html
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/1Jo/3/10.html
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/Jhn/13/35.html
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tsk_b/1Jo/4/20.html
Also, I went back and read Gen. 37 and was reminded that the brothers who sold Joseph into slavery were the sons of Bilhah (Dan and Naphtali) and Zilpah (Gad and Asher). Note Dan (and Ephraim) do not appear in the 144,000 of the tribes of Israel sealed in Rev. 7. However, a Roman (tribe of Dan?) was the first one recorded upon the death of Christ to express belief that He was the Son of God: Mat 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
Another good passage for today: Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord (lower case=Jesus) shall be saved.
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