Posted on 05/08/2020 4:37:58 PM PDT by pastorbillrandles
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:4-6)
The famous “Faith Chapter” in the book of Hebrews, begins with two Saints, Abel and Enoch as examples of faith which we are to imitate. Faith is the point, for faith is the only way to please God.
I once asked the LORD, ‘Why Faith? Why is that what you require?” I believe I received several answers in the form of scripture and impressions, from the LORD. God requires faith, because we simply cannot save ourselves. Only God can save our souls, no one can redeem themselves, therefore Faith is required, because faith glorifies God and not man.
Another reason for the requirement of faith that came to me, is that our problems began when we quit believing in the goodness of God. Adam and Eve were willing to entertain a false and degraded notion of God, that He was holding something back that would be good for the first couple. The Serpent bore false witness about the LORD, and they believed it.
The way back? It has to be faith. We must repent and believe again in the goodness of God.
The “hall of faith” begins with Abel and Enoch. One Saint who was murdered for his faith, and for bearing witness to God in a hostile world. There would be literally millions upon millions who would follow in his footsteps, being willing to let go of their life rather than deny the truth of God.
The other Saint, Enoch, was a man who lived in a kind of “end times scenario” living in the time leading up to the flood. It was a day of Apostasy, but Enoch walked with God, until God took Him home. He didn’t die , He was raptured. God took him home, to be with himself.
Faith was required of each of them.
I believe that we also live in an end-time. I have no doubt that Jesus is coming, and in our lifetime. What makes us unique is the re-emergence of the nation of Israel, in 1948, in fulfillment of the prophecies about the last of the last days. All of the prophets pre-supposed that there would be a national Israel, and a Jewish occupied city of Jerusalem, as well as a controversy over Judea, (The West bank) which would engulf the whole world.
The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. (Zechariah 12:1-3)
Which brings us back to our two Saints at the beginning of Hebrews 11. One died, He was martyred for his witness to God. The other one did not die. He was Raptured. Both of these Saints lived by Faith and Pleased God.
I believe that this speaks to us in our generation.
No doubt. many of us will end up dying. Perhaps some of us will be given an opportunity to be martyred. We are Saints and love God, but all things being equal, unless the LORD returns, we will die, one way or another.
(Of course, Christians don’t really die, they “go to sleep”) but the real point is that Faith is the only way to please God.
But according to the scriptures, there is a unique end-times event, coming, as I hope I have pointed out in this series, called the Rapture, or “Our gathering together unto Him”, “the Episynagogue” and Jesus coming to “take us where (He)…is, unto himself”. The LORD is coming to snatch us off the earth with a swift and irresistable power”.
To participate in such an event is a rare honor among the countless Millions of Saints who believed in Jesus before us.
But whether we die, or are martyred, o whether we are raptured, the real point is that we must live our lives by Faith,which is the only way to please God.
This is why I do not enter into the countless discussions as to the timing of the Rapture. “Will The Rapture be pre- ,mid , or post Tribulation”?
Honesty, the only things I am sure about the Rapture at all are that it is:
* For God’s Saints only, and the prospect of it is a comfort.
* A Mystery revealed in the New Testament era.
* It occurs before the actual “Wrath ” of God.
* It involves the “dead in Christ” as well as “We who are alive, until the coming of the LORD”.
As far as I know, all else can only be speculation. God doesn’t want us to know the exact timing otherwise it would be clearer. I am glad there is a Rapture, and my prayer has always been that I be involved in it, while alive. But I cannot say with certainty what the timing of it is, so I don’t.
What counts is Faith in Jesus. Not dead works, but a living, vital, infectious faith. Let us have a faith which still moves us to confess and forsake our sins, to Love and seek God. To forgive and love our brothers, and a faith which moves us to share with others what God has shown to us. Is your faith alive? Do you have oil in your lamp? Are you current with God?
We Overcome the World by our faith. “This is the victory that overcometh the World…our faith”. We overcome the Spirit of antiChrist also, by our faith. So also we overcome the sins that so easily beset us, and the Coldness and soul deadening effect of this world, by our Faith.
Of course we want out of here, we can increasingly see that there is nothing in this World for we who believe, but rejection and opposition.I want Jesus to come, and Long for the Rapture. I am either going up in it, or I am gong to die, but one way or another we are leaving.
Either way, the point is Faith. So I will leave the timing of the Rapture to God, and just strive to be counted worthy to attain it, whether ded or alive.
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:35)
One point we need to remember is that you have the written Torah (what we call the Pentateuch) + the prophets
But at the time of the Babylonian exile there were groups that called themselves Pharisees who held that there was in addition an Oral Torah.
The conservatives, the Sadducees, rejected this
But the pharisees persevered. They also had rabbis, synagogues etc.
Before 69 AD you had multiple sects of 2nd Temple judaism - including the Sadducees, the pharisees, the essenes AND the jesus-movement
The destruction of the 2nd temple destroyed the core reason for sects that focused only on the temple
But the sect of Jesus-movement focused on Jesus' sacrifice as replacing the need for sacrifices at the temple
And the sect of the Pharisees under Rabbi Ben Zakkai said that the sacrifices were no longer needed
Net-net, only 2 sects of 2nd Temple Judaism survived - the jesus-movement (future Christianity) and the pharisees (future "Judaism" but really "post-2nd temple Judaism")
The Law that Jesus commanded against was the Oral Law and additions - why is it that most of his debates are against the Pharisees? Why is it that the Jesus-movement who met in synagogues in 60 AD were persecuted by Pharisees and called the Pharisees as "the synagogue of Satan"?
The Law referred to is the accretions of sacrifice law and oral law
I would also point out that there is no official change to Sabbath - which remained Saturday.
A key point to note is that the sacrifice of Jesus has redeemed you. Jesus works on you to rise above our sinful nature to justification and to our eternal salvation thanks to grace.
I’m not sure how Jesus does what He does, just that He does.
I also think it’s interesting that each group of Christianity has it’s own views about how we go from here to the next level and the steps in between.
I really don’t know who is correct, but I lean more to the thinking that includes Purgatory at this point in my thinking.
I guess we’ll find out when we find out.
For me, it’s been less confusing than other sources “out there” and the prophetic messages have added to its credibility with me as a reader.
For me, it is what it claims to be. This is my experience since I began reading the messages years ago.
My faith and belief and understanding, as well as my want, hunger and need for more Jesus in my life, have all increased and become part of my being and thinking.
It’s possible that Vassula is a fraud, but what I’ve learned from the messages and its impact on me is real and has been significant enough for me to continue with it and the Bible on a daily, habitual basis since I read the first page and all that followed in the order in which they were written.
I read her book first and then the messages in TLIG and now receive the daily email messages from TLIG, along with many other things from Catholic and Protestant sources each day.
It works for me.
Just a point — the Sabbath was never changed from Saturday - not even in the Early Church.
The acknowledgement was that Saturday was Saturday and Christians worshipped on Sunday.
That’s the origin for the 2 day weekend - for both Saturday (the last day of the week) and Sunday (the first day)
The process by which we apply that to ourselves is called justification. Initially a person is justified by God’s free gift which we could do NOTHING to earn in our baptism. Then we move onwards in grace - sanctification through the work of the Holy Spirit. More like the drowning person grabbing the life-ring
Then there is salvation which ONLY happens after we die and are judged by our Lord. We are cleansed of the last sins, washed in the blood of the lamb in the time of purgatory - as no sin can withstand the presence of the Lord - in God there is no Sin.
https://ww3.tlig.org
Is this the source of your quote passage?
You were getting it so well, then you tossed in the mythos of purgatory.
mythos - the underlying system of beliefs, especially those dealing with supernatural forces, characteristic of a particular cultural group.
That’s an incorrect usage of the term
1John3:9Whosoever is born of God committeth not sin: for His seed abideth in him. And he cannot sin, because he is born of God. DRB
The born again spirit has no need of a 'purfatory' because it has remained sinless ever since God began ABIDING therein. The behavior mechanism/soul? Well it is learned only in sin until the directing by God's Spirit begins to transform it by the renewing of the mind of the soul But it is ultimately discarded when He come for His Body of Christ / born againbelievers.
The 'fkesh' is the soul and body. Jesus did not go to that Cross to save the flesh, which is the thing Catholicism in error claims goes to purgatory for cleansing.
Just thought you might want to read these exchanges ... without commenting to endanger your rime herein.
Salvation - is the delivery from Sin.
Christ redeemed all of us on the cross, and that redemption is for everyone, and indeed, all of creation has been redeemed - but not “saved” as in going to heaven.
The process by which we apply that to ourselves is called justification
Salvation is our entry into heaven - entering into the wholeness of God
Purgatory is all who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation and are purified in entry into heaven.
[6] Whosoever abideth in him, sinneth not; and whosoever sinneth, hath not seen him, nor known him. [7] Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doth justice is just, even as he is just. [8] He that committeth sin is of the devil: for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God appeared, that he might destroy the works of the devil. [9] Whosoever is born of God, committeth not sin: for his seed abideth in him, and he can not sin, because he is born of God. [10] In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. Whosoever is not just, is not of God, nor he that loveth not his brother.
The sinneth not is refering to mortal sin
The born again spirit grows in holiness and justification thanks to the redemption won by Christ’s sacrifice
The only biblical use of the term “born again” occurs in John 3:3-5—although, as we shall see, similar and related expressions such as “new birth” and “regeneration” occur elsewhere in Scripture (Titus 3:5; 1 Pet 1:3, 23). In John 3:3, Jesus tells Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The Greek expression translated “born again” (gennathei anothen) also means “born from above.” Jesus, it seems, makes a play on words with Nicodemus, contrasting earthly life, or what theologians would later dub natural life (”what is born of flesh”), with the new life of heaven, or what they would later call supernatural life (”what is born of Spirit”).
Nicodemus’ reply: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4). Does he simply mistake Jesus to be speaking literally or is Nicodemus himself answering figuratively, meaning, “How can an old man learn new ways as if he were a child again?” We cannot say for sure, but in any case Jesus answers, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born again.”’ (John 3:5-7).
Here Jesus equates “born again” or “born from above” with “born of water and the Spirit.”
Clearly, the context implies that born of “water and the Spirit” refers to baptism.
And a few verses later, John writes ho the pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John - in other words, when Jesus said that we must be born again, what he meant was baptism
I ppray the Lord’s Spirit work on the mind of your soul, to open His truth so you may escape the ‘other religion’ deceiving you.
There is a demonic idea going around that due to a corrupt few, the whole police force should be disbanded. I just realised the prophetic implication. Once the restraining force of evil is lifted, all restraining forces, Spiritual and earthly, will be gone. We don’t slash the remaining three tires when one goes flat, we fix or replace it and move on. Right now disbanding all police seems ridiculous, once the Restrainer is gone it may seem like a good idea.
I pray the the Holy Spirit works on your soul to bring you to Christ and away from non-Christian thoughts and deeds
John 14 talks of Jesus gathering His people in his Kingdom of Heaven that He inaugurated with His Sacrifice
With Jesus's sacrifice He broke the chains and defeated Satan.
[16] And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever.- and this happened at Pentecost and has remained with Jesus' Church, His community, ever since
[26] But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things,the Holy Ghost is promised to the apostles and their successors, particularly, in order to teach them all truth, and to preserve them from error.
Amen! The Holy Spirit ABIDING in the born again human spirit IS THE restrainer. The removal of His Body of Believers comes before the revealing of the antichrist, though the spirit of antichrist has been around since ... well, the Catholicism answer is somewhat muddled on that. But then, the catholiciism of our epoch is not Christianity anyway.
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