Posted on 05/21/2007 1:31:42 AM PDT by bruinbirdman
Small problem.
The destruction of the Antichrist occurs at Jesus >>>Parousia<<<.
That hasn’t happened yet.
5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
I'm not quite sure I'm a dispensationalist, but Jesus seemed to make a distinction here.
Absolutely, as it does for all ungodly men. See Rev. 19:20 and 20:11ff. They picture the judgment of God on the last day.
FYI... the two individual humans we know from Scripture that will definitely occupy Hell - Judas Iscariot and the Antichrist.
Bingo ----
"At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem, neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart."[Jeremiah 3:18]
We are citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, the true, faithful, and loyal Jerusalem, the Jerusalem that recognizes God's anointed King, the Lord Jesus Christ. The false Jerusalem, the one that denies Jesus, is in bondage with all of her children.
You need to reread that scripture from Galatians. It says "the Jerusalem which now is ....". ---- meaning the Jerusalem at that time and it is true that that Jerusalem was in bondage.
But when the King returns to earth, the Jerusalem that now is will be rebuilt ---- else why pray the Lords Prayer: "thy kingdome come ... on earth as it is in heaven".
In this new Jerusalem, every citizen has instant access to The King. There's no standing in line for days under a sweltering mid-eastern sun, awaiting a brief audience of a second or two in the Holy Presence. Our Catholic friends consider it the high point of their lives if they can have an audience with their pope for just a few minutes. We can talk to our Great High Priest at any hour of the day or night, for as long as we want to!
And your vision of an earthly city with a long line of sweating audience seekers, and a handful of folks getting rich off the porta-potty concession is better than my vision .... how?
[1] There was a bizarre heresy floating around Pentecostal circles a half-century ago that imagined the Bride as a separate entity from the whole church. Of course, they numbered themselves among "the manifest sons of God," and left us second-rate saints out in the cold! But that's old news ...
“Absolutely, as it does for all ungodly men. See Rev. 19:20 and 20:11ff. They picture the judgment of God on the last day.”
That is doing violence to the plain meaning of the scripture.
Where does scripture say that the New Jerusalem is the Church?
How so?
So can your "Catholic friends".
Excellent point, and I am glad to number believing Catholics among my friends.
The contrast I am attempting to make is between the generic, normal, standard, orthodox Christian experience of being in the Lord's presence any time, anywhere, and the dispensational hope of someday getting to stand for days under the sweltering Mediterranean sun in order to exchange a few brief words with One who is confined, geographically and chronologically, to an imaginary future Jerusalem.
But here, Tom, I fixed Zechariah 8 for you:
"3Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell [be confined geographically and chronologically] in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.
"4Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.[in that sweltering Mediterranean sun]
"5And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.[in that sweltering Mediterranean sun]
"6Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes [except for that sweltering Mediterranean sun]? saith the LORD of hosts.
8And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness [except for those who can't handle that sweltering Mediterranean sun].
9Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built [with those sweaty hands under that sweltering Mediterranean sun].
10For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour [even sending that sweltering Mediterranean sun].
11But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the LORD of hosts. 12For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things [under that sweltering Mediterranean sun].
15So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not [for I will even try to do something about that sweltering Mediterranean sun, maybe send some occasional clouds].
22Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD [and for those who can't handle that sweltering Mediterranean sun, there will be a hotter place].
Antichrist is "instead of Christ". It is the role Satan assumes when he comes to earth pretending to be Christ. Jesus warns us about him in His Olivet prophecies.
Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where *it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
*it should have been translated as (he)- it is an entity, the desolator, not desolation. His number is 666 - he comes at the 6th seal, 6th vial and 6th trump.
At the 2nd Advent that role of Satan, as anti-christ (instead of christ) and the beast (religious beast) were both thrown in the lake of fire:
Rev.19:20 And the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
The mark is to follow him, to believe he is Christ. Both roles are done away with but not Satan himself.
Rev.20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev.20:7-10 tells us that when Satan is released he tries to deceive again, and many will follow him, but only for a short time as God "devoured them". They are cast into the lake of fire.
Some believe that lake of fire is a place where one is tortured forever while others believe it is a Hebraism that means they are blotted out - gone forever and ever.
Judas Iscariot is a different story. In Matthew 27:3, "Then Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw that He was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.
4.Saying, "I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood," And they said, "What is that to us? see thou to that."
5.And he cast down the pieces of silver in the Temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
When we go to Acts we see that he had a lot of help in hanging himself -
Acts 1:18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
It sounds as if some of those "religious" folks at the temple didn't want the whole story to get out so had Judas slit open and then hung. (something to think about)
At the same time we must realize those that killed Christ were not truly Jews. The chief priest was not appointed by God but by the Roman governor. They are the ones Jesus referred to when He said :
Rev.2:9 ....I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
Our brother Judah is not to blame for the death of Christ.
Satan is the only one that has been condemned, by name, to death. The fallen angels have also been condemened and will die upon Christ's 2nd advent. Judas repented and as terrible as the act was he committed, it is still not the unpardonable sin. What happened had to happen - it was why Christ came to earth. God judges.
Our current Sunday School class is about Abraham, and is just like that. I'm waiting to see what he'll make of the covenant (or even if he gets around to it).Lee, that is the real key for me. I had been a Christian for 25 years and had taught in a number of capacities, and still did not understand that the GOSPEL is the heartbeat of this whole deal. ...Seeing the entire Old Testament as the great throbbing heart of God as he lays out the SAME message of CHRIST, CHRIST, CHRIST makes it so much more a relevant message...., as it is esentially the SAME message all the way through.
Said Sunday School class did get to Genesis 15 this last Sunday. What did our teacher have to say about the covenant? About the strange (to our eyes) ritual of the cut animals, and the smoke and the fire of the Almighty (not Abram!) passing between them?
Not. One. Blessed. Thing.
Abraham's life is a sequence of moral lessons, and the promise was about the land. And we're going to get to see a John Hagee video about it an a week or two. Joy.
I wonder if I can get the teacher to read God of Promise?
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