Religion Scripture Readings

[ABM]

yeah..it is incredible how he builds up to what he knew was to be, and how even almost to the last, the 12 kind of expected a different out come..

Sadly, many are still of that same ilk today.

 

[DaLincolnJones]

Sadly, many are still of that same ilk today.

he said that the blievers would have thier eyes open to the word and others would be blind..

 

[ABM]

he said that the blievers would have thier eyes open to the word and others would be blind..

Yep. Was just reading this passage this morning...

Matthew 7:13-27

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

 

[DaLincolnJones]

Yep. Was just reading this passage this morning...

Matthew 7:13-27

something else I have been thinking on..you mentioned how other nations were thirsting for the word, and how here the church was idle..I can see where we need a new spirit of revival in this nation. When we are mocked, my first thought wes to ignore them, but I believe that there are times I should engage..almost like to not do so would be aginst his teachings. Your opinion?

 

[ABM]

something else I have been thinking on..you mentioned how other nations were thirsting for the word, and how here the church was idle..I can see where we need a new spirit of revival in this nation. When we are mocked, my first thought wes to ignore them, but I believe that there are times I should engage..almost like to not do so would be aginst his teachings. Your opinion?

Engaging to the extent that it's done with the utmost respect. Jesus said "truth in love". We are to be salt and light to the world. Salt is a pleasing seasoning, as well as a preservative. Light exposes the dark. It's a tall order. When you pray, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you "engage" in the world. There's no shame in standing up for what you believe in, though.

1 Peter 3:15-16

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

 

[DaLincolnJones]

for you, my friend

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

 

[ABM]

for you, my friend

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Very true, very true, my friend.

I can't wait to get to church in the morning! Missed last week with my tooth fiasco.

 

[DaLincolnJones]

where ever two or more..that is my church

 

[ABM]

where ever two or more..that is my church

.

 

[ABM]

where ever two or more..that is my church

Do you live in the area? Would love for you to be my guest one of these Sundays. For now, we meet in a school in Clackamas.

That would be awesome!!

Tim

 

[DaLincolnJones]

Do you live in the area? Would love for you to be my guest one of these Sundays. For now, we meet in a school in Clackamas.

That would be awesome!!

Tim

mid valley, but thank you from the heart

circumstance allows that I must provide attention to my mother on sundays, she is no longer able to take care of her self, she lives with my wife and I . Sundays and her relief time so to speak

 

[ABM]

mid valley, but thank you from the heart

circumstance allows that I must provide attention to my mother on sundays, she is no longer able to take care of her self, she lives with my wife and I . Sundays and her relief time so to speak

I see. You're doing good and noble deeds, sir. Treasures in Heaven.

 

[DaLincolnJones]

I see. You're doing good and noble deeds, sir. Treasures in Heaven.

nothing so nobel, hahaha just take care of family like we should

 

[ABM]

nothing so nobel, hahaha just take care of family like we should

Not everyone thinks that way. You're doing a good thing. Glad you feel that way. I do a lot of things (shop, pharmacy runs, bank and other errands, housework, misc.) for my 90-year-old parents.....so I'm on the same page with you. I love my parents. They've done so much for me...it's the least I can do at this point in life.

 

[DaLincolnJones]

you know, if you ever have a reason travel south, me casa es su casa amigo. Sundays are faverable or evenings anytime..holidays are a free for all and friends and family are allways welcome..jeesh thanksgiving may be 15 to 30 but nobody ever goes away hungry..you have an open invite

 

[DaLincolnJones]

Not everyone thinks that way. You're doing a good thing. Glad you feel that way. I do a lot of things (shop, pharmacy runs, bank and other errands, housework, misc.) for my 90-year-old parents.....so I'm on the same page with you. I love my parents. They've done so much for me...it's the least I can do at this point in life.

very cool..if you ever need to talk, just let me know

 

[ABM]

you know, if you ever have a reason travel south, me casa es su casa amigo. Sundays are faverable or evenings anytime..holidays are a free for all and friends and family are allways welcome..jeesh thanksgiving may be 15 to 30 but nobody ever goes away hungry..you have an open invite

I appreciate that....a lot. Ya never know.

 

[ABM]

you know, if you ever have a reason travel south, me casa es su casa amigo. Sundays are faverable or evenings anytime..holidays are a free for all and friends and family are allways welcome..jeesh thanksgiving may be 15 to 30 but nobody ever goes away hungry..you have an open invite

My friend, BlazerWookee, lives in, I think, Albany or Lebanon. Do you live in that neck of the woods?

 

[DaLincolnJones]

My friend, BlazerWookee, lives in, I think, Albany or Lebanon. Do you live in that neck of the woods?

yep

 

[DaLincolnJones]

yep

I guess you may have figured out that I am protective of family, hahaha but I think if a wookie was a friend, he would be welcome to break bread as well

 

[ABM]

I guess you may have figured out that I am protective of family, hahaha but I think if a wookie was a friend, he would be welcome to break bread as well

He's about as loyal and sincere (with a WILD sense of humor! ) as they come!

 

[DaLincolnJones]

He's about as loyal and sincere (with a WILD sense of humor! ) as they come!

I say any time then, what say you?

 

[DaLincolnJones]

oh, when collage is going, my neice lives on campus so I have a spare bed room..she also relies on family when the dorms are closed..

 

[ABM]

oh, when collage is going, my neice lives on campus so I have a spare bed room..she also relies on family when the dorms are closed..

I'm gonna be heading to the beach within the next few weeks. How about we carve about an hour or so when I head down there?

 

[DaLincolnJones]

I'm gonna be heading to the beach within the next few weeks. How about we carve about an hour or so when I head down there?

fantastic

 

[DaLincolnJones]

Revelation 6 - The First Six Seals
A. The first four seals of the scroll bring four horsemen.

1. (1-2) The white horse brings a man of conquest.

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

a. I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals: From the previous chapter, we understand this scroll is the history and destiny of mankind and creation, and only Jesus - the Lamb - has the right to loose the seals on this scroll of the culmination of history.

i. If the scroll details the culmination of history, then these things must happen before the scroll is opened. This is not the fulfillment of history itself, but the preparation for it. The actual culmination will be detailed in Revelation 19.

ii. “It is worthy of remark that the opening of the seals is not merely a declaration of what God will do, but is the exhibition of a purpose then accomplished; for whenever the seal is opened, the sentence appears to be executed.” (Clarke)


b. And I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” Each seal is associated with a living creature (zoa, one of the cherubim of Ezekiel 1 and 10) who calls out “come” (or, it could be translated “go forth”) to each horseman.

c. Behold, a white horse: Some - perhaps they take their interpretive clues more from cowboy movies than from the Bible - believe the rider on the white horse is Jesus. Jesus does return on a white horse in Revelation 19:11-16. But this is a satanic dictator who imitates Jesus.

i. He rules (a crown was given); he rules with a bow, not a sword; and he exercises dominion over the earth (went out conquering and to conquer). But the results of his rule, as described in the following verses, show this is not the reign of Jesus.

ii. “The whole context and character of these seals absolutely forbid our thinking of this rider being the Lord Jesus, as so many affirm. His reign shall not bring war, famine, and strife in its train.” (Jennings)

iii. Here we reach an interpretive crossroads of the Book of Revelation. You can tell much about how a person understands this book and God’s prophetic plan by seeing how they understand this first rider. Those who think Revelation is mostly a book of history believe that this rider is Jesus, the apostles, or the Roman emperors. Those who believe that this is a prophetic passage, yet to be fulfilled, often account this rider to be the antichrist.

d. He went out conquering and to conquer: This final satanic dictator over men will be the more terrible than all previous dictators were. He will rule over men as a false Messiah, and lead man in organized rebellion against God, in the pattern of Nimrod, his first predecessor. He is the one often called the antichrist.

i. The idea of a satanic dictator over men goes back all the way to Nimrod, the ruler over Babel in Genesis 10:8-14, where it says he was a mighty hunter before the Lord. This has the sense that he was a mighty hunter of men, and that he did this offensively in the face of God.

e. Today’s political and social scene is certainly set for the emergence of such a political leader. All that waits is for the Lord to allow it in His timing after He takes His church from this earth.

i. And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7)

ii. Significantly, the first seal opened brings this dictator to prominence. We understand that the seventieth week of Daniel 9 begins when this dictator will confirm a covenant with [the] many, referring to the Jewish people.

iii. Many wonder if these four horsemen of Revelation 6 are connected with the seventieth week of Daniel and the great tribulation itself, or with the course of history up until that time. This initial emergence of the antichrist, connected with what we know about this leader from Daniel 9 shows that these four horsemen are connected with Daniel’s seventieth week and the great tribulation.

 

[DaLincolnJones]

2. (3-4) The red horse brings war and conflict.

When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

a. Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth: This rider doesn’t need to bring war and destruction. All he needs to do is take peace from the earth. Once this peace - God’s gift to man - is taken, men rush in with war and destruction.

i. Peace between men and nations is a gift from God. It is not the natural state of relations between men.

b. And it was granted: This authority is granted to the horseman. This is, directly or indirectly, the judgment of God.

c. That people should kill one another: We live in the age of war and conflict. Since World War II, there have been more than 150 wars of one kind or another on the earth, and at and given time there may be some three dozen armed conflicts taking thousands of lives yearly. The nations of the world often spend more than $1 trillion on military expenditures a year.

3. (5-6) The black horse brings scarcity and inequity.

When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”

a. A black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand: The scales symbolize the need to carefully measure and ration food. This speaks of a time of scarcity.

b. A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius: These prices are about twelve times higher than normal. It means that it would cost a day’s wage to buy the ingredients for a loaf of bread. This describes “a time of famine when life will be reduced to the barest necessities.” (Walvoord)

i. We often see great famine in the world today, yet fewer people suffer from hunger today than 100 years ago. However, understanding the ecological balance, it would not take much to plunge many into the kind of scarcity and inequity mentioned here.

c. Do not harm the oil and the wine: Yet, the nicer things will be available for those who can afford them. There will still be the oil and the wine that should not be harmed.

4. (7-8) The pale horse brings death.

When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

a. A pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death: This last rider shows that there will be a tremendous death toll from the dictatorship, war, famine and other calamities described by the previous three horsemen.

i. Our century has seen hundreds of millions killed by dictators, war, and famine. Yet this will pale in comparison to the death toll coming in the wake of this ultimate dictator. No wonder Jesus said of this time For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21)

b. Power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill: Power is given to the horseman, and given by God. Though all hell is breaking loose on the earth, God is very much in control. He still holds the scroll and opens the seals.

 

[DaLincolnJones]

B. The fifth and sixth seals of the scroll are opened.

1. (9-11) The fifth seal brings forth the cry of the martyrs.

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

a. I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God: That these souls are under the altar emphasizes that their life blood was poured out as an offering to God. The idea is drawn from Leviticus 4:7: And he shall pour the remaining blood at the base of the altar of the burnt offering.

b. Who had been slain for the word of God: It is probably best to see this as the cry of all martyrs for God’s truth, not merely believers persecuted by the coming world leader, the first horseman of Revelation 6:1-2.

c. And they cried with a loud voice: These souls in heaven cry out for vengeance (until You judge and avenge our blood). We usually don’t think of God’s people crying out for vengeance, but they make their cry to God, and leave the matter with Him.

i. When God’s people are persecuted, He will set it right. It isn’t wrong for God’s people to ask Him to do what He promised to do. So the blood of Abel cried out from the ground for vengeance (Genesis 4:10), as did the blood of unavenged murders in the land of Israel (Numbers 35:33).

d. It was said to them that they should rest a little while longer: These saints are instructed to wait. How long do they wait? Until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. This may mean that they should wait until all God’s appointed martyrs are killed.

i. Or, because the words the number of are supplied by the translators, not the text, it may mean that they wait until the character of the remaining martyrs on earth is perfected and complete. It is the way that you live that makes you a martyr, not the way that you die.

 

[DaLincolnJones]

2. (12-17) The opening of the sixth seal brings cosmic disruption.

I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

a. A great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth: In the Bible, celestial disturbances are often connected with the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Zephaniah and Jesus Himself all describe such things.

i. A passage from Zephaniah is an example: The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. (Zephaniah 1:14-16)

ii. Or, as in Joel 2:10-11: The sun and moon grow dark, and stars diminish their brightness . . . for the day of the Lord is great and terrible; who can endure it?

iii. Those who regard these events as history have to spiritualize them. One example is Adam Clarke, who says this great earthquake is “A most stupendous change in the civil and religious constitution of the world. If it refer to Constantine the Great, the change that was made by his conversion to Christianity might be very properly represented under the emblem of an earthquake.”

b. The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth: It is best to regard these pictures as real, but poetic. John isn’t using technically precise scientific language, but he simply describes what he saw.

c. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves: All people are equally brought low by God’s wrath. The judgment is all the more profound because it is the wrath of the Lamb.

i. “It is the wrath of love, the wrath of sacrificial love which, having done the absolute utmost for us and our salvation, tells us as nothing else could the certainty with which evil awaits its doom at the hand of God.” (Torrance)

d. Hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne: They hide not only from the terror of the judgments, but from the face of Him who sits on the throne. “What sinners dread most is not death, but the revealed presence of God.” (Swete)

C. Observations: How do the seals fit in God’s prophetic plan?

1. There are many different opinions, but it seems best to say that the seals, trumpets, and bowls that will be described later are not strictly sequential events. Chronologically, the trumpets do not follow the seals and the bowls do not follow the trumpets.

a. The first six seals are “a summary of the judgments distributed over the whole book; a brief summary of what will occur in ‘the day of the Lord,’ up the time of His actual Apocalypse or Unveiling in chapter 19.” (Bullinger)

b. That span begins with the revelation of the Antichrist (the first seal) and it concludes with the revealing of the face of Him who sits on the throne (the seventh seal).

2. Do the seals represent conditions immediately before the end, or more general conditions prevailing over a more extended period, up until the return of Jesus?

a. There is a sense in which we can say that the they represent both - dictators, war, famine, death and persecution have been familiar throughout all history, but not to the magnitude and severity with which they will be present in the Great Tribulation.

b. “The wars and famines predicted in the second and third seals are not unfamiliar events in the history of the world, but never before since the time of Noah has a judgment so devastating been consummated as to destroy one-fourth of the earth’s population at one stroke.” (Walvoord)

c. As far as the seals are concerned, they will be an intense amplification of “business as usual.” God will give mankind over to his fallen nature - and more!

i. This is not the case with some of the trumpet and bowl judgments of later chapters. They are completely unique manifestations of God’s judgment.

3. The sixth seal concludes with a valid question: Who is able to stand? Only the believer can stand before this great judgment, the one who is justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

a. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand. (Romans 5:1-2)

b. I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received and in which you stand. (1 Corinthians 15:1)

c. Testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. (1 Peter 5:12)

d. The believer can stand in the face of this great wrath of God because Jesus already bore the wrath the believer deserved.

 

[ABM]

Revelation 4

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits[a] of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Which reminds me, I love The Revelation Song.

[video=youtube;CWj19qj9SCU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWj19qj9SCU[/video]


While I'm on the Newsboys...

[video=youtube;zMrnTxNKDds]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMrnTxNKDds[/video]