1ST PETER-
John 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young,
thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt
be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and
carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
John 21:19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should
glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
https://youtu.be/hKB_bQbmiNo 1st
Peter
ON VIDEO-
.No money for the healing
.Lepers healed
.3 words for love in Greek
.’I’m famous’!
.We are the letters
.Nero’s legacy
.See the Lexington and the great Bayfront view of Corpus
Christi
Correction- On the video I mention the healing of a leper
[verses below] and say Elijah healed him. Actually it was Elisha- his protégé’
PAST LINKS [verses below]
I add sections like this on the videos/posts because when I
review the videos if I mention a teaching- like Logos- Nero- Orthodoxy- etc.-
then I simply cut and paste my old teachings on the subject.
I add the WP links because if I quote from a bible book-
like Corinthians- I simply link my entire teaching- commentary- from the past-
instead of re-writing new notes.
(835)ROMANS 7:1-4 Paul uses the
analogy of a married woman ‘don’t you know that the law has dominion over a
person as long as he is alive’? If a married woman leaves her husband and
marries another man she is guilty of breaking the law of adultery. Now, if her
husband dies, she is free to marry another man. The act that freed her from sin
and guilt was death! Every thing else in the scenario stayed the same. She
still married another, she still consummated the new marriage. But because her
first husband died, she has no guilt. I always loved this analogy. For years I
wondered why these themes in scripture are for the most part not ‘imbedded’ in
the collective psyche of the people of God. We have spent so much time ‘proof
texting’ the verses on success and wealth, that we have overlooked the really good
stuff! Now Paul teaches that we have been made free from the law by the ‘death
of our husband’ [Jesus] so we can ‘re-marry’. Who do we marry? Christ! He has
not only died to free us from the law, he also rose from the dead to become our
‘husband’ [we are called the bride of Christ]. Paul connects the death and
resurrection of Jesus in this analogy. Both are needed for the true gospel to
be preached [1st Corinthians 15]. Notice how in this passage Paul
emphasizes ‘the death of Christ’s body’. The New Testament doesn’t always make
this distinction, but here it does. In the early centuries of Christianity you
had various debates over the nature and ‘substance’ of God and Christ. The
church hammered out various decrees and creeds that would become the Orthodoxy
of the day. Many of these are what you would call the ‘Ecumenical councils’.
These are the early councils [many centuries!] that both the eastern [Orthodox
church] and western [Catholic] churches would all accept. Some feel that the
early church fathers and Latin theologians [Tertullian, Augustine and others]
had too much prior influence from philosophy and the ‘forensic’ thinking of
their time. They had a tendency to describe things in highly technical ways.
Ways that were prominent in the legal and philosophical thinking of the West.
Some of the eastern thinkers [Origen] had more of a Greek ‘flavor’ to their
theologizing [Alexandria, named after Alexander the great, was a city of
philosophy many years prior to Christ. This city was at one time the center of
thinking in the East. That’s why Paul would face the thinkers at Athens, they
had a history in the east of Greek philosophy]. Well any way the result was
highly technical debates over the nature of God and Christ. The historic church
would finally decree that Christ had 2 natures, Human and Divine. And that at
the Cross the ‘humanity of Jesus’ died, but his ‘Deity’ did not. I think Paul
agreed by saying ‘we are free from the law by the death of Christ’s Body’ here
Paul distinguishes between the physical death of Jesus and his Deity. Note-
actually, Augustine would be in the same school as Origen. Alexandrian.
[parts]
My approach to these types of debates is I’m what you would
call Ecumenical- I believe that Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox- and all the
other ‘churches’ that profess Christ- I believe they are all Christian.
Now you might say ‘well John- doesn’t everybody?’ Actually
no- many of the most knowledgeable Apologists do indeed go after the other
groups. Quite often you will have a strong protestant defender [usually from
the Reformed faith] that will really hit the Catholic church- in my view- too
hard.
While it is true that historically Catholics and Protestants
have differences- I have often found that Many ‘average’ Catholics/Protestants
are not really aware of the real differences- they often have very limited
perspectives about the ‘other side’ and these limited ideas [often wrong] seem
to stay with the people- for most of their lives.
One example- the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception- what
is it?
The teaching became Official- only in the last 2 centuries
of the Catholic church- though it was held
by many- it finally became official in the last 2 hundred years [ 1854
for the Immaculate Conception- 1950 for the Assumption of Mary doctrine].
The doctrine teaches that the Virgin Mary- Jesus Mom- was
born ‘without the taint of original sin’. Now- what does that mean?
Some Protestants think the Catholics teach that Mary was
‘sinless’ in the same way Christ was sinless.
Actually- that’s not the official doctrine [see- it’s
important to know the official teaching when we engage like this]. The actual
teaching- that has the churches Imprimatur on it- is that Mary WAS A SINNER-
just like the rest of us- but in order for Jesus to have been born from a pure
vessel- that the actual work of the Cross- Redemption- it was applied to Mary
‘ahead of time’.
Yes- the official teaching is that Mary ‘was saved’ from her
sin- just like the rest of us- thru the Cross. The difference is the forgiveness
that came to Mary- came to her before she was born- yes- the teaching does
teach that Mary was born ‘without sin’ but not like Jesus was without sin- but
she was ‘without sin’ because her salvation was applied ahead of time- way
ahead of time- before she was born.
Okay- do Protestants believe in this teaching? No. But is it
‘so way out of line’ to the point where we should view our Catholic brothers
and sisters as ‘non Christian’ because of it? No- not in my view.
Plus- many Catholics don’t even realize that this is what
the doctrine teaches- many think it is talking about the birth of Jesus- being
born without sin- by the act of the Holy Spirit descending upon the Virgin Mary
and Mary conceiving.
No- this is what we call ‘The Virgin birth- conceived by the
Holy Ghost’. Jesus being born from a virgin with no earthly father.
This is not the Immaculate Conception.
So right here alone [trust me- there are many more examples
that I could give] Both Catholics and Protestants usually get the doctrine wrong-
yet they remain divided their whole lives- over something that they are not
even right about.
So I have found this type of stuff to be a problem while
striving for Christian unity- and many Christians prefer to see the ‘other
side’ in a negative light- and will continue to view them that way- till they
die.
I always feel bad when I lose a friend from the site-
sometimes you can’t help it [other times it is my fault!] but sometimes it’s
because we have views about things- strongly held views- and when others hold
to a different view- well we try and avoid them.
One day I received a Friends Request- to my surprise- it was
from a young Catholic priest- I did not know him but he must have read a few
posts of mine and liked them. He often gave me Thumbs Up comments on the posts-
and at times would tell me he loved the posts.
Most were my Theology/Church history posts.
Often times Catholics and Protestants can agree and enjoy
these types of studies. I love studying and teaching on the Church Fathers and early
Christian history- and these sources all have a very strong Catholic flavor to
them- so I see my fellow Catholics as being a part of a long tradition of
Christian history.
Many famous converts to the Catholic Church [Bishop John
Newman- converted from the Anglican Church] convert because they read the
Church Fathers- and when you read them- it’s obvious to see the catholic nature
of the early church in these men’s writings.
So anyway I was very happy to have a Catholic priest as one
of my ‘on line students’ [and honored].
But one day- during one of my studies [covering one subject
for a month or so] to my surprise I saw he was gone [yes- the dreaded block]. I
thought- geez- wonder why?
I realized it was right in the middle of a study I did on
Islam- and while I was doing the posts- I was also going thru a study on Islam-
by the same guy who teaches it to the U.S. govt. - yes- it was a prof. [I think
named Espinoza?] who teaches Islam to our govt. employees [sort of like a
tolerance type thing].
Though the teacher was Catholic- yet he was VERY much pro
Islam- I mean to the point where I had to reject some of the stuff he was
saying- and finish the study from my own education on Islam.
At one point- he taught that the spread of Islam thru out
the world had a wonderful- liberating effect on all the women in the lands
where Islam spread. I mean it was so obvious that the man had no idea what he
was talking about [in this area] that I realized he was not a good source [this
happens every so often].
And it was more troubling that this was the guy Obama picked
to teach Islam to our govt. employees [don’t get me wrong here- he teaches our
govt. workers- not to convert them- but more of an informative type thing- just
like you would teach any other course about sexual harassment- or whatever].
Anyway- in one of my posts while teaching on my site- I did
refer to Mohamed as ‘the prophet’- now- I don’t receive Mohamed that way
myself- but because I was teaching some Muslims who did recently join the site-
well I used the title in this way.
I think that might have been the ‘last straw’ for my
student/priest- he ‘went on Pilgrimage’ right after that post.
Okay- today’s point is we all should try our best to be
‘tolerant’ that is- we should give people as much grace/mercy as possible- but
at the same time we also need to be honest about the Christian faith.
Yes- as Christians we believe salvation comes thru Christ-
he was not just ‘one religious leader among many’ no- we believe he is the Way-
the Truth- the Life/light- no man comes to the Father- but by him.
Sometimes we do our best not to offend- we might even go out
of our way to receive people- other religions and systems that are not
Christian- that’s okay- I have Muslim and Jewish and all types of friends- I’m
glad they are my friends!
But we also have to be honest about our beliefs- and every
now and then that might- just might- earn you a BLOCK.
On today’s video- I attempted the impossible- to tell the
story of ‘everything’ in 1 hour.
Ok I bit off more than I could chew.
It took 2 hours [the next video ‘history of the world- part
2’ will finish it].
But- to sum up today’s video.
[parts]
Gematria-
a common use at the time John wrote- which gives each letter of the Hebrew
alphabet a numerical value.
Nero
Caesar[ 1st century emperor] equals 666.
STUFF
HE DID;
1-Made people worship him- as God [2Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you
by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away
first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all
that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the
temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.]
2-Castrated
a boy- named Sporus- then married him.
3-Put
tar on Christians- set them on fire and used them as human torches.
Nero
ruled as emperor and persecuted the early church- his rule led up to the
destruction of the Jewish temple in a.d. 70.
The
predictions Jesus gave to his apostles about the destruction of Jerusalem and a
great time of wrath [or tribulation] can indeed be seen as having happened
during the 1st century.
Many
people believed Nero to be the fulfillment of the anti-Christ that the New
Testament speaks of.
John
the apostle wrote that ‘anti-Christ’ were those who denied Jesus- at the time
of his writing [1st century].
John-
who wrote Revelation- said ‘the mind that has wisdom’ will figure out who he is
talking about.
John
sent this letter to actual Christians living in the 1st century.
You
would expect that the readers of the letter would have some clue to who he was
talking about.
As we
go thru Revelation- my intent is not to cover [and debate] all the various
views on all the verses in this book.
I
simply show you this view [which I think is about the best one out there]
Because we live in a day where many of the ‘end times’ teachings seemed to be
consumed with a future leader [a famous preacher just prophesied ‘the
anti-Christ is here’ the other day] who is still to come-
And
that this will set off a cascade of events [most see these events as prophesied
in Revelation- and sort of see it as a play book].
So-
it is quite possible that the anti-Christ was Nero-
And
yes- we live in a wicked world- and sure- we might/will continue to see men
‘rise’ and do wicked things.
But
when Paul and John wrote- in the first century- warning the believers about a
wicked ruler who would do bad things-
I
think it would have been a disservice if he were speaking about a leader- who
would not show up- until at least 2 thousand years later.
BELOW-
I pasted some various views here- just to give you a flavor of the different
ways Christians view some of these things.
At
the end I also added some of the passages I talk about on the video.
Here’s
a quote from St. Augustine- an early Christian leader- referring to the verse I
pasted from 2nd Thessalonians-
"Some
think that the Apostle Paul referred to the Roman empire, and that he was
unwilling to use language more explicit, lest he should incur the calumnious
charge of wishing ill to the empire which it was hoped would be eternal; so
that in saying, 'For the mystery of iniquity doth already work,' he alluded to
Nero, whose deeds already seemed to be as the deeds of Antichrist. And hence
some suppose that he shall rise again and be Antichrist. Others, again, suppose
that he is not even dead, but that he was concealed that he might be supposed
to have been killed, and that he now lives in concealment in the vigor of that
same age which he had reached when he was believed to have perished, and will
live until he is revealed in his own time and restored to his kingdom. But I
wonder that men can be so audacious in their conjectures" (De Civitate
Dei, XX.19.3).
I pasted this
from another site-
In both ancient Greek
and Hebrew, letters also represented numerals (as they do in Latin), their
values assigned according to the order of the alphabet, alpha and aelph,
for example, having the numerical value of 1. By adding these values, words
could be represented as the sum of their numbers. This literation of numbers
and numeration of letters was known as isopsephism by the Greeks and gematria
by the Jews (which, in cabalistic practice, has been used to interpret Hebrew
scripture). If the Greek spelling of Nero Caesar (Neron Kaisar) is
transliterated into Hebrew (nrwn qsr), the numerical equivalent is 666.
What is curious, however,
is not so much that 666 can be decoded to signify Nero but that the name of the
emperor is encoded in this particular number, especially since it could have
been represented more readily in other ways. If "Nero" is retained in
Greek, for example, the numeration would be 955 or, if "Neron," 1005;
in Hebrew, then 256 or 306, respectively. It only is when the words are
transliterated into Hebrew that the numeration adds up to 666 (nrwn qsr, 50
+ 200 + 6 + 50 + 100 + 60 + 200). Even so, this is an alternate spelling, a
letter in "Neron" being transliterated (nrwn instead
of nrw) but not in "Caesar" (qsr instead
of qysr), although these forms do appear in both the Talmud and a
contemporary Aramaic scroll from Qumran. It is intriguing, therefore, that 666
encodes the name of Nero in Hebrew when Revelation, itself, was written in
Greek.
One should appreciate,
too, that there were no numbers in Greek or Hebrew and that the "the
number of the beast" was not presented as a figure but as letters of the
alphabet or written in full. That is to say, it was not expressed as
"666" (indeed, discrete Arabic numerals would not be invented for
another five hundred years) but as the numerical values of the three letters
representing 600, 60, and 6.
For Watt, the
significance of 666 is that its expression in Latin is the sequential Roman
numerals DCLXVI, which parallels but is the antithesis of the "Alpha and
Omega" that John uses to characterize both Christ (22:13) and God (1:8,
21:6). As the Deity represents the beginning and end, so the Antichrist is a
reversal of the first and last, D (500) preceding I (1). To phrase this another
way, 666 (or rather DCLXVI) signifies the Antichrist because that number
signifies Nero, and Nero—who was a matricide, proclaimed his divinity on
Egyptian coins as the "Savior and Benefactor of the World," and the
first emperor to persecute the Christians—signifies the Antichrist. Indeed, the
procurator of Judea (c. AD 60) refers to Nero as "my lord" (kyrios),
the same title applied to Jesus (Acts 25:26).
If the Latin (rather
than the Greek) spelling "Nero Caesar" (above) is transliterated into
Hebrew (nrw qsr), the final "n" in Neron being
omitted (and its corresponding value of 50), the name computes as 616, which is
the number indicated in the oldest surviving copy of the New Testament (the
fragment illustrated below). If, instead, "Neron Caesar" is correct,
it may be that the Latin was transcribed incorrectly, perhaps because the
copyist realized that this transliteration did not equate to 666 and so omitted
the letter, which changed the sum to 616.
Still, each digit of
666 is one less than seven, the perfect number, and such mathematical play may
have tended to establish 666, rather than 616. Regardless of the number, Nero
is the only name that can account for both 666 and 616, which is the most
compelling argument that he, and not some other emperor, such as Caligula or
Domitian, was intended. Too, for the number to have any significance for a
reader of the first century AD, it would have to refer to a contemporary
historical figure.
Writing a century
later, Irenaeus is the first church father to comment on the number of the
beast, although he apparently was ignorant of what the number actually encoded.
Nor is he correct in assuming that John's vision occurred "almost in our
day, towards the end of Domitian's reign" (Adversus Haereses,
V.30.3; a tradition repeated by Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History,
III.18.3, and by the church fathers), which is to say sometime before AD 96,
when the emperor was assassinated and just a few years before John himself died
of old age. Rather, his presumed banishment to Patmos (where Revelation was
written) seems to have occurred almost thirty years earlier, toward the end of
Nero's reign and before the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, which John otherwise
would have mentioned.
For Irenaeus, 666 was
correct. The Antichrist "sums up in his own person all the commixture of
wickedness which took place previous to the deluge....and also sums up every
error of devised idols since the flood" (V.29.2). The flood came in the
six hundredth year of Noah and the golden image set up by Nebuchadnezzar (who
Shadrach, Meshach, and Bednego refused to worship) was sixty cubits high and
six cubits wide (Daniel 3:1ff). This being the case and "this number being
found in all the most approved and ancient copies....I do not know how it is
that some have erred following the ordinary mode of speech, and have vitiated
the middle number [L] in the name, deducting the amount of fifty from it, so
that instead of six decads they will have it that there is but one"
(V.30.1).
Nero, too, was the
sixth emperor, counting from Julius Caesar (as did Suetonius, for example, and
Josephus, cf. Antiquities of the Jews, XVIII.2.2, where Tiberius is
identified as the third). "And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The
seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are
seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come"
(Revelation 17:9-10). Of these emperors, it is Nero who had been "wounded
to death" but "his deadly wound was healed" and he still lived
(13:3)—Nero redivivus.
St.
Jerome-"As for the Antichrist, there is no question but what he is going
to fight against the holy covenant, and that when he first makes war against
the king of Egypt, he shall straightway be frightened off by the assistance of
the Romans. But these events were typically prefigured under Antiochus
Epiphanes, so that this abominable king who persecuted God's people foreshadows
the Antichrist, who is to persecute the people of Christ. And so there are many
of our viewpoint who think that Domitius Nero was the Antichrist because of his
outstanding savagery and depravity." (St. Jerome - Commentary on Daniel;
notes on Daniel 11:27-30, -- BAKER BOOK HOUSE Grand Rapids 6, Michigan 1958)
Some will suggest that the book of
Revelation was written only for those living at the time, and that 666 most
probably applies to Cæsar Nero, who ruled Rome from 54 to 68 A.D., rather than
someone from latter centuries. This point of view, which suggests Revelation
had an immediate application to the first century, is known as preterism. So, just how is Nero
linked to 666?
Preterists take Nero's name, Nero
Cæsar and transliterates the Latin into Hebrew. An "n" is added
to conform with the Hebrew spelling and usage of Nero's name, in a manner
similar to the Greek adding an "s" (i.e., Jeremias, Jonas, etc.). Other
names in scripture where the adding of an "n" may be seen are
Abaddon, Apollyon, and Armageddon. Once Hebraicized, the Latin Nero Caesar becomes "nrwn qsr," which when using the numeric
equivalent of the letters, then adds up to 666 as follows:
|
Nun
|
=
|
50
|
|
Resh
|
=
|
200
|
|
Waw
|
=
|
6
|
|
Nun
|
=
|
50
|
|
|
||
|
Qoph
|
=
|
100
|
|
Samech
|
=
|
60
|
|
Resh
|
=
|
200
|
An example of this spelling has been recently discovered in one of
the Dead Sea scrolls. If you use the same process, but without the added
"n" the result is 616. Interestingly, some early manuscripts have 616
rather than 666, but even scholars such as Irenæus [A.D. 120-202] attribute the 616 to only a
copyist error (Against Heresies: V, xxx) "this number [666] being found in
all the most approved and ancient copies" [of the Apocalypse] and asserts
that "men who saw John face to face bearing their testimony" [to it -
666].
|
The Seventy Weeks of Daniel Nine
by Prof. David J. Engelsma
I. The Premillennial InterpretationA. Who they are
A. In opposition to the premill view, there are two basic objections as a whole
.
All of these occur during the first advent of
Christ Jesus (from His Incarnation through His resurrection and ascension).
.
The period begins with the going forth of a
command to build Jerusalem (v. 25).
1) This is the decree of Cyrus that Judah may return to Canaan in 537 B.C. 2) See Isaiah 44:28 and Isaiah 45:13. 3) This was a crucial juncture in Israel’s history and a wonderful manifestation of God’s faithfulness. a) Israel is desolate, doomed. b) God then, amazingly, orders Cyrus to give Israel deliverance, life from the dead.
.
Basically, there are two objections; both
concern verses 26-27.
.
The 70 weeks are fulfilled in the first advent
of Jesus.
Another interpretation of the 70 weeks given by some Reformed amillennialists is the following. The 70 weeks are the entire period from the command to build Jerusalem to the second advent of Christ, including the present age. From Cyrus’ decree to the first advent is 7 weeks; from the first advent to the appearance of Antichrist in the future is 62 weeks; the 70th week is the brief period in the future during which Antichrist will reign and which ends with Christ’s return. The interpretation is possible because of another possible reading of the last part of verse 25. It is possible to translate the last part of verse 25 as follows: “… unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks; and threescore and two weeks the street shall be built again” etc. According to this translation, the building of the street and the wall, during the 62 weeks, is symbolic of the gathering of the church in the new dispensation. This interpretation is wrong for the following reasons:
|
Contents:
I. The
Premillennial InterpretationII. The Correct, Scriptural Interpretation |
[parts]
I mention on the video how God revealed himself to Samuel
thru his voice- and I have been teaching about the Logos recently.
God’s word comes first- then the ‘flesh’ the actual
outworking of what he wants to do-
Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that
the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were
not made of things which do appear.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any
thing made that was made.
Samuel is an important figure in the nation at this time-
because he will be the one to anoint the first 2 kings that Israel has- Saul
and David.
God was willing to start speaking to his people again- but
there would be a cleansing first.
The prophet Amos said ‘woe to you who ae looking for God’s
day- asking ‘why is God not speaking anymore’.
Because there’s usually a reason his communication is cut
off from his people- and that’s because his people are not hearing [hearing in
the bible is not simply ‘hearing’ but it means you obey what is said] him
anymore.
Yet- if we want to hear his prophets again- see his
miracles- then that entails repentance on our part.
For many years Eli’s wicked sons were ‘doing ministry’ and
the things they were getting away with
seemed a common practice.
All the people knew it was wrong- they despised ‘the church’
because bad stuff was going on.
Yet- that’s just the way things were.
But then God had a vessel for his voice- a prophet-
dedicated by a passionate mother- who kept her vow.
Much like the Virgin Mary- when the angel appeared to her-
she said ‘so be it’.
God needs willing people- then he too will speak again.
Yes- we too can hear his voice- and the word of the Lord
won’t be ‘scarce’.
VERSES-
1Samuel 11:1 Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped
against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a
covenant with
[parts]
But- to sum up today’s video.
Is the biblical account of creation accurate?
We read that God made everything- by speaking.
Is this even possible- or some silly fable?
Over the history of time we read the story of the Jewish
people- their trials and failures.
That’s the majority of the history of the Old Testament.
They believed the story in Genesis- while others questioned
whether or not all things actually had a beginning point.
In time- we see the rise of the Greek philosophers- during
what we call the intertestamental period [the 400 years between Malachi and
Matthew].
These thinkers were looking for the answer to these
questions- and the Greek word they used to describe this answer- was LOGOS-
which is the Geek word- for WORD.
Then we had the appearing of Christ in the 1st
century- and the apostle John calls him the LOGOS.
Hmm?
That’s the same word that the Greeks were looking for- John
says ‘we have found him’.
Remember- this is Jesus Christ- the living Word.
Ok- over time we had the great movements of history- the
Renaissance- the Reformation- the Enlightenment- the scientific revolution- the
industrial revolution.
Most scientists believed that all creation was eternal- so-
for them- the answer to ‘everything’ was- it was always there.
In the 20th century we had the great
breakthroughs of Einstein- and we call one of them the Big Bang theory-
meaning- all things did not always exist.
They had a beginning point- which we call the point of
singularity.
Ahh- now we are back to ‘where did it all come from- if at
the start- there was nothing’.
Yes- ‘In the beginning God spoke’.
So- at the end of the
story- of everything- we find the answer at the beginning.
In the beginning God spoke-Yes- the early followers of Jesus
called him by this name- THE WORD.
And science and logic
show us that all events need a cause [even the 'event’ of creation].
So- this history of the world- recorded in the scripture-
was true all along!
Surprised?
[parts]
1886- DIVINE LOGOS
Okay- just read Isaiah 65- one
chapter left.
These past few weeks I have been
going thru the last 15 or so chapters of the book.
There are lots of great themes to
do- maybe I’ll take a pic of the verses I wrote down and hung up here in my
study.
I also wanted to engage in a
conversation on the Divine Logos.
Huh?
Well yeah- maybe a little
scholarly sounding- but my goal has been to ‘upgrade’ our level of teaching.
When I say ‘our’ I’m talking
generally about the present day church in America- and the obsession with ‘the
now’.
That is ‘what do I get out of
this- monetarily?’
Yeah- that’s the rave of the day.
So- every so often I do my best
to walk the other road- to give the other side of the coin.
So- a few weeks ago I was at my
daughter’s house- we usually have the whole family over for the b-days and
stuff.
And my kids like playing those
word games.
So they bought some game- don’t
remember the whole name- but part of the name had LOGOS in it.
I just quipped ‘you do know what
that means’?
Now- I kid around so much-
sometimes they have a hard time believing me- like ‘sure- you’re making it up’.
No- for real!
Logos means WORD.
It’s the Greek language- which
the New Testament was written in- and it simply means WORD.
My 2nd oldest said ‘I
should have known that’.
My oldest daughter- Bethany- just
turned 27- Becky is a couple of years younger.
They both have degrees from
A&M University here in Texas- top notch school for sure.
So that’s why Becky ‘should have
known it’.
Anyway- this word is a favorite
in the writings of the apostle John.
In both the gospel and his 3
little letters [1st, 2nd and 3rd John] he uses
this term to describe Jesus.
‘In the beginning was THE WORD
and the word was with God…’
That’s the Greek word- Logos.
It should be noted that the early
Greek philosophers had a concept much like this.
All the way back to the time of
Plato- Socrates and Aristotle [around 500 years before Christ] the Greeks were
speaking about a universal principle- some type of ‘unifying theory’ that would
be the basis of all knowledge.
They spoke about this principle
as THE LOGOS.
So- some of the critics of
Christianity did use this as a criticism of the church- they say ‘see- the
disciples were just making stuff up- borrowing themes that were already there’.
Do they have a point?
A point- maybe- but that’s all.
In the letters of John we also
read him refuting a cult of the day- called Gnosticism [Gnosis is the Greek
word for knowledge. They believed that they had secret knowledge that the
others did not have. A modern twist on
this is sometimes referred to as Revelation Knowledge- it’s a form of this
‘special knowledge’ idea that existed in the early days of the church.]
An off shoot of this group were
called the Docetists.
These guys were pseudo
Christians- they held to some form of Christian belief- but denied the true
faith of the church.
They taught that Jesus was ‘a
phantom spirit’ that is- they denied what we refer to as the incarnation.
That God became man in the person
of Christ.
John was one of the youngest
disciples- and he also outlived the others.
His writings are probably the
oldest in the N.T. [Revelation]
So- he was around long enough to
refute the growing philosophical challenges to the church.
So- putting all this together-
when John said Jesus was the Divine Logos- he was not ‘stealing’ that idea from
the earlier Greek philosophers who were indeed looking for a Logos principle.
No- he was saying ‘look- we- the
followers of Christ- have found the thing you were looking for all the time- he
is the Wisdom- the Logos of God’.
See?
Okay- I haven’t read John in a
long time- nor have I ever studied Greek.
But- I do have a Greek lexicon [a
book that gives you the Greek word before it was translated into English].
And back ‘in the day’ when we
were young believers- seeking to learn the faith- these were the basic tools of
the trade.
But today- well- the tools are
motivation- success stuff.
Learning how to invest- make a
buck [or 2] - how to ‘create your world’.
Yeah- we really don’t have time
for all that silly stuff like the Logos.
After all- it’s all Greek to me.
Yeah- I know.
Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like
the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on.
Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Facebook] - I have
posted lots.
[parts]
facebook.com/john.chiarello.5
Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts-
re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. I deal with
issues at times that it would be beneficial for some of you to download and
save the file from the Word Press link. This creates a permanent record. The
on-line videos are only good if sites are not hacked- which has happened in the
past. Thanks- John.#
FEW MORE DAYS-
John
3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us:
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.John 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
https://youtu.be/ybBoVjrFH8o John- Bobby- Crow- Frankie
https://youtu.be/6ngj0xj8y9k Mary- Crow- Bobby- Frankie- Noah [see the
rescue dog on this one]
[links- verses at bottom]
JOHN- BOBBY- CROW- FRANKIE- [Tuesday 8-16]
Just did an off the cuff talk- I talked a little from John
13- how Jesus washed the disciples feet.
He showed us how to serve one another.
You will hear 2 people singing on the video- You’ll have to
watch to see who ‘we’ are.
It’s interesting- when I turn the camera on- the guys know
‘oh it’s ministry time’.
There’s no real ‘hey- we are doing ‘church’ type thing’.
But they themselves get into the mood.
Right after the video a girl in Timmons got sick- and Bobby
came and asked me if we could pray for her.
Sure.
Then after a little while- he came back out ‘John- that
other lady heard us praying for so and so- and she asked if we could pray for
her too’.
Of course.
This went on for a little while- Booby prayed some- I did as
well.
Bobby then said ‘John- we could have filmed this too’.
He saw it all as us ‘doing ministry’.
And there was no effort on my part- I actually have not been
feeling well- could barely keep my eyes open- very drained.
Yet I really did not do anything- it came from the guys.
After Timmons I spent a few hours with Mike and Danny- and
Mike shared lots of good insights- how he learned that even when he lived on
the streets-
He said it was important to not view himself as homeless.
He held jobs [I used to see him cooking at the local
restaurants].
And when he got off work- he had a spot- under the bridge
overpass- and he slept there.
Mike told me he viewed it as ‘camping’- like when he was in
the boy scouts.
That he would daily go to the store- get stuff to cook on an
outdoor portable stove.
Then get up early- eat breakfast where he worked.
And when he was short on cash- as a cook/dishwasher- he
would eat the untouched food others left.
But he told me he learned to survive- and not see himself as
homeless.
That he had to come to the understanding that he was
responsible for his life.
That he could not blame others for his situation [Mike has
been ‘homeless’ on and off for the many years I have known him- and he has almost
always had a job- or 2- during all that time].
He also takes the local community college courses.
I learn from their stories- I see it as an important part of
the ministry- for everyone to see the insights my friends have
MARY- CROW- BOBBY- FRANKIE – NOAH [Friday- 8-19]
I wasn’t going to film today- but right at the end I felt I
should.
I really liked what Mary said- I’ve known Mary for years-
never really talked to her.
But as you can see she has an interesting story.
Frankie sings good- he was just outside- hanging out.
At one point he was praying in tongues- so I wanted him to
sing the song for you.
I spent a few hours talking to the guys before we filmed.
These are just regular days for many of my friends- some are
not sure where they will be sleeping for the night.
Others have spots- outdoors- where they will stay.
I’m not saying they ‘like it’- but you would be surprised
how many of my friends have been doing it for years.
Yes- some struggle with addiction- and others- I think you
can tell at times- do have mental health issues.
But God even speaks thru them.
Maybe the purpose of me sharing these videos is to simply
‘humanize’ the plight of the homeless.
Maybe some of you have never really met a ‘street person’-
as you can see- some are smart- some are funny- they even laugh at my jokes!
[Well- maybe because they know it will guarantee them a cigarette? Even though
my jokes are very funny].
Ok- hope you enjoy these simple ‘snippets’ of life on the
street-
God bless all.
LINKS-
VERSES-
John 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew
that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the
Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the
end.
John 13:2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into
the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;
John 13:3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into
his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
John 13:4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and
took a towel, and girded himself.
John 13:5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to
wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was
girded.
John 13:6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him,
Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
John 13:7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest
not now;
VERSES-
2Kings 5:9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot,
and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
2Kings 5:10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and
wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou
shalt be clean.
2Kings 5:11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold,
I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of
the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
2Kings 5:12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better
than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he
turned and went away in a rage.
2Kings 5:13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and
said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou
not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be
clean?
2Kings 5:14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in
Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again
like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
2Kings 5:15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his
company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that
there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee,
take a blessing of thy servant.
2Kings 5:16 But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand,
I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.
2Kings 5:17 And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be
given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will
henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto
the LORD.
2Kings 5:18 In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when
my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my
hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the
house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing.
2Kings 5:19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from
him a little way.
2Kings 5:20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God,
said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his
hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and
take somewhat of him.
2Kings 5:21 So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw
him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said,
Is all well?
2Kings 5:22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me,
saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men
of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and
two changes of garments.
2Kings 5:23 And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he
urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of
garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before
him.
2Kings 5:24 And when he came to the tower, he took them from their
hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed.
2Kings 5:25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And
Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went
no whither.
2Kings 5:26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee,
when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to
receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and
sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?
2Kings 5:27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto
thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as
white as snow.
Luke 17:11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he
passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
Luke 17:12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him
ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
Luke 17:13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus,
Master, have mercy on us.
Luke 17:14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew
yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were
cleansed.
Luke 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned
back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
Luke 17:16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him
thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
Luke 17:17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed?
but where are the nine?
Luke 17:18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God,
save this stranger.
Luke 17:19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath
made thee whole.
[I quote from 1st Peter on the video- I was going
to add the quotes- but instead I’ll just recommend for you to try and read the
book this week]
21 As for
me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My
spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not
depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth
of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from
henceforth and for ever.
Is. 59:21
1Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober,
and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ;
1Peter 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves
according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
1Peter 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy
in all manner of conversation;
1Peter 1:24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as
the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
1Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this
is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
1Peter 2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience
toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
1Peter 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your
faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it,
ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
1Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also
suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
1Peter 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
1Peter 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he
suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth
righteously:
1Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the
tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose
stripes ye were healed.
1Peter 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the
flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in
the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Peter 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in
the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
1Peter 4:3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have
wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts,
excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
1Peter 4:4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them
to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
1Peter 4:5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge
the quick and the dead.
1Peter 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery
trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's
sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy.
1Peter 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an
elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the
glory that shall be revealed:
1Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the
oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but
of a ready mind;
1Peter 5:3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being
ensamples to the flock.
1Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall
receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
1Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.
Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for
God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
1Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of
God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Peter 5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the
same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in
remembrance. Peter
Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts-
re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. I deal with
issues at times that it would be beneficial for some of you to download and
save the file from the Word Press link. This creates a permanent record. The
on-line videos are only good if sites are not hacked- which has happened in the
past. Thanks- John.#
No comments:
Post a Comment