*John 16:2 / *Jn. 16:2 -
Some congregations already kick some Christians out because those Christians do not conform to the theologies of those congregations. For example, a man was kicked out of a Pentecostal congregation for telling someone in the congregation that divorce and remarriage is adultery (Luke 16:18, Mark 10:12, Matthew 19:9, Romans 7:3, 1 Corinthians 7:11). And a man was kicked out of a Calvary Chapel congregation for telling the pastor that the pre-tribulation-rapture doctrine is mistaken (2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Matthew 24:29-31, Matthew 24:9-13, Revelation 13:7-10, Revelation 14:12-13, Revelation 20:4).
But John 16:2 does not apply to such congregations. For they do not and (hopefully) will never kill anyone over doctrinal disputes. For Jesus Christ forbids Christians to use any violence against people whom they consider (rightly or wrongly) to be their enemies (Matthew 26:52, Matthew 5:39). All that is allowed is excommunication (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15; 1 Corinthians 5:11-13).
So John 16:2 would apply only to people who say that they believe in God, but do not believe in the New Testament, such as non-Christian, religious Jews, or Muslims. It would also include the Gnostic Luciferians (Satanists) who will worship Lucifer (Satan, the dragon) and the Antichrist (the individual-man aspect of Revelation's "beast") during the worldwide reign of the future Antichrist (Revelation 13:4-18, Revelation 12:9). For the Antichrist will say that he is God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). And so his followers will kill Biblical Christians thinking that they are doing God service.
(See also Matthew 24:9 and Luke 21:12 above. And see sections 3-7 of Ephesians 4:11 below)
--
*John 16:7 / *Jn. 16:7 -
See John 14:26 above.
--
*John 16:8 / *Jn. 16:8 -
God's Holy Spirit reproves the world (John 16:8) through the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 3:16). Elect individuals at some point during their lifetime eventually accept the reproof of the Bible, and repent and believe in Jesus Christ (Acts 13:48b). But nonelect individuals can never accept the reproof of the Bible (John 8:43-47). They can only see what the Bible teaches as being foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 2:14). That is why the whole world continues to lie in wickedness (1 John 5:19b), despite the reproof of the Spirit.
(See also Romans 9:11 below)
--
*John 16:10b / *Jn. 16:10b -
This did not mean that the apostles of Jesus Christ would see Him no more forever. For John 16:16 explains that it is only "a little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me", meaning that they would not see Him while they sorrowed while His body lay dead in the tomb, but they would see Him and rejoice at His physical resurrection on the third day after His death (John 16:19-22, Luke 24:39,46).
(Compare John 14:19a above)
--
*John 16:13 / *Jn. 16:13 -
See section 2 of John 14:16 above.
--
*John 17:12 / *Jn. 17:12 -
This and John 18:9 do not mean that no Christian can ultimately be lost (as in, e.g., Hebrews 10:26-29), but refer only to none of the chosen/elect/saved twelve apostles of Jesus Christ (Luke 6:13) becoming lost, except Judas.
(See John 6:70 above)
--
*John 17:17 / *Jn. 17:17 -
This principle does not apply only to the apostles, but to everyone in the Church (John 17:20-21, Ephesians 5:25b-27).
--
*John 17:21-23 / *Jn. 17:21 -
See John 10:30 above.
--
*John 17:24 / *Jn. 17:24 -
This does not require that the rapture will take Christians into the third heaven. For John 17:24 could have three other fulfillments: First, obedient Christians go to be with Jesus Christ in His glory in the third heaven when they die (2 Corinthians 5:8). Second, Christians will be caught up and gathered together to be with Jesus in the sky, the first heaven, at His glorious, future, Second Coming (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, Matthew 24:30-31). And third, obedient Christians will be with Jesus on the earth during His glorious, future, Millennial reign (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29).
(See also the "heaven" section of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 below. And see 2 Corinthians 12:2 below)
--
*John 18:6 / *Jn. 18:6 -
Here the people fell to the ground because their spirits were forced to acknowledge, if only for a moment, who Jesus Christ is (cf. Philippians 2:10-11).
But their conscious minds did not acknowledge Him. For people's spirits can know things which their conscious minds do not know yet (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:14). That is why they got right back up and arrested Him. If you had asked them: "Why are you arresting the man whom you just fell down before and worshipped?", they could have replied: "We do not know why we fell down. Why do you claim that we worshipped him? Are you one of his followers? If you say 'Yes', we will arrest you too!"
(See Mark 13:9 above)
--
*John 18:9 / *Jn. 18:9 -
See John 17:12 above.
--
*John 18:36 / *Jn. 18:36 -
This means that Jesus Christ's future, physical reign on the earth with the physically resurrected Church (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29) will not be of this world in the sense that it will not come by worldly means, such as by the Church fighting physically to establish it (2 Corinthians 10:3-4, Matthew 26:52, Matthew 5:39). Instead, it will come only by Jesus Christ Himself returning physically from heaven to establish it (Revelation 19:7 to 20:6, Zechariah 14:3-21). Also, after the future Millennium and subsequent events (Revelation 20:7-15), a New Earth, as in a new surface for the earth, will be created, and God's Kingdom will continue forever on the New Earth (Revelation 21:1 to 22:5).
(See also paragraphs 3-5 of Acts 1:6 below. And see Daniel 12:7b above)
~
(Re: Is the Kingdom which Jesus is talking about here the Church?)
It is Jesus Christ's future, physical reign on the earth with the Church (Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:30). For in John 18:36, Jesus makes a distinction between His Kingdom and His servants, who are the Church (Romans 6:22, Philippians 1:1; 2 Timothy 2:24). And He makes a distinction between the present and the future. For "now is my kingdom not from hence" points to the present lack of violence (physical "fighting") on the part of His servants the Church to establish His Kingdom, whereas Zechariah and Revelation show the future violence which Jesus Christ Himself (and only He) will employ at His Second Coming (Zechariah 14:3-21, Revelation 19:11 to 20:6), to establish His physical, Millennial reign on the earth with the physically resurrected Church (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29).
Also, the Millennial aspect of His Kingdom will include some people who are not part of the Church (e.g. Zechariah 14:16-19).
(See paragraph 3 of Luke 17:26 above)
Also, the subsequent, New-Earth aspect of the Kingdom (Revelation 21:1 to 22:5) will include all people who are not part of the Church. But only in the sense of their eternal judgment. For the New-Earth aspect of the Kingdom will include all non-Christians, who by that time will have all been cast into the eternal suffering of the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8, Isaiah 66:22,24), which will be just outside one wall of New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:15, Revelation 21:8) on the New Earth (Revelation 21:1-8), as in a new surface for the earth.
(See also Acts 1:6 below. And see Isaiah 65:20 and Matthew 25:41 above)
--
*John 19:30 / *Jn. 19:30 -
This meant that Jesus Christ had finished His work of suffering for our sins (Isaiah 53:11), not that He had finished His work as King on the earth. For in our future, He must reign as King on the earthly throne of David forever (Isaiah 9:7, Luke 1:32-33).
(See also Acts 1:6 below. And see Revelation 16:17 below)
--
*John 19:36-37 / *Jn. 19:36 / *Jn. 19:37 -
In John 19:36, "these things were done" refers to the things done in John 19:33-34. John 19:37 refers to Zechariah 12:10. And John 19:36b refers to Psalms 34:20, which can mean that from the moment of Jesus Christ's incarnation in Mary His mother's womb unto eternity in His immortal resurrection body, which has bones (Luke 24:39), none of His bones can have ever been broken, or can ever be broken. In John 19:36 the original Greek verb (pleroo: G4137) translated as "should be fulfilled" is in the aorist tense and subjunctive mood: "The aorist tense is characterized by its emphasis on punctiliar action; that is, the concept of the verb is considered without regard for past, present, or future time", and the subjunctive mood "is the mood of possibility and potentiality. The action described may or may not occur, depending upon circumstances" (blueletterbible.org). So in John 19:36, "should be fulfilled" actually means "might be fulfilled", and can include a fulfillment in our future.
So John 19:36-37 can be saying that what happened in John 19:33-34 happened so that Psalms 34:20 and Zechariah 12:10 might be fulfilled in our future. For if the soldiers had not skipped over Jesus Christ when they were breaking the legs of the crucified people (John 19:32-33), but had broken Jesus' legs also, then Psalms 34:20 could not be fulfilled all the way from the moment of Jesus' incarnation unto eternity. And if Jesus had not been pierced at His crucifixion (John 19:34, Psalms 22:16b), then at His future, Second Coming (Zechariah 12:9-14, Zechariah 14:2-21), He could not be looked upon as one who had been pierced (Zechariah 12:10, Zechariah 13:6).
--
*John 20:26b / *Jn. 20:26b -
(Re: Even though Jesus is in the flesh, is He unbound from it, so that He can appear or disappear in the blink of an eye?)
Jesus Christ's ability to do that (John 20:26, Luke 24:31) does not contradict that He is still bound to the flesh (Luke 24:39), but means that His now-immortal, that is, His now-"spiritual" flesh body (1 Corinthians 15:44), is not bound by our three physical spatial dimensions.
An analogy would be the difference between a paper square and a paper cube: The difference is not in what they are made of, but the cube involves a higher spatial dimension than the square: It is not bound by the square's two spatial dimensions.
(See also the "String Theory" part of Ecclesiastes 11:5 above. And see section 2 of 1 Corinthians 15:50 below)
--
*John 20:28 / *Jn. 20:28 -
(Re: Does this mean: "And Thomas answered and said unto him, (1) My Lord (Jesus) and (2) my God (the Father)"?)
No, it means:
"And Thomas answered and said unto him (Jesus), My Lord (Jesus) and my God (Jesus)."
Similarly, the "and" in Galatians 1:4, for example, is not saying that the "God" and the "Father" there are two different people.
(See John 1:1,14 above)
--
*John 20:29 / *Jn. 20:29 -
(Re: Both seeing and believing)
See Matthew 16:16 above.
--
*John 21:22 / *Jn. 21:22 -
Jesus Christ asked John 21:22 only as a hypothetical, to get the apostle Peter to confront any envy which he might have over Peter's having to die a martyr's death (John 21:18-19), whereas the apostle John might not have to do that, because John was "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 21:20). John 21:23 makes clear that in John 21:22, Jesus was not saying that John would not die before Jesus' future, Second Coming.
(See Acts 1:11 below)
--
*Acts (Generally) -
(Re: Shows a decrease in miracles over time?)
The book of Acts is not an account of what was going on in the entire Church throughout the time frame of Acts. Instead, Acts focuses mainly on the acts of only the apostles Peter and Paul, and it does not necessarily include even all of their miracles. For example, it does not include the miracles which Paul could have done in Illyricum (Romans 15:19), or which Peter could have done in Babylon (1 Peter 5:13). Also, Acts does not include the miracles which the other apostles could have done in other places throughout the time frame of Acts, and long after it. Nor does Acts include the miracles which many other Christians who were not apostles, but who were nonetheless operating in the miraculous gifts of God's Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-11), such as the Christians in Corinth (1 Corinthians 14:26) and Rome (Romans 12:6), could have done in the time frame of Acts, and long after it.
Also, any lessening in the amount of miraculous activity only on the part of the apostle Paul as the book of Acts progresses toward its end (Acts chapters 21 to 28 are only about Paul) can be attributed to his being under arrest continually from the time of Acts 21:33 to Acts 28:31. While he was under arrest, he would not have had many opportunities to come into contact with large numbers of people, and to operate freely as he did while traveling from city to city before his arrest. God did not lessen Paul's power to perform miracles during his time under arrest. For Paul was still able to perform miracles right up to the last chapter of Acts, when he had the opportunity (Acts 28:8-9).
--
*Acts 1:5 -
Here, Jesus Christ was simply bringing up the concept of "baptism" to apply it to Holy Spirit baptism. He was not denying that Christians should both be water baptized in His name and be Holy Spirit baptized. For note what the apostle Paul did later in Acts 19:1-6. His question in Acts 19:2 relates to how Christians are to be water baptized (Matthew 28:19). That is, if the people whom the apostle Paul was speaking to in Acts 19:1-6 had been Christian water-baptized, then they would have heard of the Holy Spirit. But they said that they had not heard of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2). Therefore, they needed to be Christian water-baptized, as in Acts 19:5.
Also, note two other things in Acts 19:1-6.
First, people do not automatically receive Holy Spirit baptism after they become Christians. That is why the apostle Paul asks his question in Acts 19:2.
Second, Christian water-baptism does not automatically impart Holy Spirit baptism. That is why the apostle Paul had to lay his hands on the people in Acts 19:6 for them to receive Holy Spirit baptism, even after they had been Christian water-baptized in Acts 19:5.
Note that this was also the case in Acts 8:15-17. That is, the Samaritan Christians got Christian water-baptized first. And then sometime later they got Holy Spirit baptized through the laying on of hands.
--
*Acts 1:6-7 -
(*Kingdom)
(See John 18:36 above)
The question in Acts 1:6 is answered elsewhere in the Bible (Acts 3:20-21, Zechariah 14:3-21).
That is, regarding "restoring the kingdom" to Israel (Acts 1:6), it means restoring the kingdom of Israel in a physical way in which it will bear fruit (Matthew 21:43), which will not happen until Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming (Acts 3:20-21, Zechariah 14:3-21).
Presently, the Kingdom of God is in heaven (2 Timothy 4:18, Hebrews 12:22-24), and is on the earth spiritually within Christians (Romans 14:17, Luke 17:21). But in the future, the Kingdom will come fully upon the earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). It will also be physically (Luke 22:30, Matthew 19:28) on the earth (Revelation 5:10), first during the future Millennium (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 2:26-29, Psalms 66:3-4, Psalms 72:8-11, Zechariah 14:3-21), and then forever on the New Earth (Revelation 21:1-8), as in a new surface for the earth.
Jesus Christ's Kingdom is Israel (John 1:49, John 12:13-15, John 19:19, Luke 22:30). And at His future, Second Coming, He will sit on the earthly throne of King David (Luke 1:32-33, Isaiah 9:7) and restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6-7, Acts 3:20-21). Jesus is, in His humanity, the son of David (Matthew 1:1, Matthew 21:15-16, Romans 1:3), of the house of David (Luke 1:69). So at Jesus' Second Coming, He will restore the tabernacle, the house, of David (Isaiah 16:5, Amos 9:11) to its royal glory (2 Samuel 5:12), which it had lost (2 Kings 17:21a). And Jesus will fulfill the prophecy and prayer of 2 Samuel 7:16-29. And He will bring salvation to all of the still-living, non-Christian elect Jews of the house of David. For they (along with all other still-living, non-Christian elect Jews) will become Christians when they see Jesus at His Second Coming (Zechariah 12:10-14, Zechariah 13:1,6, Romans 11:26-31). And so they will all become part of the Church at that time. For there are no Christians outside of the Church (Ephesians 4:4-6).
After Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming (Revelation 19:7 to 20:3, Zechariah 14:3-5) will occur the Millennium (Revelation 20:4-6, Zechariah 14:8-21), during which time the Gentile nations will come to seek the returned Jesus ruling the whole earth (Zechariah 8:22, Zechariah 14:9, Psalms 72:8-11) on the restored throne of David (Isaiah 9:7) in the earthly Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-4, Zechariah 14:8-11,16-19). And the physically resurrected Church will reign on the earth with Jesus during the Millennium (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29). For the Church is Israel (Romans 11:1,17,24, Ephesians 2:12,19, Galatians 3:29, Revelation 21:9,12; 1 Peter 2:9-10).
(See the "Tribes" section of Romans 11:17 below. Also, see 1 Chronicles 17:11 above)
~
(Re: Is the "kingdom of heaven" different than the "kingdom of God"?)
No, for the Gospels use "kingdom of heaven" and "kingdom of God" interchangeably to refer to the same aspects of God's Kingdom. For just three examples, compare Matthew 8:11-12 and Luke 13:28-29. And compare Matthew 13:31-33 and Luke 13:18-21. And compare Matthew 11:11 and Luke 7:28.
(See paragraphs 3-5 of the section above)
~
(Re: The *land of Israel)
God still has great regard for the land of Israel (as in Deuteronomy 32:43,49b), and Jerusalem especially (as in Isaiah 62:6-7, Psalms 122:6). For even during the future, literal 3.5-year worldwide reign of the Antichrist (the individual-man aspect of Revelation's "beast") (Revelation 13:5-18), the earthly Jerusalem will still be considered by God to be the holy city (Revelation 11:2, Luke 21:24), the holy mountain (Daniel 11:45, Daniel 9:16). And after the future Tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24, at Jesus Christ's Second Coming, it will be to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem that Jesus will physically descend (Zechariah 14:4-21, Acts 1:11-12). And then Jesus will physically rule the whole earth from the earthly Jerusalem during the Millennium (Micah 4:1-4, Zechariah 14:8-11,16-21, Revelation 20:4-6).
(See also the "land" section of Romans 11:17 below)
With regard to the Biblical, geographical extent of "the land of Israel", it does not (as is sometimes claimed) include everything between the Nile and the Euphrates. People quite understandably mistake "the river of Egypt" (Genesis 15:18) as being the Nile, when actually it is a wadi near Gaza which forms the border between the Promised Land and Egypt (Joshua 15:47,3-4). In this way, the Promised Land excludes the harsh deserts of Sinai.
Also, the Promised Land does not extend from the vicinity of Gaza eastward to the Euphrates, so that Israel would include Jordan and western Iraq, because the eastern border of the Promised Land runs between Damascus and the Dead Sea (Ezekiel 47:18).
So instead of extending from the vicinity of Gaza eastward to the Euphrates, the promised land extends from the vicinity of Gaza northward through Lebanon to the Euphrates in northern Syria. So the Promised Land includes Lebanon and the region of Hamath (1 Kings 8:65), in the northwestern part of Syria.
In this way, the Promised Land includes the western part of the "Fertile Crescent", and excludes the harsh deserts of Jordan, eastern Syria, and western Iraq.
--
*Acts 1:7 -
This, like Matthew 24:36,42,44, does not contradict the stated timing of Matthew 24:29-31. Instead, Acts 1:7 can mean that it was not for the apostles of Jesus Christ to know at that time the date (as in the year, month, and day) of His future, Second Coming, when He will restore the Davidic kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6-7, Acts 3:20-21, Luke 1:32-33, Isaiah 9:7, Zechariah 14:3-21, Isaiah 2:1-4). Acts 1:7 does not require that no Christians will ever come to know the date of the Second Coming before it happens.
(See Matthew 24:36 above)
--
*Acts 1:10 -
Angels can descend from heaven to appear on the earth like men in white garments (Matthew 28:2-4, John 20:12, Mark 16:5).
--
*Acts 1:11 -
(Re: The *2nd coming)
Jesus Christ will return "in like manner" as He ascended (Acts 1:11b), in that just as at the end of His first coming, He was seen by literal eyes to ascend physically from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem into a literal cloud and on into heaven (Acts 1:9,12, cf. Luke 24:39), so at His future, Second Coming, He will be seen in literal clouds by literal eyes (Revelation 1:7, Matthew 24:30) to physically descend from heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16) and set His feet on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:3-21).
(See the "When Jesus Christ returns" paragraph of the "Details" section of Revelation chapters 6 to 22 (Overview) below)
(Also, see Matthew 24:30 above)
~
(Re: Spiritual coming?)
Jesus Christ's future, physical return (Acts 1:11b, Zechariah 14:3-21) does not contradict that He can also be with us now spiritually (Matthew 28:20b, Ephesians 3:17, Romans 8:9b).
Jesus came down from heaven the first time only spiritually, and was then physically conceived and born of the virgin Mary (Luke 1:30-35, John 1:1,14).
(See also Matthew 17:10 above)
~
(Re: If He is to return in like manner, then will only a few people see Him?)
No, for in Acts 1:11, "in like manner" refers not to how many people saw Jesus Christ ascend, but to how Jesus ascended: physically and visibly.
(See the "Sign" section of Matthew 24:30 above)
~
(Re: Active/passive ascension)
See section 2 of John 3:13 above.
--
*Acts 1:20 -
See Psalms 109:6 above.
--
*Acts 2:3-11 / *Acts 2:4 -
The cloven tongues like fire which settled on the disciples of Jesus Christ in Acts 2:3 were a visible manifestation of the Shekinah (settling: H7931) of God's Holy Spirit on the disciples when they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5, Acts 2:4). The various "tongues" which the disciples were speaking from their mouths in Acts 2:4 were languages which the disciples were able to speak by the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). For when Christians (even still today) receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:15-16, Acts 10:44-46, Acts 19:6, Acts 8:17), He miraculously gives them one or more of His Spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1,8-10), such as the ability to speak in tongues or prophesy (Acts 19:6). Tongues can either be understood, like the ones in Acts 2:4-11, or not be understood, like the ones in 1 Corinthians 14:2.
(See also 1 Corinthians 12:8 below)
-
Next entry / Prior / Table of Contents
Dec 9, 2018
Some congregations already kick some Christians out because those Christians do not conform to the theologies of those congregations. For example, a man was kicked out of a Pentecostal congregation for telling someone in the congregation that divorce and remarriage is adultery (Luke 16:18, Mark 10:12, Matthew 19:9, Romans 7:3, 1 Corinthians 7:11). And a man was kicked out of a Calvary Chapel congregation for telling the pastor that the pre-tribulation-rapture doctrine is mistaken (2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Matthew 24:29-31, Matthew 24:9-13, Revelation 13:7-10, Revelation 14:12-13, Revelation 20:4).
But John 16:2 does not apply to such congregations. For they do not and (hopefully) will never kill anyone over doctrinal disputes. For Jesus Christ forbids Christians to use any violence against people whom they consider (rightly or wrongly) to be their enemies (Matthew 26:52, Matthew 5:39). All that is allowed is excommunication (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15; 1 Corinthians 5:11-13).
So John 16:2 would apply only to people who say that they believe in God, but do not believe in the New Testament, such as non-Christian, religious Jews, or Muslims. It would also include the Gnostic Luciferians (Satanists) who will worship Lucifer (Satan, the dragon) and the Antichrist (the individual-man aspect of Revelation's "beast") during the worldwide reign of the future Antichrist (Revelation 13:4-18, Revelation 12:9). For the Antichrist will say that he is God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). And so his followers will kill Biblical Christians thinking that they are doing God service.
(See also Matthew 24:9 and Luke 21:12 above. And see sections 3-7 of Ephesians 4:11 below)
--
*John 16:7 / *Jn. 16:7 -
See John 14:26 above.
--
*John 16:8 / *Jn. 16:8 -
God's Holy Spirit reproves the world (John 16:8) through the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 3:16). Elect individuals at some point during their lifetime eventually accept the reproof of the Bible, and repent and believe in Jesus Christ (Acts 13:48b). But nonelect individuals can never accept the reproof of the Bible (John 8:43-47). They can only see what the Bible teaches as being foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 2:14). That is why the whole world continues to lie in wickedness (1 John 5:19b), despite the reproof of the Spirit.
(See also Romans 9:11 below)
--
*John 16:10b / *Jn. 16:10b -
This did not mean that the apostles of Jesus Christ would see Him no more forever. For John 16:16 explains that it is only "a little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me", meaning that they would not see Him while they sorrowed while His body lay dead in the tomb, but they would see Him and rejoice at His physical resurrection on the third day after His death (John 16:19-22, Luke 24:39,46).
(Compare John 14:19a above)
--
*John 16:13 / *Jn. 16:13 -
See section 2 of John 14:16 above.
--
*John 17:12 / *Jn. 17:12 -
This and John 18:9 do not mean that no Christian can ultimately be lost (as in, e.g., Hebrews 10:26-29), but refer only to none of the chosen/elect/saved twelve apostles of Jesus Christ (Luke 6:13) becoming lost, except Judas.
(See John 6:70 above)
--
*John 17:17 / *Jn. 17:17 -
This principle does not apply only to the apostles, but to everyone in the Church (John 17:20-21, Ephesians 5:25b-27).
--
*John 17:21-23 / *Jn. 17:21 -
See John 10:30 above.
--
*John 17:24 / *Jn. 17:24 -
This does not require that the rapture will take Christians into the third heaven. For John 17:24 could have three other fulfillments: First, obedient Christians go to be with Jesus Christ in His glory in the third heaven when they die (2 Corinthians 5:8). Second, Christians will be caught up and gathered together to be with Jesus in the sky, the first heaven, at His glorious, future, Second Coming (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, Matthew 24:30-31). And third, obedient Christians will be with Jesus on the earth during His glorious, future, Millennial reign (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29).
(See also the "heaven" section of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 below. And see 2 Corinthians 12:2 below)
--
*John 18:6 / *Jn. 18:6 -
Here the people fell to the ground because their spirits were forced to acknowledge, if only for a moment, who Jesus Christ is (cf. Philippians 2:10-11).
But their conscious minds did not acknowledge Him. For people's spirits can know things which their conscious minds do not know yet (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:14). That is why they got right back up and arrested Him. If you had asked them: "Why are you arresting the man whom you just fell down before and worshipped?", they could have replied: "We do not know why we fell down. Why do you claim that we worshipped him? Are you one of his followers? If you say 'Yes', we will arrest you too!"
(See Mark 13:9 above)
--
*John 18:9 / *Jn. 18:9 -
See John 17:12 above.
--
*John 18:36 / *Jn. 18:36 -
This means that Jesus Christ's future, physical reign on the earth with the physically resurrected Church (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29) will not be of this world in the sense that it will not come by worldly means, such as by the Church fighting physically to establish it (2 Corinthians 10:3-4, Matthew 26:52, Matthew 5:39). Instead, it will come only by Jesus Christ Himself returning physically from heaven to establish it (Revelation 19:7 to 20:6, Zechariah 14:3-21). Also, after the future Millennium and subsequent events (Revelation 20:7-15), a New Earth, as in a new surface for the earth, will be created, and God's Kingdom will continue forever on the New Earth (Revelation 21:1 to 22:5).
(See also paragraphs 3-5 of Acts 1:6 below. And see Daniel 12:7b above)
~
(Re: Is the Kingdom which Jesus is talking about here the Church?)
It is Jesus Christ's future, physical reign on the earth with the Church (Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:30). For in John 18:36, Jesus makes a distinction between His Kingdom and His servants, who are the Church (Romans 6:22, Philippians 1:1; 2 Timothy 2:24). And He makes a distinction between the present and the future. For "now is my kingdom not from hence" points to the present lack of violence (physical "fighting") on the part of His servants the Church to establish His Kingdom, whereas Zechariah and Revelation show the future violence which Jesus Christ Himself (and only He) will employ at His Second Coming (Zechariah 14:3-21, Revelation 19:11 to 20:6), to establish His physical, Millennial reign on the earth with the physically resurrected Church (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29).
Also, the Millennial aspect of His Kingdom will include some people who are not part of the Church (e.g. Zechariah 14:16-19).
(See paragraph 3 of Luke 17:26 above)
Also, the subsequent, New-Earth aspect of the Kingdom (Revelation 21:1 to 22:5) will include all people who are not part of the Church. But only in the sense of their eternal judgment. For the New-Earth aspect of the Kingdom will include all non-Christians, who by that time will have all been cast into the eternal suffering of the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8, Isaiah 66:22,24), which will be just outside one wall of New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:15, Revelation 21:8) on the New Earth (Revelation 21:1-8), as in a new surface for the earth.
(See also Acts 1:6 below. And see Isaiah 65:20 and Matthew 25:41 above)
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*John 19:30 / *Jn. 19:30 -
This meant that Jesus Christ had finished His work of suffering for our sins (Isaiah 53:11), not that He had finished His work as King on the earth. For in our future, He must reign as King on the earthly throne of David forever (Isaiah 9:7, Luke 1:32-33).
(See also Acts 1:6 below. And see Revelation 16:17 below)
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*John 19:36-37 / *Jn. 19:36 / *Jn. 19:37 -
In John 19:36, "these things were done" refers to the things done in John 19:33-34. John 19:37 refers to Zechariah 12:10. And John 19:36b refers to Psalms 34:20, which can mean that from the moment of Jesus Christ's incarnation in Mary His mother's womb unto eternity in His immortal resurrection body, which has bones (Luke 24:39), none of His bones can have ever been broken, or can ever be broken. In John 19:36 the original Greek verb (pleroo: G4137) translated as "should be fulfilled" is in the aorist tense and subjunctive mood: "The aorist tense is characterized by its emphasis on punctiliar action; that is, the concept of the verb is considered without regard for past, present, or future time", and the subjunctive mood "is the mood of possibility and potentiality. The action described may or may not occur, depending upon circumstances" (blueletterbible.org). So in John 19:36, "should be fulfilled" actually means "might be fulfilled", and can include a fulfillment in our future.
So John 19:36-37 can be saying that what happened in John 19:33-34 happened so that Psalms 34:20 and Zechariah 12:10 might be fulfilled in our future. For if the soldiers had not skipped over Jesus Christ when they were breaking the legs of the crucified people (John 19:32-33), but had broken Jesus' legs also, then Psalms 34:20 could not be fulfilled all the way from the moment of Jesus' incarnation unto eternity. And if Jesus had not been pierced at His crucifixion (John 19:34, Psalms 22:16b), then at His future, Second Coming (Zechariah 12:9-14, Zechariah 14:2-21), He could not be looked upon as one who had been pierced (Zechariah 12:10, Zechariah 13:6).
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*John 20:26b / *Jn. 20:26b -
(Re: Even though Jesus is in the flesh, is He unbound from it, so that He can appear or disappear in the blink of an eye?)
Jesus Christ's ability to do that (John 20:26, Luke 24:31) does not contradict that He is still bound to the flesh (Luke 24:39), but means that His now-immortal, that is, His now-"spiritual" flesh body (1 Corinthians 15:44), is not bound by our three physical spatial dimensions.
An analogy would be the difference between a paper square and a paper cube: The difference is not in what they are made of, but the cube involves a higher spatial dimension than the square: It is not bound by the square's two spatial dimensions.
(See also the "String Theory" part of Ecclesiastes 11:5 above. And see section 2 of 1 Corinthians 15:50 below)
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*John 20:28 / *Jn. 20:28 -
(Re: Does this mean: "And Thomas answered and said unto him, (1) My Lord (Jesus) and (2) my God (the Father)"?)
No, it means:
"And Thomas answered and said unto him (Jesus), My Lord (Jesus) and my God (Jesus)."
Similarly, the "and" in Galatians 1:4, for example, is not saying that the "God" and the "Father" there are two different people.
(See John 1:1,14 above)
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*John 20:29 / *Jn. 20:29 -
(Re: Both seeing and believing)
See Matthew 16:16 above.
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*John 21:22 / *Jn. 21:22 -
Jesus Christ asked John 21:22 only as a hypothetical, to get the apostle Peter to confront any envy which he might have over Peter's having to die a martyr's death (John 21:18-19), whereas the apostle John might not have to do that, because John was "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 21:20). John 21:23 makes clear that in John 21:22, Jesus was not saying that John would not die before Jesus' future, Second Coming.
(See Acts 1:11 below)
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*Acts (Generally) -
(Re: Shows a decrease in miracles over time?)
The book of Acts is not an account of what was going on in the entire Church throughout the time frame of Acts. Instead, Acts focuses mainly on the acts of only the apostles Peter and Paul, and it does not necessarily include even all of their miracles. For example, it does not include the miracles which Paul could have done in Illyricum (Romans 15:19), or which Peter could have done in Babylon (1 Peter 5:13). Also, Acts does not include the miracles which the other apostles could have done in other places throughout the time frame of Acts, and long after it. Nor does Acts include the miracles which many other Christians who were not apostles, but who were nonetheless operating in the miraculous gifts of God's Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-11), such as the Christians in Corinth (1 Corinthians 14:26) and Rome (Romans 12:6), could have done in the time frame of Acts, and long after it.
Also, any lessening in the amount of miraculous activity only on the part of the apostle Paul as the book of Acts progresses toward its end (Acts chapters 21 to 28 are only about Paul) can be attributed to his being under arrest continually from the time of Acts 21:33 to Acts 28:31. While he was under arrest, he would not have had many opportunities to come into contact with large numbers of people, and to operate freely as he did while traveling from city to city before his arrest. God did not lessen Paul's power to perform miracles during his time under arrest. For Paul was still able to perform miracles right up to the last chapter of Acts, when he had the opportunity (Acts 28:8-9).
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*Acts 1:5 -
Here, Jesus Christ was simply bringing up the concept of "baptism" to apply it to Holy Spirit baptism. He was not denying that Christians should both be water baptized in His name and be Holy Spirit baptized. For note what the apostle Paul did later in Acts 19:1-6. His question in Acts 19:2 relates to how Christians are to be water baptized (Matthew 28:19). That is, if the people whom the apostle Paul was speaking to in Acts 19:1-6 had been Christian water-baptized, then they would have heard of the Holy Spirit. But they said that they had not heard of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2). Therefore, they needed to be Christian water-baptized, as in Acts 19:5.
Also, note two other things in Acts 19:1-6.
First, people do not automatically receive Holy Spirit baptism after they become Christians. That is why the apostle Paul asks his question in Acts 19:2.
Second, Christian water-baptism does not automatically impart Holy Spirit baptism. That is why the apostle Paul had to lay his hands on the people in Acts 19:6 for them to receive Holy Spirit baptism, even after they had been Christian water-baptized in Acts 19:5.
Note that this was also the case in Acts 8:15-17. That is, the Samaritan Christians got Christian water-baptized first. And then sometime later they got Holy Spirit baptized through the laying on of hands.
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*Acts 1:6-7 -
(*Kingdom)
(See John 18:36 above)
The question in Acts 1:6 is answered elsewhere in the Bible (Acts 3:20-21, Zechariah 14:3-21).
That is, regarding "restoring the kingdom" to Israel (Acts 1:6), it means restoring the kingdom of Israel in a physical way in which it will bear fruit (Matthew 21:43), which will not happen until Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming (Acts 3:20-21, Zechariah 14:3-21).
Presently, the Kingdom of God is in heaven (2 Timothy 4:18, Hebrews 12:22-24), and is on the earth spiritually within Christians (Romans 14:17, Luke 17:21). But in the future, the Kingdom will come fully upon the earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). It will also be physically (Luke 22:30, Matthew 19:28) on the earth (Revelation 5:10), first during the future Millennium (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 2:26-29, Psalms 66:3-4, Psalms 72:8-11, Zechariah 14:3-21), and then forever on the New Earth (Revelation 21:1-8), as in a new surface for the earth.
Jesus Christ's Kingdom is Israel (John 1:49, John 12:13-15, John 19:19, Luke 22:30). And at His future, Second Coming, He will sit on the earthly throne of King David (Luke 1:32-33, Isaiah 9:7) and restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6-7, Acts 3:20-21). Jesus is, in His humanity, the son of David (Matthew 1:1, Matthew 21:15-16, Romans 1:3), of the house of David (Luke 1:69). So at Jesus' Second Coming, He will restore the tabernacle, the house, of David (Isaiah 16:5, Amos 9:11) to its royal glory (2 Samuel 5:12), which it had lost (2 Kings 17:21a). And Jesus will fulfill the prophecy and prayer of 2 Samuel 7:16-29. And He will bring salvation to all of the still-living, non-Christian elect Jews of the house of David. For they (along with all other still-living, non-Christian elect Jews) will become Christians when they see Jesus at His Second Coming (Zechariah 12:10-14, Zechariah 13:1,6, Romans 11:26-31). And so they will all become part of the Church at that time. For there are no Christians outside of the Church (Ephesians 4:4-6).
After Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming (Revelation 19:7 to 20:3, Zechariah 14:3-5) will occur the Millennium (Revelation 20:4-6, Zechariah 14:8-21), during which time the Gentile nations will come to seek the returned Jesus ruling the whole earth (Zechariah 8:22, Zechariah 14:9, Psalms 72:8-11) on the restored throne of David (Isaiah 9:7) in the earthly Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-4, Zechariah 14:8-11,16-19). And the physically resurrected Church will reign on the earth with Jesus during the Millennium (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29). For the Church is Israel (Romans 11:1,17,24, Ephesians 2:12,19, Galatians 3:29, Revelation 21:9,12; 1 Peter 2:9-10).
(See the "Tribes" section of Romans 11:17 below. Also, see 1 Chronicles 17:11 above)
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(Re: Is the "kingdom of heaven" different than the "kingdom of God"?)
No, for the Gospels use "kingdom of heaven" and "kingdom of God" interchangeably to refer to the same aspects of God's Kingdom. For just three examples, compare Matthew 8:11-12 and Luke 13:28-29. And compare Matthew 13:31-33 and Luke 13:18-21. And compare Matthew 11:11 and Luke 7:28.
(See paragraphs 3-5 of the section above)
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(Re: The *land of Israel)
God still has great regard for the land of Israel (as in Deuteronomy 32:43,49b), and Jerusalem especially (as in Isaiah 62:6-7, Psalms 122:6). For even during the future, literal 3.5-year worldwide reign of the Antichrist (the individual-man aspect of Revelation's "beast") (Revelation 13:5-18), the earthly Jerusalem will still be considered by God to be the holy city (Revelation 11:2, Luke 21:24), the holy mountain (Daniel 11:45, Daniel 9:16). And after the future Tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24, at Jesus Christ's Second Coming, it will be to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem that Jesus will physically descend (Zechariah 14:4-21, Acts 1:11-12). And then Jesus will physically rule the whole earth from the earthly Jerusalem during the Millennium (Micah 4:1-4, Zechariah 14:8-11,16-21, Revelation 20:4-6).
(See also the "land" section of Romans 11:17 below)
With regard to the Biblical, geographical extent of "the land of Israel", it does not (as is sometimes claimed) include everything between the Nile and the Euphrates. People quite understandably mistake "the river of Egypt" (Genesis 15:18) as being the Nile, when actually it is a wadi near Gaza which forms the border between the Promised Land and Egypt (Joshua 15:47,3-4). In this way, the Promised Land excludes the harsh deserts of Sinai.
Also, the Promised Land does not extend from the vicinity of Gaza eastward to the Euphrates, so that Israel would include Jordan and western Iraq, because the eastern border of the Promised Land runs between Damascus and the Dead Sea (Ezekiel 47:18).
So instead of extending from the vicinity of Gaza eastward to the Euphrates, the promised land extends from the vicinity of Gaza northward through Lebanon to the Euphrates in northern Syria. So the Promised Land includes Lebanon and the region of Hamath (1 Kings 8:65), in the northwestern part of Syria.
In this way, the Promised Land includes the western part of the "Fertile Crescent", and excludes the harsh deserts of Jordan, eastern Syria, and western Iraq.
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*Acts 1:7 -
This, like Matthew 24:36,42,44, does not contradict the stated timing of Matthew 24:29-31. Instead, Acts 1:7 can mean that it was not for the apostles of Jesus Christ to know at that time the date (as in the year, month, and day) of His future, Second Coming, when He will restore the Davidic kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6-7, Acts 3:20-21, Luke 1:32-33, Isaiah 9:7, Zechariah 14:3-21, Isaiah 2:1-4). Acts 1:7 does not require that no Christians will ever come to know the date of the Second Coming before it happens.
(See Matthew 24:36 above)
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*Acts 1:10 -
Angels can descend from heaven to appear on the earth like men in white garments (Matthew 28:2-4, John 20:12, Mark 16:5).
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*Acts 1:11 -
(Re: The *2nd coming)
Jesus Christ will return "in like manner" as He ascended (Acts 1:11b), in that just as at the end of His first coming, He was seen by literal eyes to ascend physically from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem into a literal cloud and on into heaven (Acts 1:9,12, cf. Luke 24:39), so at His future, Second Coming, He will be seen in literal clouds by literal eyes (Revelation 1:7, Matthew 24:30) to physically descend from heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16) and set His feet on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:3-21).
(See the "When Jesus Christ returns" paragraph of the "Details" section of Revelation chapters 6 to 22 (Overview) below)
(Also, see Matthew 24:30 above)
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(Re: Spiritual coming?)
Jesus Christ's future, physical return (Acts 1:11b, Zechariah 14:3-21) does not contradict that He can also be with us now spiritually (Matthew 28:20b, Ephesians 3:17, Romans 8:9b).
Jesus came down from heaven the first time only spiritually, and was then physically conceived and born of the virgin Mary (Luke 1:30-35, John 1:1,14).
(See also Matthew 17:10 above)
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(Re: If He is to return in like manner, then will only a few people see Him?)
No, for in Acts 1:11, "in like manner" refers not to how many people saw Jesus Christ ascend, but to how Jesus ascended: physically and visibly.
(See the "Sign" section of Matthew 24:30 above)
~
(Re: Active/passive ascension)
See section 2 of John 3:13 above.
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*Acts 1:20 -
See Psalms 109:6 above.
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*Acts 2:3-11 / *Acts 2:4 -
The cloven tongues like fire which settled on the disciples of Jesus Christ in Acts 2:3 were a visible manifestation of the Shekinah (settling: H7931) of God's Holy Spirit on the disciples when they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5, Acts 2:4). The various "tongues" which the disciples were speaking from their mouths in Acts 2:4 were languages which the disciples were able to speak by the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). For when Christians (even still today) receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:15-16, Acts 10:44-46, Acts 19:6, Acts 8:17), He miraculously gives them one or more of His Spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1,8-10), such as the ability to speak in tongues or prophesy (Acts 19:6). Tongues can either be understood, like the ones in Acts 2:4-11, or not be understood, like the ones in 1 Corinthians 14:2.
(See also 1 Corinthians 12:8 below)
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