God Protects His Treasure

[mxyzpt1k]

mxyzpt1k, you lose me and most others, when you start talking about 'cosmic shifts' and 'the darkness coming to the deputy', etc.
These ideas may have a basis in the Bible, but you have expanded upon them beyond recognition. They are, therefore simply speculation and do not have any place in this thread.
The end times story is told by Zephaniah and all the other prophets, [except Jonah] can be read in plain language, what will happen, who is involved, etc. Read and understand, no need for guessing or fanciful notions.

Zephaniah Chapter 3/ Chapter 2 / Chapter 1

ZEPHANIAH 1:14 The great day of the LORD [is] near, [it is] near, and hasteth greatly, [even] the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

ZEPHANIAH 1:11 Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.

ZEPHANIAH 3:7 I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, [and] corrupted all their doings.

ZEPHANIAH 1:12 And it shall come to pass at that time, [that] I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

ZEPHANIAH 1:7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD [is] at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

ZEPHANIAH 3:5 The just LORD [is] in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.

ZEPHANIAH 2:9 Therefore [as] I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, [even] the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.

ZEPHANIAH 2:14 And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; [their] voice shall sing in the windows; desolation [shall be] in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work.

ZEPHANIAH 2:11 The LORD [will be] terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and [men] shall worship him, every one from his place, [even] all the isles of the heathen.

ZEPHANIAH 2:13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, [and] dry like a wilderness.

ZEPHANIAH 2:4 For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

ZEPHANIAH 1:17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

ZEPHANIAH 3:19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.

ZEPHANIAH 3:16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: [and to] Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.

ZEPHANIAH 3:6 I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.

ZEPHANIAH 2:5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD [is] against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

ZEPHANIAH 2:12 Ye Ethiopians also, ye [shall be] slain by my sword.

ZEPHANIAH 1:13 Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit [them]; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.

ZEPHANIAH 2:6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings [and] cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks.

ZEPHANIAH 1:4 I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, [and] the name of the Chemarims with the priests;

ZEPHANIAH 1:5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship [and] that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;

ZEPHANIAH 1:6 And them that are turned back from the LORD; and [those] that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.

ZEPHANIAH 2:15 This [is] the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I [am], and [there is] none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, [and] wag his hand.

ZEPHANIAH 3:1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

ZEPHANIAH 3:2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.

ZEPHANIAH 3:4 Her prophets [are] light [and] treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.

ZEPHANIAH 2:10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified [themselves] against the people of the LORD of hosts.

ZEPHANIAH 2:8 I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified [themselves] against their border.

ZEPHANIAH 3:3 Her princes within her [are] roaring lions; her judges [are] evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.

ZEPHANIAH 3:8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination [is] to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, [even] all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

ZEPHANIAH 1:15 That day [is] a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

ZEPHANIAH 1:16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

ZEPHANIAH 1:9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.

ZEPHANIAH 1:3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.

ZEPHANIAH 1:8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

ZEPHANIAH 2:2 Before the decree bring forth, [before] the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD'S anger come upon you.

ZEPHANIAH 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.

ZEPHANIAH 1:1 The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

ZEPHANIAH 2:1 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;

ZEPHANIAH 1:2 I will utterly consume all [things] from off the land, saith the LORD.

ZEPHANIAH 3:9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.

ZEPHANIAH 3:11 In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.

ZEPHANIAH 3:13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make [them] afraid.

ZEPHANIAH 3:15 The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, [even] the LORD, [is] in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.

ZEPHANIAH 3:12 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.

ZEPHANIAH 3:10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, [even] the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.

ZEPHANIAH 2:7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.

ZEPHANIAH 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

ZEPHANIAH 1:10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, [that there shall be] the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills.

ZEPHANIAH 3:20 At that time will I bring you [again], even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.

ZEPHANIAH 3:14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

ZEPHANIAH 3:18 I will gather [them that are] sorrowful for the solemn assembly, [who] are of thee, [to whom] the reproach of it [was] a burden.
..................

Mankind is given assistance by the Aliens in the New Earth, we've seen this recounted several time. The Tribe of Juda is chastised, and they are swept away passively and out of the way of the people going to the New Earth. Ideally, we will be able to do this without promoting violence, or getting in the way of people that want the inheritance. Once again I understand the principalities that are placed, this is for the safety of the people going to the new earth, so I will not declare a law and then change it at the last moment, but with cooperation we can get around the circumstances of the law that is design to accommodate mankind's ascension. (More then 2 Chapters usually breaks the Context, this is a rare case).

 

[keras]

Sheer rubbish, the new earth doesn't happen until the end of the Millennium
Aliens? Any more of this nonsense and you should be reported to the Moderators.
We all have our Bibles. To post entire books, is just clogging the thread.

 

[keras]

Deal with the fact that the prophecy is against Judah...NO ONE ELSE.

Really Ebed? Explain then these prophesies;
2 Peter 3:10 The sky will dissipate and all the earth will be brought to judgement.
Luke 21:34-35 Be on your guard...do not let that great Day, [the Day of the Lord's wrath] catch you suddenly, like a trap. For that Day will come on everyone, the whole world over.
Isaiah 66:16 The Lord will judge all mankind with fire...
Psalm 50:1-3 The Lord speaks and summons the world, sending consuming fire and storms.
Habakkuk 3:12 Furiously You traverse the earth, trampling the nations.

Denial of the truth of what will happen, leaves you unprepared and 'without excuse' on the great and terrible Day of the Lord's vengeance and wrath.

 

[mxyzpt1k]

(If you are incapable of having a discussion with certain people, then do not respond to them, harassment does not prove your position ... (use the state id I provided previously it is genuine, whatever else you need send me a pm) ... You've injected the "End of the Millennium" into your response, but I was responding to your original comment. Since you've said nothing intelligent about your millennium conclusion, I have no basis to address it. ... Use whatever level of force you want, involve a moderator if you want, or do it yourself ... cough ... that is I mean giving blessings for the good fortune of having a discussion ... yes that is what I wanted to say ...) (Back to Topic) Remember God is carrying out the judgement to destroy the Earth, and remove the the Tribe of Dan, mankind is not, this is what the bible says, but even though this is the case, God has included man in the "Day of Judgment", that is they experience a grievance and some a blessing, and the bible gives us details about this. And I believe it does say, according to your question, that aliens are included, but the Antichrist is the Son of Man and pronounces the law, some say this is Jesus the Second Coming, some say Moses, others say others, etc. (Thanks Again the discussion is much appreciated, but I'm finished with what I wanted to contribute).

 

[ebedmelech]

Really Ebed? Explain then these prophesies;

OK.

2 Peter 3:10 The sky will dissipate and all the earth will be brought to judgement.

This is Peter using OT language again...it comes from Isaiah 34:4
4 And all the host of heaven will wear away, And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All their hosts will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine,
You have to get the apocalyptic language...the language of God's judgment!

Isaiah 66:16 The Lord will judge all mankind with fire...

This is apocalyptic language and we know this because as Revelation describes Jesus in Revelation 1:12-16:
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;
13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.
14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.
15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.
16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
Jesus' eyes are like a "FLAME OF FIRE"

Now...again in Revelation 19;11-16 as Jesus comes:
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Each time Jesus' eyes are a "FLAME OF FIRE"...this communicates His ability to judge righteously...this is what fire is symbolic of!

Psalm 50:1-3 The Lord speaks and summons the world, sending consuming fire and storms.

You left off verse 4:
4 He summons the heavens above, And the earth, to judge His people:
Understand this again is judgment language! The Psalmist is trying to help you see that...but you won't listen.

Habakkuk 3:12 Furiously You traverse the earth, trampling the nations.

Once again...CONTEXT Keras...you left off verse 11...and verse 13:
11 Sun and moon stood in their places; They went away at the light of Your arrows, At the radiance of Your gleaming spear.
12 In indignation You marched through the earth; In anger You trampled the nations.
13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people, For the salvation of Your anointed. You struck the head of the house of the evil To lay him open from thigh to neck.

Now...it's evident again this is judgment of God against nations. Keras...you really need to pay attention to HOW God says these things. For instance...in Isaiah 13 God is judging Babylon for her sins against Judah and Israel...notice the language is very similar to Habakkuk...Isaiah 13:9-11:
9 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it.
10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light.
11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.

This is the language God uses when he executes judgment on nations.

Denial of the truth of what will happen, leaves you unprepared and 'without excuse' on the great and terrible Day of the Lord's vengeance and wrath.

Nothing to deny Keras! I'm pointing out HOW to understand in light of the language...which you don't do. It's the cosmic language of judgment...Jesus quoted Isaiah 13:10 in Matthew 24:29. He did that because what's going on in Isaiah is the judgement of Babylon and Jews have heard this type language ALL THROUGH THE PROPHETS!

In each case this is judgment language and God uses this language again and again throughout the OT.

The fire is symbolic of judgment...which is why Jesus' EYES ARE A FLAME OF FIRE...He's the judge.

You need to understand the symbolism of fire prophetically.

 

[keras]

Ebed said: The prophecy [the book of Zephaniah] is to Judah, no one else!

I responded with 5 verses that say Gods judgement and wrath will be against all the world.
Ebed comes back saying they are all just apocalyptic language and that the fire mentioned is merely symbolic.
Is Deuteronomy 32:22 symbolic? Seems very specific to me and as 2 Peter 3:7 says: By God's Word, the present heavens and earth are being reserved for burning on the Day of Judgement when the godless will be destroyed. Note: only the godless are destroyed and it is in the context of a Noahic type judgement, not the final wrap up of Creation, where fire is not mentioned. Rev. 21:1
When you accuse me of not paying attention to the context and you post that context, it simply proves my point; there WILL be a fire judgement, the sky WILL roll up like a scroll, and the Day of the Lord's wrath WILL 'catch you unawares, like a trap'.

 

[ebedmelech]

Ebed said: The prophecy [the book of Zephaniah] is to Judah, no one else!

I responded with 5 verses that say Gods judgement and wrath will be against all the world.
Ebed comes back saying they are all just apocalyptic language and that the fire mentioned is merely symbolic.
Is Deuteronomy 32:22 symbolic? Seems very specific to me and as 2 Peter 3:7 says: By God's Word, the present heavens and earth are being reserved for burning on the Day of Judgement when the godless will be destroyed. Note: only the godless are destroyed and it is in the context of a Noahic type judgement, not the final wrap up of Creation, where fire is not mentioned. Rev. 21:1
When you accuse me of not paying attention to the context and you post that context, it simply proves my point; there WILL be a fire judgement, the sky WILL roll up like a scroll, and the Day of the Lord's wrath WILL 'catch you unawares, like a trap'.

Don't be disingenuous Keras. I chose the prophecy of Zephaniah as ONE point of your post.

These are the passages you provided in response:

Really Ebed? Explain then these prophesies;
2 Peter 3:10 The sky will dissipate and all the earth will be brought to judgement.
Luke 21:34-35 Be on your guard...do not let that great Day, [the Day of the Lord's wrath] catch you suddenly, like a trap. For that Day will come on everyone, the whole world over.
Isaiah 66:16 The Lord will judge all mankind with fire...
Psalm 50:1-3 The Lord speaks and summons the world, sending consuming fire and storms.
Habakkuk 3:12 Furiously You traverse the earth, trampling the nations.

I dealt with those passages. Try to be truthful at least...even in disagreement.

If you can't see the symbolism...I understand that...especially when you want to be literal.

When Rev 19 saya Jesus' eyes are a "flame of fire" are you expecting Jesus to shoot fire from His eyes?

Do you also expect a sword to come out of His mouth?

You got problems if you do.

 

[keras]

No, I do not see obvious allegories and metaphors as literal. But I do believe my quotes from Deut. 32:22 and 2 Peter 3:7 are. They will be fulfilled on the Lord''s Day of wrath. A day that you seem to discount as not possible in this era.
Everyone knows that it simply is not possible to acheive a satisfactory solution to the Middle East problems. We who read and understand Bible prophecy should know God's plans for His people and be aware of how He will act for them. It Is all there in the Bible, in a language we all understand.
The difficulty for all secular people and those Christians who believe wrong doctrines and false teachings, is the Lord locks them into misunderstanding. Isaiah 29:9-12
So your situation is this:
Isaiah 42:19-20 Who is so blind but My servant, who so deaf as the messenger I send? Who so blind as the one who has My trust, so deaf as the servant of the Lord? You have seen much, but perceived little, your ears are open but you hear nothing.

 

[Interplanner]

There is no prophecy about the modern middle east, however, even what I've read as claimed to be prophecy about such is about as opposite of a 'satisfactory solution' as I can imagine!

 

[ebedmelech]

No, I do not see obvious allegories and metaphors as literal. But I do believe my quotes from Deut. 32:22 and 2 Peter 3:7 are. They will be fulfilled on the Lord''s Day of wrath. A day that you seem to discount as not possible in this era.

Let's correct what you asserted. It's not that I discount the day of judgment, when Christ judges the world. What I discount is the fact that you think this will be some literal event with fire. Again...Jesus eyes being likened to a "flame of fire *should* be a clue this is not literal fire.

Everyone knows that it simply is not possible to acheive a satisfactory solution to the Middle East problems. We who read and understand Bible prophecy should know God's plans for His people and be aware of how He will act for them. It Is all there in the Bible, in a language we all understand.
The difficulty for all secular people and those Christians who believe wrong doctrines and false teachings, is the Lord locks them into misunderstanding. Isaiah 29:9-12

It's not about the Middle East. One should know from Isaac and Ishamel the Middle East CANNOT be resolved. The people are both descended from Abraham by the flesh...and both can become descendants of Abraham spiritually through Christ...yet they are both in darkness!

So your situation is this:
Isaiah 42:19-20 Who is so blind but My servant, who so deaf as the messenger I send? Who so blind as the one who has My trust, so deaf as the servant of the Lord? You have seen much, but perceived little, your ears are open but you hear nothing.

SO correlate this to what Jesus said of his parables, when the disciples asked Him why He spoke in parables in Matthew 13:10-17:
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11 Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.
12 For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14 In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
15 For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

That's what it is Keras.

 

[keras]

There is no prophecy about the modern middle east, however, even what I've read as claimed to be prophecy about such is about as opposite of a 'satisfactory solution' as I can imagine!

I feel sorry for you, in that you fail to see the great drama unfolding in our time. Almighty God is the Creator, He has a plan, that plan is to gain a people who truly choose to serve Him and those who choose not to, will be destroyed. He destroyed virtually everyone in Noah's day, so why not again; the world is 'ónce again as in the days of Noah', the simple reality is, it is not humanly possible to resolve the worlds problems.
The large number of unfilfulled prophesies in the Bible about the end of the age, will come to pass and why not? God will impose His 'satisfactory solution', you may not like it, but I see the destruction of those peoples who hate Christians and who attempt to take over all of the holy Land, as justice.
Ezekiel 35 awaits a final fulfillment; v5-6 Because you keep up the ancient feud and hand over the Israelites to the sword at the time of their final punishment and as you love bloodshed, I shall make blood your destiny.

Iran has nukes,their proxiesare armed to the teeth. Will they wait forever before using them? Syria and Iraq are imploding, but all the warring factions hate Israel, how long before they decide that it all Israel's fault?

 

[Interplanner]

I'm confused: I'm supposed to be "felt sorry" for yet I have the Gospel to enjoy and convey in every post. and a huge war is supposed to be a "satisfactory solution" to the middle east???

 

[keras]

I'm confused: I'm supposed to be "felt sorry" for yet I have the Gospel to enjoy and convey in every post. and a huge war is supposed to be a "satisfactory solution" to the middle east???

We have the Good News of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. You preach it, our pastors preach it and we can be sure of it, just believe in Him and keep His Commandments.
But here on this eschatology forum, we discuss something that is normally avoided by preachers and ignored by most Christians, that is: the Prophetic Word.
To prove your ignorance in this subject, you say there will be a war. All the prophesies about the next event say the Lord Himself will instigate His judgement/punishment against the nations.
Ezekiel 7:14 The trumpet has sounded and all are ready, but no one goes to war, as their actions have called forth My wrath.

Maybe you shoud consider confining yourself to forums that discuss salvation and leave us to worry about what will happen. A while back, you said you would do that. What compels you and Ebed to keep on annoying us poor deluded people?

 

[Interplanner]

Unless it doesn't provide a complete prognostication of the future, and unless those materials belong to the glory of Christ as found in the Gospel, as Lk 24 and Rom 16 say.

It is no believers business to worry about prophecy, which is mostly mis-chronologized anyway. "It is not for you to know" (Acts 1). That is a huge corner to turn in handling the Bible, and I hope to help more people turn that corner, and to help the groups they are involved with become more fluent in justification by Christ as the fulfillment of all that was promised.

there is no indication at all that spending time on pre-knowing the future has any vital Christian growth connected with it. Some of the people just get uselessly arrogant with it. It doesn't lead forcefully to cleansing oneself of sin because sin is so dishonorable, as one would by dwelling on the Gospel of Christ's sacrifice for those sins. So I see very little use to it, yet many people stuck on it like flies on honey.

Sales of prophecy books in the US continue to show that it is 'popular' but few people know what Acts 13's sermon is for. Many don't even know it is there.

 

[ebedmelech]

We have the Good News of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. You preach it, our pastors preach it and we can be sure of it, just believe in Him and keep His Commandments.
But here on this eschatology forum, we discuss something that is normally avoided by preachers and ignored by most Christians, that is: the Prophetic Word.
To prove your ignorance in this subject, you say there will be a war. All the prophesies about the next event say the Lord Himself will instigate His judgement/punishment against the nations.
Ezekiel 7:14 The trumpet has sounded and all are ready, but no one goes to war, as their actions have called forth My wrath.

Maybe you shoud consider confining yourself to forums that discuss salvation and leave us to worry about what will happen. A while back, you said you would do that. What compels you and Ebed to keep on annoying us poor deluded people?

Perhaps you forgot Paul said "we war NOT against flesh and blood"...how does that work in your mind Keras?

Obviously you don't consider the DEPTH of what is said there.

How does that work when we are told "for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but DIVINELY POWERFUL for the destruction of fortresses."?

 

[keras]

Revelation 3:3...If you don't wake up, I will come upon you like a thief and you won't know the moment of My coming.
Deuteronomy 29:4 But to this day, th Lord has not given you a mind to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.
Isaiah 56:10 All Israel's watchmen are blind, perceiving nothing. They are like dumb dogs that cannot bark.
Matthew 11:25 Father, You have hidden Your secrets from the learned and revealed them to the simple.

Isaiah 35:4-5 Be strong, fear not, for the Lord comes to save you, with His vengeance and retribution. THEN, the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
So we see from these verses that God intends for only a few to know what will happen. Daniel 12:10
That is how it is and that Day will suprise you, but I have done my duty and warned you it is coming.

 

[ebedmelech]

Revelation 3:3...If you don't wake up, I will come upon you like a thief and you won't know the moment of My coming.
Deuteronomy 29:4 But to this day, th Lord has not given you a mind to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.
Isaiah 56:10 All Israel's watchmen are blind, perceiving nothing. They are like dumb dogs that cannot bark.
Matthew 11:25 Father, You have hidden Your secrets from the learned and revealed them to the simple.

Isaiah 35:4-5 Be strong, fear not, for the Lord comes to save you, with His vengeance and retribution. THEN, the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
So we see from these verses that God intends for only a few to know what will happen. Daniel 12:10
That is how it is and that Day will suprise you, but I have done my duty and warned you it is coming.

What greater vegeance will our Lord have than to consign those who don't obey the gospel to hell?

Get out of worldy thinking Keras...no vengeance of God is greater than eternal separation..."where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched"...

 

[keras]

Ebed and IP, you keep hammering 'the saved by grace' theme. Well and good, but know that as yet, we do not have His Laws set into our hearts.

I Shall set My Laws in your hearts Hebrews 8:10
This verse from the New Testament, is a quote from the O.T. –
Jeremiah 31:31-34…The days are coming when I shall set My Laws within them, writing them on their hearts…
Church teaching says we are now under the New Covenant, the Old is obsolete: Hebrews 8:13. However, it is fairly obvious that this prophecy of how God’s Laws will be set into our hearts has not yet been fulfilled. The great prophecies in Ezekiel chapters 20, 36 and 37 tell us when, how and why this will happen.

Ezekiel 37:11-14 The Lord said: These bones are the whole people of Israel, [all 12 tribes] They say: Our bones are dry, [spiritually bereft] our hope is gone [Acts 26:6-7] and we are cut off. [exiled from the holy Land] Prophesy, therefore, the Lord God has said: My people, I shall bring you out of your graves, [your dead spiritual condition] I shall put My spirit into you, redeem and purify you, then I shall settle you back into your own land.
These are the great promises of our redemption and the Second Exodus. But before that can happen;
Ezekiel 36:1-7…the enemy boasts: The ancient heights of Israel are ours. [the current situation] Therefore the Lord says: The mountains of Israel, now occupied by other peoples and plundered and despoiled by them, so I will act in the heat of My anger against those Edomic peoples who have seized My Land as spoil. [Edom: the descendants of Esau, now mostly the Islamic peoples.] Jer. 12:14, Ezekiel 30:1-3
This will be the Day of the Lord’s vengeance and wrath, an event comprehensively prophesied throughout the Bible – a literal Day of fire from the heavens, earthquakes, tsunamis and powerful storms. All of the world will be affected, but the full force of this disaster will hit the Middle East, virtually depopulating the entire area.

Ezekiel 36:24-28 The Lord says: I am going to take the Israelites from their places of exile among the nations, I shall assemble them from every location and restore them to their homeland. I shall purify them from everything that defiles them, give them a new heart and put a new spirit within them. I shall place My spirit in My people, they will conform to My statutes and observe My Laws faithfully.
THEN they will live in the holy Land that I gave to their forefathers, they will be My people and I will be their God. Isaiah 35:10
So, the sequence of events are: first, the great Day of the Lord’s wrath, next His people are gathered and purified, then they are settled into all of the holy Land.

Ezekiel 20:39-44 Now, you Israelites, go and serve your idols. [In exile, as at present.] But in days to come, I shall punish you for your disobedience to Me and no more will you desecrate My holy Name with your idolatries. But after I have gathered you back to the Land of Israel, you will serve Me and the nations will witness it. You will know that I am the Lord, [BEFORE the Return of Jesus, Eze. 34:30] when I bring you back to the Land that I swore to give to your forefathers and you will despise your old evil ways and follow only My Commandments. You will know that the Lord has done this for you, not for your sake, but for the honour of His holy Name.
Ref: REB. Some verses abridged.

 

[Interplanner]

why do you quote Acts 26 about hopelessness in Ezek when that is the view of Judaism and Paul is the apostle of hope that is already fulfilled. You really don't know what you are looking at.

Paul is saying the same there that he always did: that the hope of Israel was already fulfilled in Christ.

Is is much more like the NT to use its own frequent quotes of the OT rather than going to those it does NOT quote and trying to fish the meaning.

re the law on our hearts: there are many passages that say God does that in Christian believers. Not perfectly, but it is part of the work of the Spirit of God. In Gal 5, an alternate render is "About [the fruit of the Spirit] you don't make laws as such." It's fruit.

 

[keras]

It's obvious to anyone but an avowed preterist, that Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 8:10 remain to be fulfilled. No amount of fudging about the 'fruit of the Spirit' abrogates the plain Words of scripture.

The 'hope of Israel' that Paul refers to in Acts 26:6-7, is the promise of God made to our forefathers. What is that Promise?
It is that the descendants of the Patriarchs WILL inherit all the holy Land. No more, no less. Yes, Jesus came as their Redeemer to enable that fulfilment, to make the Lord's people into a true righteous people, worthy and holy to live there. Daniel 7:25 proves that the 'holy ones of the Most High' are living in the Land during the end times.

Isn't it obvious that something dramatic must happen in the world soon? The tensions in the Middle east are escalating, economies are imploding, Brazil has lost the World cup, etc, etc.