Angels/Apostolic Successors, Will Rule with Jesus under Messianic Reign.

StevenMerten said:

Lets get this straight. You believe that the seventh trumpet of Revelation has already blown back in the first century?

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Absolutely not.

The 7th angel blows his trumpet at the future Second Coming of Christ.

Shortly after we have "the time of the judgment of the dead", with reward for some and destruction for others.

Revelation 11:15-18.


I am not a member of "protestant" denomination.

I a member of the New Covenant Church, which began during the first century.


Mat 26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

2Co 3:6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
2Co 3:7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,
2Co 3:8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

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StevenMerten said:

Hello BaBerean,
Obviously I see you as deceiving everyone. The Catholic Church goes back to Jesus while He lived. Both Church and secular history books confirm this. The Catholic Church has historical writings to prove its history.

Please show us some of this, imaginary 'New Covenant Church' writings from Constantine (300 A.D.) to Luther's 'Reformation', in 1500 A.D. We see the history of the Catholic Church and all the sects of the Protestant Church's from 1500 on, and when each sect started, in history. We see the Mormon history and when they started.

Where is your, supposed, history, of this newly contrived, 'New Covenant Church? Please show us your history of even existing beyond five or ten years ago.

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Jer_31:31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—

Mat_26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Mar_14:24 And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.

Luk_22:20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

1Co_11:25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

2Co_3:6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Heb_8:8 Because finding fault with them, He says: "BEHOLD, THE DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL MAKE A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH—

Heb_8:13 In that He says, "A NEW COVENANT," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Heb_9:15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.


Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb_12:24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.


The New Covenant: Bob George

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StevenMerten said:

Zephaniah 3:8

Therefore, wait for me, says the LORD, against the day when I arise as accuser; For it is my decision to gather together the nations, to assemble the kingdoms, In order to pour out upon them my wrath, all my blazing anger; For in the fire of my jealousy shall all the earth be consumed.

For then I will change and purify the lips of the peoples, That they all may call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one accord; From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia and as far as the recesses of the North, they shall bring me offerings.

On that day You need not be ashamed of all your deeds, your rebellious actions against me; For then will I remove from your midst the proud braggarts, And you shall no longer exalt yourself on my holy mountain. But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD; the remnant of Israel.​

Hello BaBrean,

You are not studied enough in apocalyptic scriptures to understand that the earth does not really burn up and disappear upon the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It is spiritual death, Church anathema, Jesus’ lips binding three quarters of the world’s population to eternal damnation, and then the Wrath of the Lamb putting them to physical death, and thus they go to hell, that the ‘burning’ of the earth is illustrating. God’s illustration of the earth being totally burned up, in apocalyptic prophecies, is, in reality, simply describing the hellacious chastisement from God of five or six billion people suddenly being removed from earth and hurled into hell.

St. Peter tells us that the whole earth was destroyed once before, at the time of the great deluge. Then St. Peter tells us, that a New Heaven and a New Earth, that we are living on today, came into existence. It is still the same earth. Destroying the physical earth, is a term used by God in prophesy, to describe a great chastisement of many people being cast into hell. The Book of Revelation tells us that we have one more 'New Heaven and New Earth' to go, upon the Era of the Apocalypse.

In Zephaniah 3, ‘In order to pour out upon them my wrath, all my blazing anger; For in the fire of my jealousy shall all the earth be consumed’ Then right after the whole earth is consumed by fire, in Zephaniah 3, "But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD; the remnant of Israel".

In Psalms 96-97, the mountains melt like glass in God’s tremendous wrath. Then Jesus Comes, in His Second Coming, to Rule the world. You simply are misunderstanding God’s use of His illustration of burning the earth, in apocalyptic prophesies.

Jesus will Rule on earth, with and through His Church, the Catholic Church, for tens of thousands of years. It will be the 'Golden Era of Mankind' that the Blessed Mother has Promised us, and the Restoration of Israel, that God the Father has Promised us. Jesus will wipe away our every tear. It will be glorious!

2 Peter 3:5
They deliberately ignore the fact that the heavens existed of old and earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God; through these the world that then existed was destroyed, deluged with water. The present heavens and earth have been reserved by the same word for fire, kept for the day of judgment and of destruction of the godless.

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.

Exhortation to Preparedness.

Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought [you] to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Psalms 96:11
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it resound; let the plains be joyful and all that is in them. Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice before the LORD who comes, who comes to govern the earth, To govern the world with justice and the peoples with faithfulness.

Psalms 97
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice; let the many islands be glad. Cloud and darkness surround the Lord; justice and right are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him; everywhere it consumes the foes. Lightning illumines the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim God's justice; all peoples see his glory.All who serve idols are put to shame, who glory in worthless things; all gods bow down before you. Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice because of your judgments, O LORD. You, LORD, are the Most High over all the earth, exalted far above all gods. The LORD loves those who hate evil, protects the lives of the faithful, rescues them from the hand of the wicked. Light dawns for the just; gladness, for the honest of heart. Rejoice in the LORD, you just, and praise his holy name.​

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What you say above and what the scriptures that you posted say are not the same thing.

Peter does not say in 2 Peter chapter 3 that we are now living in the New Heavens and the New Earth.
How did you get that idea?


Gal 4:25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children—
Gal 4:26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.


Heb 11:15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.
Heb 11:16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.


Rev_3:12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.


Rev_21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

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StevenMerten said:

Baberean, says that Jesus has already been Crowned King and Ruler of the world some time in the first century.

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You should listen to what Peter said below.

Act 2:36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

He was both Lord (Ruler) and Christ (Messiah) on the Day of Pentecost.

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StevenMerten said:

Revelation 22:12
"Remember, I am coming soon! I bring with me the reward that will be given to each man as his conduct deserves. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End! Happy are they who wash their robes so as to have free access to the tree of life and enter the city through its gates Outside are the dogs and sorcerers, the fornicators and murderers, the idol-worshipers and all who love falsehood."

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Saved by Grace.

Obedience to the faith.


Rom_1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

Rom_1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom_3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Rom_4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

Rom_4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Rom_5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Rom_5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Rom_5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

Rom_5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

Rom_5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom_6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

Rom_6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Rom_6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

Rom_11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Rom_11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Rom_12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Rom_12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

Rom_15:15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God,

Rom_16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Rom_16:24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

1Co_1:3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Co_1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;

1Co_3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

1Co_10:30 For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?

1Co_15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

1Co_16:23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

2Co_1:2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

2Co_1:12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

2Co_4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

2Co_6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

2Co_8:1 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;

2Co_8:6 Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.

2Co_8:7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.

2Co_8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

2Co_8:19 And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind:

2Co_9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

2Co_9:14 And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.

2Co_12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2Co_13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. The second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas.

Gal_1:3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,

Gal_1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

Gal_1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,

Gal_2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.

Gal_2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Gal_5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Gal_6:18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. To the Galatians written from Rome.

Eph_1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Eph_1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Eph_1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Eph_2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved

Eph_2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Eph_2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph_3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

Eph_3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

Eph_3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

Eph_4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Eph_4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Eph_6:24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. To the Ephesians written from Rome, by Tychicus.

Php_1:2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Php_1:7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

Php_4:23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. To the Philippians written from Rome, by Epaphroditus.

Col_1:2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Col_1:6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

Col_3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Col_4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Col_4:18 The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen. Written from Rome to Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus.

1Th_1:1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Th_5:28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. The first epistle to the Thessalonians was written from Athens.

2Th_1:2 Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2Th_1:12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2Th_2:16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,

2Th_3:18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. The second epistle to the Thessalonians was written from Athens.

1Ti_1:2 Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy,
and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

1Ti_1:14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

1Ti_6:21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen. The first to Timothy was written from Laodicea, which is the chiefest city of Phrygia Pacatiana.

2Ti_1:2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

2Ti_1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

2Ti_2:1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2Ti_4:22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. The second epistle unto Timotheus, ordained the first bishop of the church of the Ephesians, was written from Rome, when Paul was brought before Nero the second time.

Tit_1:4 To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Tit_2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Tit_3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Tit_3:15 All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen. It was written to Titus, ordained the first bishop of the church of the Cretians, from Nicopolis of Macedonia.

Phm_1:3 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Phm_1:25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Written from Rome to Philemon, by Onesimus a servant.

Heb_2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Heb_4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb_10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Heb_12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Heb_12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

Heb_13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

Heb_13:25 Grace be with you all. Amen. Written to the Hebrews from Italy, by Timothy.

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Douggg said:

I think what binds people to their sins is their rejection of Jesus's death and resurrection to save them from their sins.

No, you kinda misunderstood who the angel is.

Jesus saying - And to angel of the church in ________, the seven church's. The angel is the entire body of believers at that location - as they are the messenger of the gospel. The preaching of the gospel is what has the effect of loosening or binding of sins.

In Pergamos, there was apparently a lot of occult activity, in that city. It was not part of the church, but was opposed to the church.
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Steve, you are missing the point of those verses you are using to justify RCC doctrine of power in the Pope and clergy. It is by the preaching of the gospel that, not just Peter, but all Christians have - to effectively impart forgiveness or not of sins. Yet, it is not our power at all but that of the Holy Spirit.

"What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus." .... the Pope can't do it.

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Amen to that! Every pope that ever lived needed Jesus' blood - just as every other human living on earth.

Reject Jesus - Reject that He was GOD in human flesh, and your sins remain.

StevenMerten said:

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus refers to His Bishops as 'angels'. Jesus blows the Holy Spirit upon His Apostles and swears to them that anyone whom they call upon Him to bind to sin, or loost from sin, Jesus will bind or loost to sin. Apostolic Successors, aka Catholic Clergy, certainly have the fire power and loosting power, to separate out the unrepentant wicked, from, the absolved of their sins Elect, in preparation for Jesus' Second Coming.

It is Catholic Clergy who will be Christ's great, Combat Angels of the Apocalypse, wielding the 'Sword of Christ's Mouth', which is Jesus' lips binding sinners to their sins, Catholic Church Anathema. It is Catholic Clergy who will be the Angels of the Apocalypse, who place 'God's seal' on the Elect, through the Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation, which is Jesus' lips loosting sinners of their sins.

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Where did you come up with the work of fiction found above?
It did not come from the Bible.

You are attempting to change men into the angels of God.

The Catholic Clergy have no more power than anyone who has been "born again" of the Spirit of God, as found in John 3:1-16, and confirmed in 1 Corinthians 3:16.

Peter confirms that we are stones in the temple of God in 1 Peter 2:4-10.

God's seal is found in Ephesians 1:13, and 1 John 2:27.
It comes through faith in Christ.

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iamlamad said:

Reject Jesus - Reject that He was GOD in human flesh, and your sins remain.

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We agree.

StevenMerten said:

Hello Babarean,
Jesus says that He is going to send His angels to separate out the wicked from the just, and the angels are to hurl the wicked into hell. What kind of a weapon do you say these angels carry, that is powerful enough to hurl souls into hell?

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Have you ever heard of Sodom and Gomorrah?

Abraham greeted them and ate with them while they were on the way to destroy those two wicked cities.

Abraham did not mention anything about their weapons...

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StevenMerten said:

Mattew 16:13 Peter the Rock.​

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Jesus is the Rock His Church is built upon, according to Mt.16:18-19

Quasar92 said:

The Confession; The Rock; The Church

Matthew 16:16-18


During the earthly sojourn of Jesus Christ there was much confusion and controversy about His identity. The question came up over and over, who is He? (Jno. 7:40-44).

He was aware of this, and He was especially concerned that His disciples knew who He was. The time came for that teaching. He had gone with His disciples to the area of Caesarea Philippi. It was here that He asked them two questions. The first had to do with what impressions the public had: "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" Then the Lord asked His disciples to speak for themselves, and Peter spoke up ...

"And Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." - Matt. 16:16-18.

There are three vital things here to be studied and distinguished: THE CONFESSION, THE ROCK, AND THE CHURCH.

Peter's Confession: "You are the Christ, the Son of God."

A variety of opinions prevailed among the people of that day about who the Son of Man was. By divine revelation Peter knew the truth, and he spoke it on this occasion without fear: "You are the Christ, the Son of God." Would you agree, this confession is important? Certainly. In fact, we know that the person who refuses to acknowledge this truth is refusing to be saved! Jesus said "if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins," (Jno. 8:24). And He said through John, "whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God," (1 Jno. 5:1). Likewise, "whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in Him, and He in God," (1 Jno. 4:15). This confession is the proposition that lies at the very foundation of the gospel plan; it is a truth that must be confessed and believed. It is important.

If this confession is important, wouldn't you agree, anything the Bible connects to it is also important? Or to state this another way: If this confession is important,
that which is built on it is also important! The church is built on this truth Peter expressed. Jesus, the Head of the church, said: "...on this rock I will build My
church!"

"This Rock!"

Should we think of "this rock" as the man, Simon Peter? In favor of this view, the name Peter means "rock," and the Roman Catholic edition of the New Testament has this footnote: "This rock was Peter."

This argument is made for one purpose: TO GIVE CREDIBILITY TO THE IDEA THAT PETER WAS THE FIRST POPE IN ROME. Of course, that idea can be rejected on the basis of any number of scriptural facts. But in regard to our text, consider these points:

(1) While the word "Peter" in the Greek is PETROS, which means small rock, the word "rock" as that which the church is built on is PETRA, which means a massive stone.

(2) Further, while PETROS (Peter) is masculine, PETRA is feminine in gender. These observations alone indicate, the Lord was talking about two distinct things. And, in the King James, the Lord referred to Peter as "thou," but He referred to the rock as "this."

"This rock" that the church is built on isn't Peter, it is the confession Peter made. You see, the church wasn't built on Peter, it was built on the truth about the divine
Person, Jesus Christ. Peter expressed the truth, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heven."

"And I also say to you that you are Peter (petros), and on this rock (petra) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Agreeing with this, the statement written by Paul in 1 Cor. 3:11, "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus christ." Likewise, in Ephesians 2:20 - "And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone."

"I Will Build My Church!"

This statement identifies Jesus as the builder and owner of the church; it is a simple matter of grammar and wording: "I will build MY church." In the shedding of His
blood, His resurrection from the dead, ascension to God's right hand, and in the preaching He commissioned the apostles to do - HE BUILT HIS CHURCH. Those who come to Him in obedient response to the gospel become a part of His church, His body. They belong to Him.

Another point of grammar, when the Lord said, "I will," that indicates present intention to do something in the future! He was telling His chosen men, Here is what I
intend to do. He hadn't built the church yet, but He would in the future: "I will" became reality (see Acts chapter two)

It should be observed, the word "church" in this statement is singular. He said, "I will build My church." He didn't promise to set up a vast conglomeration of denominational bodies; he didn't say, "I will build my churches." There is one church! "The body" in Ephesians 1:22,23 is singular. "There is one body," (Eph. 4:4), and "...by one spirit we were all baptized into one body," (1 Cor. 12:12,13).

The text puts before us these facts about Christ and His church.

1. Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

2. God revealed this to Peter, not "flesh and blood."

3. Jesus told these men, He would build His church on this confession, and "the gates of Hades" would not prevent it.

What a privilege to be a part of Christ's body; to be baptized into this realm of fellowship with God and cooperation with His children to do His work.

May God Bless and keep you.


Quasar92

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Twelve Quotations from Ten Protestant Biblical Scholars

William Hendriksen
member of the Reformed Christian Church
Professor of New Testament Literature at Calvin Seminary
The meaning is, “You are Peter, that is Rock, and upon this rock, that is, on you, Peter I will build my church.” Our Lord, speaking Aramaic, probably said, “And I say to you, you are Kepha, and on this kepha I will build my church.” Jesus, then, is promising Peter that he is going to build his church on him! I accept this view.
New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew
(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1973), page 647
JPK page 14


Gerhard Maier
leading conservative evangelical Lutheran theologian
Nowadays a broad consensus has emerged which — in accordance with the words of the text — applies the promise to Peter as a person. On this point liberal (H. J. Holtzmann, E. Schweiger) and conservative (Cullmann, Flew) theologians agree, as well as representatives of Roman Catholic exegesis.
“The Church in the Gospel of Matthew: Hermeneutical Analysis of the Current Debate”
Biblical Interpretation and Church Text and Context
(Flemington Markets, NSW: Paternoster Press, 1984), page 58
JPK pages 16-17


Donald A. Carson III
Baptist and Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Seminary
(two quotations from different works)
Although it is true that petros and petra can mean “stone” and “rock” respectively in earlier Greek, the distinction is largely confined to poetry. Moreover the underlying Aramaic is in this case unquestionable; and most probably kepha was used in both clauses (“you are kepha” and “on this kepha”), since the word was used both for a name and for a “rock”. The Peshitta (written in Syriac, a language cognate with Aramaic) makes no distinction between the words in the two clauses. The Greek makes the distinction between petros and petra simply because it is trying to preserve the pun, and in Greek the feminine petra could not very well serve as a masculine name.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Volume 8 (Matthew, Mark, Luke)
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), page 368
JPK pages 17-18
The word Peter petros, meaning “rock” (Gk 4377), is masculine, and in Jesus’ follow-up statement he uses the feminine word petra (Gk 4376). On the basis of this change, many have attempted to avoid identifying Peter as the rock on which Jesus builds his church. Yet if it were not for Protestant reactions against extremes of Roman Catholic interpretations, it is doubtful whether many would have taken “rock” to be anything or anyone other than Peter.
Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary — New Testament, vol. 2
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), page 78


JPK page 18
John Peter Lange
German Protestant scholar
The Saviour, no doubt, used in both clauses the Aramaic word kepha (hence the Greek Kephas applied to Simon, John i.42; comp. 1 Cor. i.12; iii.22; ix.5; Gal. ii.9), which means rock and is used both as a proper and a common noun.... The proper translation then would be: “Thou art Rock, and upon this rock”, etc.
Lange’s Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: The Gospel According to Matthew, vol. 8
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1976), page 293
JPK page 19


John A. Broadus
Baptist author
(two quotations from the same work)
Many insist on the distinction between the two Greek words, thou art Petros and on this petra, holding that if the rock had meant Peter, either petros or petra would have been used both times, and that petros signifies a separate stone or fragment broken off, while petra is the massive rock. But this distinction is almost entirely confined to poetry, the common prose word instead of petros being lithos; nor is the distinction uniformly observed.
But the main answer here is that our Lord undoubtedly spoke Aramaic, which has no known means of making such a distinction [between feminine petra and masculine petros in Greek]. The Peshitta (Western Aramaic) renders, “Thou are kipho, and on this kipho”. The Eastern Aramaic, spoken in Palestine in the time of Christ, must necessarily have said in like manner, “Thou are kepha, and on this kepha”.... Beza called attention to the fact that it is so likewise in French: “Thou art Pierre, and on this pierre”; and Nicholson suggests that we could say, “Thou art Piers (old English for Peter), and on this pier.”
Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew
(Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1886), pages 355-356
JPK page 20


J. Knox Chamblin
Presbyterian and New Testament Professor
Reformed Theological Seminary
By the words “this rock” Jesus means not himself, nor his teaching, nor God the Father, nor Peter’s confession, but Peter himself. The phrase is immediately preceded by a direct and emphatic reference to Peter. As Jesus identifies himself as the Builder, the rock on which he builds is most naturally understood as someone (or something) other than Jesus himself. The demonstrative this, whether denoting what is physically close to Jesus or what is literally close in Matthew, more naturally refers to Peter (v. 18) than to the more remote confession (v. 16). The link between the clauses of verse 18 is made yet stronger by the play on words, “You are Peter (Gk. Petros), and on this rock (Gk. petra) I will build my church”. As an apostle, Peter utters the confession of verse 16; as a confessor he receives the designation this rock from Jesus.
“Matthew”
Evangelical Commentary on the Bible
(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1989), page 742
JPK page 30


Craig L. Blomberg
Baptist and Professor of New Testament
Denver Seminary
Acknowledging Jesus as The Christ illustrates the appropriateness of Simon's nickname “Peter” (Petros = rock). This is not the first time Simon has been called Peter (cf. John 1:42), but it is certainly the most famous. Jesus’ declaration, “You are Peter”, parallels Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ”, as if to say, “Since you can tell me who I am, I will tell you who you are.” The expression “this rock” almost certainly refers to Peter, following immediately after his name, just as the words following “the Christ” in v. 16 applied to Jesus. The play on words in the Greek between Peter’s name (Petros) and the word “rock” (petra) makes sense only if Peter is the rock and if Jesus is about to explain the significance of this identification.
The New American Commentary: Matthew, vol. 22
(Nashville: Broadman, 1992), pages 251-252
JPK pages 31-32


David Hill
Presbyterian minister and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biblical Studies
University of Sheffield, England
On this rock I will build my church: the word-play goes back to Aramaic tradition. It is on Peter himself, the confessor of his Messiahship, that Jesus will build the Church. The disciple becomes, as it were, the foundation stone of the community. Attempts to interpret the “rock” as something other than Peter in person (e.g., his faith, the truth revealed to him) are due to Protestant bias, and introduce to the statement a degree of subtlety which is highly unlikely.
“The Gospel of Matthew”
The New Century Bible Commentary
(London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1972), page 261
JPK page 34


Suzanne de Dietrich
Presbyterian theologian
The play on words in verse 18 indicates the Aramaic origin of the passage. The new name contains a promise. “Simon”, the fluctuating, impulsive disciple, will, by the grace of God, be the “rock” on which God will build the new community.
The Layman’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, vol. 16
(Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1961), page 93
JPK page 34


Donald A. Hagner
Fuller Theological Seminary
The natural reading of the passage, despite the necessary shift from Petros to petra required by the word play in the Greek (but not the Aramaic, where the same word kepha occurs in both places), is that it is Peter who is the rock upon which the church is to be built.... The frequent attempts that have been made, largely in the past, to deny this in favor of the view that the confession itself is the rock... seem to be largely motivated by Protestant prejudice against a passage that is used by the Roman Catholics to justify the papacy.
Matthew 14-28
Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 33b
(Dallas: Word Books, 1995), page 470
JPK pages 36-37

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StevenMerten said:

Jesus blows the Holy Spirit onto His Apostles and swears to them that anyone, who they call upon Him to bind to sin from earth, He will bind to sin in heaven. Now that is a hurl into hell weapon!

John 20:20
At the sight of the Lord the disciples rejoiced. "Peace be with you," he said again. "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Then he breathed on them and said: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men's sins, they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound."

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Joh 20:20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
Joh 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Joh 20:23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.


Men have no power to bind sin.
Jesus Christ bound my sin at Calvary.
The passage above is speaking of being "born again" of the Spirit of God.

Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.



Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

.