Finding answers in The Bible

Russ Campbell

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Did you all know that you can take any question that has been asked here on Christian Forums???

1) Get E-Sword on your computer
2) First of all go to Google and ask your question.
3) Use Wikipedia for an explanation of that topic.
4) Find a word that really stands out as a description
5) Take that word and look it up in E-Sword's Dictionary EI: Scofield
6) Use the Commentary now for whatever words you found.

7) You will get MANY detailed commentaries from F.B. Meyer or any commentator that
you use.
8) Cut and Paste into the thread , it actually works by giving you answers to the
most important questions that are ever asked, because it searches the Bible for
anything relevant yo the topic.
8) for example I pasted 63 parts on what is heaven like .
 
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Dave-W

Welcoming grandchild #7, Arturus Waggoner!
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Any question? Like why there is no life on other planets? Or Calvinism vs Arminianism? Or why Jesus came back in ad 70?

How about those who ask if any of Mary’s DNA was in Jesus?
 
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Russ Campbell

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Not all questions, I just found out that they have to be carefully worded , and the key thing is that if if its in the Bible it will be found , if not it will not be found , I was trying to reword the thread Are God's Laws Arbitrary to see if I could find anything at all, big 0.

So not everything is found unless its is the Bible, as FB Meyer quotes Bible verses for everything.
 
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Russ Campbell

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Calvinism (also called the Reformed tradition, Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, or the Reformed faith) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calvin and other Reformation-era theologians.

Calvinists broke from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century. Calvinists differ from Lutherans on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, theories of worship, and the use of God's law for believers, among other things.[1][2] As declared in the Westminster and Second Helvetic confessions, the core doctrines are predestination and election. The term Calvinism can be misleading, because the religious tradition which it denotes has always been diverse, with a wide range of influences rather than a single founder. In the context of the Reformation, Huldrych Zwingli began the Reformed tradition in 1519 in the city of Zürich. His followers were instantly labeled Zwinglians, consistent with the Catholic practice of naming heresy after its founder. Very soon, Zwingli was joined by Martin Bucer, Wolfgang Capito, William Farel, Johannes Oecolampadius and other early Reformed thinkers.

The namesake of the movement, French reformer John Calvin, converted to the Reformed tradition from Roman Catholicism only in the late 1520s or early 1530s as it was already being developed. The movement was first called Calvinism, referring to John Calvin, by Lutherans who opposed it. Many within the tradition find it either an indescriptive or an inappropriate term and would prefer the word Reformed to be used instead.[3][4] Some Calvinists prefer the term Augustinian-Calvinism since Calvin credited his theology to Augustine of Hippo.[5][6] The most important Reformed theologians include John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, Martin Bucer, William Farel, Heinrich Bullinger, Peter Martyr Vermigli, Theodore Beza, and John Knox. In the twentieth century, Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavinck, B. B. Warfield, J. Gresham Machen, Karl Barth, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Cornelius Van Til, Gordon Clark, and R. C. Sproul were influential. Contemporary Reformed theologians include J. I. Packer, John MacArthur, Timothy J. Keller, David Wells, and Michael Horton.

Reformed churches may exercise several forms of ecclesiastical polity; most are presbyterian or congregationalist, though some are episcopalian. Calvinism is largely represented by Continental Reformed, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist traditions. The biggest Reformed association is the World Communion of Reformed Churches with more than 100 million members in 211 member denominations around the world.[7][8] There are more conservative Reformed federations such as the World Reformed Fellowship and the International Conference of Reformed Churches, as well as independent churches.
 
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Russ Campbell

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Joshua 21:1-3
THE LORD’S PROMISES FULFILLED
After the cities of refuge had been provided, those to be set apart for priests and Levites were next allotted, Num_35:1-8. Forty-two cities were set apart in addition to the six cities of refuge. The priests and the Levites were not the sole possessors of those towns, but dwelled in them, receiving freely their dwellings and pasture-lands. The closing verses represent the position of affairs at Joshua’s death. So far as God’s promises went, there had been no failure. The chronicler repeatedly affirms that. It is right to distinguish, says Calvin, between the clear, certain and unwavering fidelity of God, and the weakness and the indolence of His people, which cause God’s gifts to slip from their hands.
At the end of life, when we review it from our last halting-place, we shall accept as absolutely true the conclusion of Jos_21:45, and much more; but alas, for our failures to use His gifts to the full!
 
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Psalms 6:1-10
DELIVERANCE IN TROUBLE
This is the first of the Penitential Psalms, the other six being Psa_32:1-11; Psa_38:1-22; Psa_51:1-19; Psa_102:1-28; Psa_130:1-8; Psa_143:1-12. The earliest verses are a wail, but the psalm ends in a song. It is like a day of rain which clears at evening. Sheminith is a musical term signifying “octave.”
The elements of the psalmist’s sorrow are given in Psa_6:1-7. The pressure of God’s displeasure, soul-anguish, sickness, soul-depression, an enemy’s opposition-all these were ingredients in his cup of bitterness. How touching the plea-I am weak! How expressive the broken sentence, so often on Calvin’s lips-How long! And that prayer, O Lord, heal me, includes the mental as well as the physical.
The certainty of deliverance looms in sight in Psa_6:8-10. The consciousness of having been heard steals over the soul as a glint of light in the hospital ward. The answer may not be at hand, but it is sure, 1Jn_5:15. Weeping has a voice: God interprets sighs. The R.V. turns the imprecation of Psa_6:10 into prediction. When God returns to us, because we return to Him, our enemies turn back.
 
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Arminianism is a branch of Protestantism based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. His teachings held to the five solae of the Reformation, but they were distinct from particular teachings of Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin, and other Protestant Reformers. Jacobus Arminius (Jakob Harmenszoon) was a student of Theodore Beza (Calvin's successor) at the Theological University of Geneva. Arminianism is known to some as a soteriological diversification of Calvinism;[1] to others, Arminianism is a reclamation of early Church theological consensus.[2]

Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the Remonstrance (1610), a theological statement signed by 45 ministers and submitted to the States General of the Netherlands. The Synod of Dort (1618–19) was called by the States General to consider the Five Articles of Remonstrance. These articles asserted that

  1. Salvation (and condemnation on the day of judgment) was conditioned by the graciously-enabled faith (or unbelief) of man;
  2. The Atonement is qualitatively adequate for all men, "yet that no one actually enjoys [experiences] this forgiveness of sins, except the believer ..." and thus is limited to only those who trust in Christ;
  3. "That man has not saving grace of himself, nor of the energy of his free will," and unaided by the Holy Spirit, no person is able to respond to God's will;
  4. The (Christian) Grace "of God is the beginning, continuance, and accomplishment of any good," yet man may resist the Holy Spirit; and
  5. Believers are able to resist sin through Grace, and Christ will keep them from falling; but whether they are beyond the possibility of ultimately forsaking God or "becoming devoid of grace ... must be more particularly determined from the Scriptures."
rom Wikipedia:


Now from the Bible:

Genesis 5:25-6:8
THE WICKEDNESS OF MEN
When a son was born to Lamech, he named him Noah, which means “Rest.”He thought that the boy would grow up to share and alleviate the strain of daily toil. But his hope was premature: rest was not yet: the Deluge would soon sweep over the works of men. The world must await the true Rest-giver, who said, “Come unto Me.” It was an age of abounding wickedness, but the language describing it is obscure. Some think that “the sons of God” were fallen angels; others that the seed of Seth became joined in marriage with the daughters of Cain. But God’s Spirit strove with man, and though a limit was put to His pleadings, yet He sought men with yearning remonstrance, till His Holy Spirit received the final negative and turned away disappointed and grieved. There was considerable delay. For 120 years the Spirit of God waited. See 1Pe_3:20. He will not wait for ever, Luk_13:9.

Genesis 20:1-18
ABRAHAM AGAIN DENIES HIS WIFE
It is wonderful that Abraham should fall like this. He had walked with God for so many years, and experienced so many deliverances, that we should have expected him to have reached an unassailable position. But the best of men are men at the best; and God, who knows us better than we know ourselves, remembers that we are dust. He often steps in by His providence to intercept the full consequences of our wrongdoing, provided always that our heart is really true to Him. There is delightful reassurance in the words, “I withheld thee.” God may have to chastise His children for their backslidings, but He will not hand them over to the will of their enemies, nor allow His covenant to fail. He rebukes king’s for the sake of His people. See Psa_105:15. There is a high-toned morality in some who are outside our religious pale, which may put us to shame. It crops up in unexpected places, as here in Abimelech’s remonstrance. It was terrible that He was compelled to address Abraham as in Gen_20:9. God has direct dealings with such men, but they need our prayer and help. See Gen_20:3; Gen_20:17.

2 Samuel 19:9-20
BRINGING THE KING BACK
Joab’s remonstrance, though expressed in rough and uncourteous phrase, was perfectly just. The royal troops, instead of being welcomed with acclamation, had slunk into the city, as if defeated, immediate steps must be taken to counteract their depression. Private grief must yield to public interests.
The revulsion of loyalty to David began with the ten tribes; but the concurrence of Judah was essential, and it was secured by the mission of the two priests and by the overtures of Amasa. These turned the scale, and Judah welcomed the king with joy, 2Sa_19:14. What a glimpse all this gives of the change that will be wrought when our Lord comes again-and apparently His advent is very nigh! Previous verdicts will be reversed. Shimeis will sue for mercy. Mephibosheths will be justified and Barzillais rewarded. What are we doing as individuals to secure the return of the King? Compare 2Sa_19:10 with 2Pe_3:12. But have we brought the King back to His throne in our own hearts!

2 Kings 14:1-14
THE PENALTY OF PRIDE
There were good traits in Amaziah’s character, such as humanity to the children of his father’s murderers, and his willingness to forfeit the aid of the army of Israel, because of the prophet’s remonstrance. See 2Ch_25:1-28. But he fell a victim to Edom’s idols, though he conquered Edom that worshiped them; and from that moment God’s Spirit and guidance seemed to desert him. He was puffed up with pride and vainglory, challenged the king of Israel to battle, and brought disaster on his people and himself.
But what a profound lesson is presented by his life! Do we never become elated with success, so that our heart is lifted up? Do we not fling ourselves in an hour of self-confidence from the Temple terrace, and find that no hand of might and love is stretched out to intercept our fall and make us alight uninjured on the ground? Let those who are successful and prosperous remember the Giver of every good and perfect gift and walk humbly with God. When we are evidently summoned to a supreme conflict with our foes, no weapon formed against us prospers: but if we are foolhardy, we are left to the results of our folly.

Luke 22:47-53
“THE POWER OF DARKNESS”
It may have been about midnight when the lights and movement of feet indicated the approach of Judas and his band. The kiss of Judas was probably intended to hide his treachery from his fellow-disciples; but it did not deceive his Master, who even in that sad hour sought to touch his heart, Luk_22:48.
When Malchus’ ear was almost severed from the body, it was needful that our Lord should interpose, because, if Peter had been arrested, the gaze of mankind would have been diverted from the spectacle of Christ’s atonement, and a struggle might have ensued at the gate of the garden which would have justified the worst accusations of the high priest.
The quiet remonstrance with which the Lord met that ruffian band, reminding them of their cowardice in the daylight and amid the crowds, was followed by His submission to be led “as a lamb to the slaughter.”

Galatians 2:11-21
LIVING BY FAITH IN CHRIST
Evidently Peter had gone back from the clear revelation of Act_10:1-48, and from his former practice as stated in Gal_2:12. The fear of the conservative party of the mother Church had brought him into a snare. His example had a very unfortunate effect upon the rest of the Hebrew Christians, who took their lead from him. But Paul’s remonstrance probably brought Peter back to his former and happier practice.
Paul goes on to show that the death of Christ has taken us altogether out of the realm of the ancient Law, with its restrictions and distinctions between clean and unclean, Jew and Gentile, Gal_2:15-19. If the conservative view was right, and it was wrong to eat with the Gentiles, then all that Christ had done and taught was in vain. Indeed, he had become a minister to sin, Gal_2:17, because he had taught his people to associate with Gentiles. But such a suggestion was, of course, unthinkable, and therefore Peter was wrong in withdrawing from Gentile fellowship.
Then the Apostle breaks out into the memorable confession of the power of the Cross in his own life, Gal_2:20-21. It stood between him and the past. His self-life was nailed there, and this new life was no longer derived from vain efforts to keep the Law, but from the indwelling and uprising of the life of Jesus-the perennial spring of Joh_4:14.
 
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Many people, Christian or otherwise, struggle with the notion that the earth is the only inhabited planet in this enormous universe. In short, is there life on other planets?

stockxpert
Those who believe life evolved on the earth usually see it as virtual ‘fact’ that life has evolved on countless other planets. Discovering life on other planets would in turn be seen as confirming their evolutionary belief.

But even many Christians think, ‘God must have created life elsewhere, otherwise this enormous universe would be an awful waste of space.’ In my experience, this seems to be the major underlying reason why people think that there must be other life ‘out there’. However, our thinking should be based on what God said He did (the Bible), and not what we think He would, should or might have done.

Firstly, since God is the one who made the universe, it can scarcely be ‘big’ to Him. Humans struggle with its vastness because our comprehension is limited to the created time/space dimensions within which we exist, and it is mind-bending to try and comprehend anything beyond our dimensional existence. Size is only relative to us as inhabitants of this universe. And size and time are related somewhat. Because the universe is big to us we consider how long it would take us to travel across it, for example. But, time itself began with the creation of the physical universe, so how can we comprehend what eternity is, or might be? What was ‘before’ the universe? Similarly, how do we imagine how ‘big’ God is? We cannot use a tape measure that is made of the very atoms He made to measure Him. One example of this might be if you were asked to build a small house and you did. Now you are asked to build a large house. In our dimensions, for you to build the larger house it would require more effort and take more time. So, is it harder, or does it take longer for God to build a big universe compared to a smaller one (according to our perspective on what constitutes large or small of course)? Of course not, because He isn’t bound by time and space (which He created). Isaiah 40:28 says; ‘… the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not grow weak nor weary …’.

We are impressed that God made billions of galaxies with billions of stars in them and suitably so, because that is one of the reasons for making them. But as mentioned, size is not an issue for God. Stars are relatively simple structures as they are just great big balls of gas. It would take more ‘creative input’, in that sense, for Jesus’ miracle of feeding the five thousand than for the creation of countless quasars (there is immense genetic complexity in the structure of even a dead fish).

The Bible and ETs
It is often asked, ‘Just because the Bible teaches about God creating intelligent life only on Earth, why couldn’t He have done so elsewhere?’ After all, Scripture does not discuss everything, e.g. motorcars. However, the biblical objection to ET is not merely an argument from silence. Motor cars, for example, are not a salvation issue, but we believe that sentient,intelligent, moral-decision-capable beings is, because it would undermine the authority of Scripture. In short, understanding the big picture of the Bible/gospel message allows us to conclude clearly that the reason the Bible doesn’t mention extraterrestrials (ETs) is that there aren’t any.Romans 8:18–22). The effect of the Curse following Adam’s Fall was universal.2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1 ff? Therefore, any ETs living elsewhere would have been (unjustly) affected by the Adamic Curse through no fault of their own—they would not have inherited Adam’s sin nature.

  • When Christ (God) appeared in the flesh, He came to Earth not only to redeem mankind but eventually the whole creation back to Himself (Romans 8:21, Colossians 1:20). However, Christ’s atoning death at Calvary cannot save these hypothetical ETs, because one needs to be a physical descendant of Adam for Christ to be our ‘kinsman-redeemer’ (Isaiah 59:20). Jesus was called ‘the last Adam’ because there was a real first man, Adam (1 Corinthians 15:22,45)—not a first Vulcan, Klingon etc. This is so a sinless human Substitute takes on the punishment all humans deserve for sin (Isaiah 53:6,10; Matthew 20:28; 1 John 2:2, 4:10), with no need to atone for any (non-existent) sin of his own (Hebrews 7:27).
  • Since this would mean that any ETs would be lost for eternity when this present creation is destroyed in a fervent heat (2 Peter 3:10, 12), some have wondered whether Christ’s sacrifice might be repeated elsewhere for other beings. However, Christ died once for all (Romans 6:10, 1 Peter 3:18) on the earth. He is not going to be crucified and resurrected again on other planets (Hebrews 9:26). This is confirmed by the fact that the redeemed (earthly) church is known as Christ’s bride (Ephesians 5:22–33; Revelation 19:7–9) in a marriage that will last for eternity.Hebrews 2:16).
Fitting them in there … somehow!
One attempt to fit ETs in the Bible is on the basis of a word in Hebrews 11:3: ‘Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.’

The word ‘worlds’ appears in the KJV translation and some others, and some claim that it refers to other inhabitable planets. However, the word is αἰῶν (aiōn), from which we derive the word ‘eons’. Thus modern translations render the word as ‘universe’ (entire space-time continuum) because it correctly describes ‘everything that exists in time and space, visible and invisible, present and eternal’. Even if it was referring to other planets, it is an unwarranted extrapolation to presume intelligent life on them.

It should also be remembered that expressions like “the heavens and earth” (Genesis 1:1) are a figure of speech known as a merism. This occurs when two opposites or extremes are combined to represent the whole or the sum of its parts. For example, if I said “I painted the whole building from top to bottom.” One would understand this to mean everything in the whole building. Similarly, biblical Hebrew has no word for ‘the universe’ and can at best say ‘the all’, so instead it used the merism “the heavens and the earth”. It is clear that New Testament passages like the aforementioned Romans 8:18–22 and Hebrews 11:3 are pointing back to the Genesis (“heavens and earth”) creation, and thus, everything that God made and when time as we know it began. See this further explanation.

Jesus’ teaching was causing division among the Jews, because they always believed that salvation from God was for them alone. Jesus was reaffirming that He would be the Saviour of all mankind.
Another is the passage in John 10:16 in which Jesus says, ‘I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.’ However, even an ET-believing astronomer at the Vatican (thus a ‘hostile witness’ to the ‘no ETs cause’), a Jesuit priest by the name of Guy Consalmagno, concedes, ‘In context, these “other sheep” are presumably a reference to the Gentiles, not extraterrestrials.’Hebrews 2:16). Angels are immortal and not of our corporeal dimension. And Heiser’s ETs in spaceships require a level of intelligence not found in rabbits. This acutely highlights the injustice of their suffering the effects of the Curse, including death and ultimately extinction when the heavens are ‘rolled up like a scroll’ (Revelation 6:14). It also seems bizarre to assign no moral responsibility for the actions of highly intelligent beings.

Heiser also claims that vastly intelligent ETs would not displace mankind’s position as being made in the image of God because ‘image’ just means humans have been placed as God’s representatives on the earth.

However, the Bible says we are made in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). Man was immediately created a fully intelligent being about 6,000 years ago and was involved in craftsmanship shortly thereafter (Genesis 4:22). Since that time, even we have not been able to develop technologies advanced enough to travel to other star systems. If aliens were capable of developing incredible faster-than-light spaceships needed to get here, one would presume they must have been created with vastly superior intellect to ours—which would make them even more in God’s likeness in that sense than we are. Or, their creation is much older than the 6,000 years of the biblical six-day timeframe; the aliens were created before man and had sufficient time to develop their technologies. However, God created Earth on Day 1 and later the heavenly bodies on Day 4.
 
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Russ Campbell

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Isa 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become tired or grow weary; There is no searching of His understanding.

Heb 11:3 By faith [that is, with an inherent trust and enduring confidence in the power, wisdom and goodness of God] we understand that the worlds (universe, ages) were framed and created [formed, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose] by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

1 Timothy 4:1-8
REJECT FALSE AND FOOLISH TEACHING
We have here the Apostle’s forecast of the last times, i.e., the condition in which men will find themselves as the age draws to a close. Notwithstanding all that Christ has done, the prevalence of evil will be enormous, not because of any failure in God but because the Church has failed to be the organ through which His saving help could reach mankind. The symptoms are set forth with great clearness, such as demon spirits dwelling and working in men, error taught under the specious guise of excessive religious devotion, consciences seared, natural instincts thwarted and outraged. On the contrary, let us believe that the whole body, and all gifts that are natural and innocent, are to be cherished and used under three sanctions:
1. They must be accepted and enjoyed with thanksgiving to the Creator and Father.
2. They must be sanctioned by the Word of God.
3. Their use and enjoyment must, not interfere with our prayer-life.
The minister of Christ must be daily nourished by the words of Christian truth. If he is not fed on Christ’s body and blood, his teaching will soon deteriorate, Joh_6:1-71. He must also exercise himself in godliness with as much care as the gymnast, who is continually exercising his joints and muscles so as to keep supple and alert. This is also God’s purpose in the spiritual trials and discipline which He sends.

Job 26:1-14
“THE OUTSKIRTS OF HIS WAYS”
Job taunts Bildad with his reply as having imparted no help or thought. He then proceeds, Job_26:5-14, to give a description of God’s power as manifested in Hades, in space, in the clouds, in the ocean, and throughout the universe. The spirits of the dead tremble before Him; the grave and destruction that veil themselves in night are stripped before His gaze; the world itself is suspended in space by invisible threads (a wonderful foreshadowing of the true theory of the earth); the waters are held in the clouds, which do not burst under their weight but act as the veil of God’s throne; the sea owns His authority, hushing under His word or rising in its might; His breath brings the dawn; His hand strangles the dragon, as representing a well-known constellation, Draco. But these are only the outskirts of His ways. Great as is their acclaim as they circle His throne in thunder and splendor, they are but as a whisper compared with His divine power and Godhead. All that the scientist has known of God is, when compared with His essential nature, what the quiver of a leaf in the breeze is to the crash of the thunder-peal. This, O child of God, is thy Father, and His power is for thy defense.
 
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I have a friend who is growingly convinced that Jesus has already returned (fall of the temple 70 AD). I have been seeking
to understand his point of view and while it answers some questions it presents a myriad of others. Do you have any thoughts that you might be able to share?

Answer:
One point for your friend. If Jesus came back in AD 70, fulfilling passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, that would be a very suprising thing because we know from church writings that no one in the church at that time believed Jesus came back in AD 70. This will include the apostle John who wrote his gospel, letters and the book of Revelation all after AD 70. If John did not believe that Jesus had come back–indeed in Revelation 22 he calls for Jesus to come back soon in a letter written after AD 70, that would mean that Revelation is in error. This theory presupposes that a person living in the twenty-first century is in a better position that John who was an inspired teacher and who knew Jesus himself to judge whether the events of AD 70 are the second coming of Jesus. This is simply not logical.
I think the reason that people can get caught in this error is that not many understand the idea of "The Day of the Lord." This idea is taught in a great number of places in the Old Testament, even if it is not literally labeled so every time. The Day of the Lord is a time when God comes and works miraculously to bring judgment. When Jerusalem was destroyed, that was a "Day of the Lord," as was the destruction of Samaria in 722 BC. God calls his judgment on Edom (Joel) a Day of the Lord. I do not doubt that one can use passages such as Daniel 9 to show that what happened in AD 70 is "The Day of the Lord." The reason is that it IS a Day of the Lord. Premillenialists, unfortunately, have a very loose idea about the Day of the Lord. They tend to take every OT prophecy of God coming and put it into the future. Either that or they put it wherever it fits their little theory.
In an extremely limited sense your friend is right that Jesus came in judgment in AD 70. It was a Day of the Lord and Jesus is Lord. This was a judment, not on the whole world, but only on the Jews. It was like many other Days of the Lord, but not the second coming of Jesus. If you read Matthew 24:30-35 or any of a number of passages about the second coming of Jesus, it becomes completely obvious that these prophecies about the second and final coming of Jesus to judge the world does not at all fit the events of AD 70. It is not a limited physical judgment on the Jews for rejecting Jesus (as prophesied in Daniel 9), but a judgment of the whole world, after which God will bring in a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21).
I hope this helps.
John Oakes
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  2. How can I explain Matthew 16:28 when Jesus did not come back in the first century?
  3. Jesus is coming back in 2012. You better get ready.
  4. It seems the New Testament writers expected the return of Jesus in their own lifetime and that Jesus implied that, yet it did not happen. How do you explain this?
 
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Russ Campbell

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Matthew 24:30-35 or any of a number of passages about the second coming of Jesus, it becomes completely obvious that these prophecies about the second and final coming of Jesus to judge the world does not at all fit the events of AD 70. It is not a limited physical judgment on the Jews for rejecting Jesus (as prophesied in Daniel 9), but a judgment of the whole world, after which God will bring in a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21).

Mat 24:30 And at that time the sign of the Son of Man [coming in His glory] will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth [and especially Israel] will mourn [regretting their rebellion and rejection of the Messiah], and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN with power and great glory [in brilliance and splendor]. [Dan_7:13; Rev_1:7]
Mat 24:31 And He will send His angels with A LOUD TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect (God's chosen ones) from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. [Isa_27:13; Zec_9:14]
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
Mat 24:32 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its young shoots become tender and it puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near; [Mar_13:28-29; Luk_21:29-31]
Mat 24:33 so you, too, when you see all these things [taking place], know for certain that He is near, right at the door.
Mat 24:34 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [the people living when these signs and events begin] will not pass away until all these things take place.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth [as now known] will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
No One Knows That Day and Hour
Mat 24:36 "But of that [exact] day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son [in His humanity], but the Father alone.
Mat 24:37 For the coming of the Son of Man (the Messiah) will be just like the days of Noah.
Mat 24:38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the [very] day when Noah entered the ark,
Mat 24:39 and they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be [unexpected judgment]. [Gen_6:5-8; Gen_7:6-24]
Mat 24:40 At that time two men will be in the field; one will be taken [for judgment] and one will be left.
Mat 24:41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken [for judgment] and one will be left.
Mat 24:42 "So be alert [give strict attention, be cautious and active in faith], for you do not know which day [whether near or far] your Lord is coming.
Mat 24:43 But understand this: If the head of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. [Luk_12:39-40]
Mat 24:44 Therefore, you [who follow Me] must also be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.
Mat 24:45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give the others [in the house] their food and supplies at the proper time? [Luk_12:42-46]
Mat 24:46 Blessed is that [faithful] servant when his master returns and finds him doing so.
Mat 24:47 I assure you and most solemnly say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
Mat 24:48 But if that servant is evil and says in his heart, 'My master is taking his time [he will not return for a long while],'
Mat 24:49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards;
Mat 24:50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour of which he is not aware,
Mat 24:51 and will cut him in two and put him with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].
 
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Athanasius377

Out of the deep I called unto thee O Lord
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Did you all know that you can take any question that has been asked here on Christian Forums???

1) Get E-Sword on your computer
2) First of all go to Google and ask your question.
3) Use Wikipedia for an explanation of that topic.
4) Find a word that really stands out as a description
5) Take that word and look it up in E-Sword's Dictionary EI: Scofield
6) Use the Commentary now for whatever words you found.

7) You will get MANY detailed commentaries from F.B. Meyer or any commentator that
you use.
8) Cut and Paste into the thread , it actually works by giving you answers to the
most important questions that are ever asked, because it searches the Bible for
anything relevant yo the topic.
8) for example I pasted 63 parts on what is heaven like .
Esword is among the best tools you can get especially for the price on the PC or for a charge on the Mac. In addition to the commentaries there are also other resources like Schaff's Anti-Nicene Church Fathers volumes that are a treasure if one wants to read for themselves what the apostolic church believed. Also you can buy modules for the program like the New International Critical Commentary set for a lot less than wither buying the physical volumes or through Logos or Accordance. I highly recommend people using the software.
 
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Russ Campbell

An ounce of faith overcomes a ton of fear!
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Yes , and I have a 9 inch HP touchscreen tablet that I just put it on to , it has a keyboard so I am all set for the Sermon today. Russ

PS: I have 3 more of them , but they have dead batteries BUT have Windows 8.1 on them, and a 32 GIG SSD, so they make excellent tools for studying the Bible in ANY location, you do not need internet to research the Bible. Oh I will look into those other items that you mentioned .
 
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