Christsfreeservant

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Isaiah 7:1-2 ESV

In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

Today the church is divided, just as the Israel of old was a divided kingdom. For, part of the church has joined forces with the nations, which are at war with God’s holy city (his heavenly Jerusalem, the temple of God, Christ’s body, his holy bride). The church united with the nations, thus, is opposed to the true gospel of our salvation and to its messengers, and is in an all-out war to try to defeat both the gospel and Christ’s servants and messengers.

The portion of the church which has unified itself with the nations is, thus, using their “hinds” to exercise insight, discernment and judgment, rather than using their head, Jesus Christ, to lead them into the right judgments, insights and decisions. For, their hinds are the fleshly parts of the body from which come evil thoughts, wickedness, immorality, filthy language, lying, hypocrisy, false righteousness, fakery, corruption, dishonesty and the like.

So, this fleshly and worldly part of the church, in unity with the nations, is indeed at war with the part of the church which is exercising divine and godly wisdom and discernment, and which is following Jesus Christ in his will and in his ways. Thus, the fleshly church, in unity with the nations, are in a crusade to try to discredit the gospel and its messengers and to try to convince people that they can continue to use their “hinds” instead of their “head” to make judgments about right and wrong for themselves.

This fleshly and worldly part of the church, too, is very self-focused, even to the exclusion of what is godly, holy and righteous. They are more focused on what brings them pleasure, rather than on pleasing God. They have more of an entitlement mindset, rather than having their minds and hearts set on our Lord and on his heavenly kingdom. And, they are opposed to anyone who would try to convince them that God is not ok with them living like that.

For, they are convinced that their salvation from sin gives them free license to continue in sin without guilt and without any need for remorse. They are convinced that Jesus’ death on that cross was only to take their punishment for sin and to promise them heaven as their eternal destiny. So, they are also convinced that they can live like the devil while they are still on this earth and yet still be guaranteed heaven as their eternal home. And, although some of them may not say that with words, by their lifestyles, which speak louder than words, they do indeed give off that message.

Isaiah 7:3-6 ESV

And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field. And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it.”

We, who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ (Immanuel, God with us), should not fear the opposition from this worldly (fleshly) church in concert with the nations (the New World Order). For, our God is with us, and he will carry us through any and every situation which presents itself against us. He will give us all the wisdom, counsel and strength we need to combat the lies of the enemy and to stand strong in our faith, too.

We are not to be afraid of this opposition, though, because our Lord is on our side, if we are truly following him with our lives in obedience to his will and to his ways. Our enemies, who are also God’s enemies, may be able to kill our bodies, but they cannot kill our souls. They may fiercely oppose us and take advantage of our kindness to them, and they may even pretend to be our friends while they stab us behind the back. But, our Lord will sustain us through it all, and he will carry us safely into his eternal kingdom.

We must know here, too, that our Lord said that these times would come. He said we would be hated by the nations and that even our own family members, and people from our own nations and even within our own faith would turn against us, just like they did him. And, he said we should not be surprised or be overtaken when we see these things take place.

We were also warned in scripture concerning this beast (New World Order, one-world totalitarian government) that would rise and that would conquer nations and peoples and even the saints of God (See: Rev. 13). But, this is a two-headed beast, for one part is the nations and the other part is this fleshly-worldly church which has compromised with the world, and is leading the way towards a one-world religion where we all join hands together and sing “Kumbaya.” But, God has allowed this to take place for his purposes, one of which is to bring his worldly wayward church back to him, I believe.

Isaiah 7:7-9 ESV

Thus says the Lord God:

“‘It shall not stand,
and it shall not come to pass.
For the head of Syria is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is Rezin.
And within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be shattered from being a people.
And the head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.
If you are not firm in faith,
you will not be firm at all.’”

For us, today, the message here is not that we won’t be persecuted for our faith in Jesus Christ. We will! It is not that our enemy will not be able to conquer us militarily. He will! It is not that those who devise evil against us will not be able to carry it out, either. They will! For, the Bible teaches that these things must take place before Jesus returns (See: Matt. 24).

But, the message is clear that we must not let these things unsettle us. We must not give in to fear and to intimidation. We must also not yield to the pressure to compromise our faith and convictions in order to “unify” with this worldly and ungodly church, in unity with the nations.

We must not let the enemy defeat us via manipulation of truth or of our minds, either. And, we must not let him convince us that God is ok with us doing evil against him and that repentance is not necessary for our salvation.

We must stand strong on the Word of God in the face of this opposition. We must expose the lies for what they are, and we must proclaim the truth. For, Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. Heaven is not guaranteed to those who still are walking (living) according to the flesh (according to their “hinds”). We must walk (conduct our lives) according to the Spirit in righteousness and purity if we want to have eternal life with God (See: Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 6:7-8).

So, this is the truth we must stand on, and we must not waver in opinion from it, for if we don’t stand strong in our faith, then we will not stand at all.

For, when persecution gets much worse than it is now, especially for the church in America, which has not yet had to face much severe persecution, if we are not standing on the truth, we won’t make it. We will crash and burn if our faith is not on the solid Rock of Jesus Christ and his word, but if our faith is based on the thinking and reasoning of this world, thus making judgments with our “hinds” instead of with our head, Jesus Christ.

So, instead of exercising “hind-sight,” we need to be exercising foresight, knowing what is coming, preparing for it in advance, listening to the Spirit’s voice, bathing our minds and our hearts in God’s Word, and daily putting on that armor of God with which to fight off Satan’s evil schemes against us. This foresight, thus, comes from God, and it prepares us for what is coming, and it gives us the wisdom and discernment necessary in order to not cave to the world but to live according to the Spirit, holy and pleasing to God.

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: we’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.


Tuesday, December 11, 2018
 

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I agree with you for the most part. I believe we as believers have to be holy and separate from the world and it's ways. Sin can cause a loss of salvation for the believer if it goes unconfessed. A Christian has to walk holy in this life. For without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. As for us being conquered. I see that as happening to the saints after the Pre-Trib Rapture. I believe there are two raptures. A Pre-Trib Rapture and a Pre-Wrath Rapture. But time will ultimately prove me right or wrong of course. I would rather believe in the blessed hope (the Pre-Trib Rapture) and not take the chance on missing out on it, then to be wrong about the Pre-Trib Rapture and then later revise my understanding on Scripture on that matter. For me: There is too much at stake to lose if I don't believe in a Pre-Trib Rapture. It is also not escaping responsibility, either. Christians are persecuted heavily even today in other countries. Christians in the US, face very little persecution by comparison to that, but if they were to spread the gospel to other nations, they will face persecution indeed. But such calling, should be by the Lord and not taken lightly. We should only go where we feel God is leading us to go. God does want us to spread the good news to all nations, but it is in His timing and His decision on where we need to go first, second, third, etc. But we shouldn't feel like we have to wait until things get bad for us at some point. We can be persecuted right now by going to another country in spreading the gospel and in teaching Christ's commands.
 
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Dave-W

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I believe we as believers have to be holy and separate from the world and it's ways.
Don't fall into the trap of the Pharisees. The Aramaic word we get "pharisee" from: p'rushim, means "separate ones." They kept themselves apart from "sinners" (normal everyday folk) and "tax collectors." (those who sided with the Romans) But Paul (a pharisee) wrote this:

1 Cor 5:9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.​
 
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Don't fall into the trap of the Pharisees. The Aramaic word we get "pharisee" from: p'rushim, means "separate ones." They kept themselves apart from "sinners" (normal everyday folk) and "tax collectors." (those who sided with the Romans) But Paul (a pharisee) wrote this:

1 Cor 5:9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.​

Uh, no. The Pharisees did not live holy. The Pharisees ignored the weightier matters of the Law like love, faith, justice, and mercy (See Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42).

As for your bolding of the words in 1 Corinthians 5:10:

The point here is that we are not to shun unbelievers because we obviously need to reach them for the cause of the gospel and in teaching them to follow Jesus Christ, but the point here is that we are not to have fellowship with a believer or brother who is justifying sin. We are not to eat with such a person because they are seeking to do wrong after they know the truth.
 
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Dave-W

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Uh, no. The Pharisees did not live holy. The Pharisees ignored the weightier matters of the Law like love, faith, justice, and mercy
I did not say "holy," I said "separate."

The P'rushim were not monolithic. There were different groups of them. Some like Nicodemus were righteous men. Others were not.

And the group that gave our Lord the most trouble seem to have come from the school of Shammai. Those guys certainly lived down to the Lord's rebuke of them.
 
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icxn

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Isaiah 7:1-2 ESV

In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
Good homily Christsfreeservant and very much to the point. Syria or more specifically, Aram, translated means raised from the ground or lofty, which is exactly what the wisdom of this world is, lofty (and proud) in sophistries but not grounded in truth. It represents those who fight the Church from without. Ephraim on the other hand stands for those who fight the Church from within, the heretics, those who do and teach things contrary to the Gospel, just like the Ephraimite Jeroboam did.
 
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Christsfreeservant

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For me: There is too much at stake to lose if I don't believe in a Pre-Trib Rapture.

How so? For, if you believe in a pre-trib rapture, you are believing the Lord Jesus will take you to be with him prior to anything really bad happening to you in the way that is described in Revelation 13, for example. And, yet, all throughout the New Testament we are told that we will be hated by the nations, and that we will be persecuted for our faith in Jesus Christ, and that some of us will be put to death, and will be falsely accused, etc. So, this isn't just going to happen at some point at the very end of time, but it is happening now, and it has been happening ever since Jesus died, rose again, and sent his Holy Spirit to indwell his followers. It is just in America that we have not had to face much in the way of severe persecution, and the pre-trib rapture theory is largely an American philosophy, too.

Actually, I think there is a huge downside to believing in a pre-trib rapture but none if you believe in a post-trib rapture. For, if you believe God is going to take you out before you have to suffer anything really horrible, then if you are wrong, what happens to your faith? It is shattered! Because, this was your blessed-hope. But, if our hope, instead, is in Jesus Christ and in his eternal salvation and in his ability to keep us through our trials and tribulations, then our hope won't be shattered when the really tuff stuff comes upon us, because we will be ready for it, spiritually prepared, knowing this is what is coming.
 
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Christsfreeservant

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We can be persecuted right now by going to another country in spreading the gospel and in teaching Christ's commands.

I hate to break it to you, but if what you are sharing here in America is the true gospel, as Jesus taught it, and as his NT apostles taught it, you will be persecuted, even within or especially within the confines of the institutional church, which largely has diluted the gospel message to make it more agreeable to the flesh of humans. You will have family members turn against you, and neighbors, and your "friends" on social media, and people on here or anywhere you might be spreading the truth of the gospel in America. In fact, you might find way more acceptance in foreign countries where they know what it means to suffer for the sake of the gospel than you would find here in America, where the church has largely adopted the ways of the world, instead.
 
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Christsfreeservant

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Good homily Christsfreeservant and very much to the point. Syria or more specifically, Aram, translated means raised from the ground or lofty, which is exactly what the wisdom of this world is, lofty (and proud) in sophistries but not grounded in truth. It represents those who fight the Church from without. Ephraim on the other hand stands for those who fight the Church from within, the heretics, those who do and teach things contrary to the Gospel, just like the Ephraimite Jeroboam did.

Icxn - Thank you for sharing your thoughts here on this subject. Amen to what you said!
 
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I did not say "holy," I said "separate."

The P'rushim were not monolithic. There were different groups of them. Some like Nicodemus were righteous men. Others were not.

And the group that gave our Lord the most trouble seem to have come from the school of Shammai. Those guys certainly lived down to the Lord's rebuke of them.

I have no idea what you are referring to. It's best to speak Bible with me. That is the language I speak because that is where my faith rests upon.
 
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How so? For, if you believe in a pre-trib rapture, you are believing the Lord Jesus will take you to be with him prior to anything really bad happening to you in the way that is described in Revelation 13,

We are told to watch and pray so that we may be accounted worthy so as to escape all these end times things that are mentioned in the Olivet discourse.

"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (See Luke 21:36).

What would all these things include that Jesus just talked about?

Luke 21:
10 "Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven."

2nd seal: Wars (Peace taken from the Earth) (See Revelation 6:3-4). This lines up with nation rising against nation in Luke 21:10.

3rd seal: Famine (Revelation 6:5-6) This lines up with the famine mentioned in Luke 21:11.

Jesus said we can watch and pray so that we may be accounted worthy to escape all these things (Luke 21:36).

"And unto... the church in Thyatira... And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds." ~ (Revelation 2:18, 21-22).

How else would an entire church miss out on the great tribulation if they are not Raptured? Will God kill them instead?

Titus 2:13
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;To put it to you another way, Paul believed in looking for the imminent return of His Savior Jesus Christ. If Paul believed he would have had to go thru the tribulation, he would not have said this.

At the rapture, the LORD calls His church up to a wedding/marriage:

Matthew 25:10

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

But at the midpoint of the Tribulation, He is returning from a wedding:

Luke 12:36

And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

1 Thessalonians 1:10

"And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come."

1 Thessalonians 5:9

"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,"

You said:
for example. And, yet, all throughout the New Testament we are told that we will be hated by the nations, and that we will be persecuted for our faith in Jesus Christ, and that some of us will be put to death, and will be falsely accused, etc.

Paul and the other apostles were persecuted for their faith; It does not mean they went through the Tribulation.

You said:
So, this isn't just going to happen at some point at the very end of time, but it is happening now, and it has been happening ever since Jesus died, rose again, and sent his Holy Spirit to indwell his followers. It is just in America that we have not had to face much in the way of severe persecution, and the pre-trib rapture theory is largely an American philosophy, too.

You are mixing general persecution with the Tribulation or the End Times. They are not the same thing. The breaking of the first seal has not even happened yet. This would be the rise of the antichrist. Seal 4 is even more noticeable. It is death. About ¼th of the world will be killed (Revelation 6:7-8). I am pretty sure that has not happened yet. I believe this will be the enforcement of the mark of the beast whereby people (who are both believers and unbelievers) will be killed in great numbers because they do not want to take the mark in order to buy or sell. This is why the saints cry out for justice in the breaking of the 5th seal. They are crying out for vengeance for having just been martyred by the antichrist with the 4th seal. The 6th seal is God's response. This will be wrath upon the antichrist and his evil world system. Believers will not be around past this point until Christ returns.

You said:
Actually, I think there is a huge downside to believing in a pre-trib rapture but none if you believe in a post-trib rapture. For, if you believe God is going to take you out before you have to suffer anything really horrible, then if you are wrong, what happens to your faith? It is shattered! Because, this was your blessed-hope. But, if our hope, instead, is in Jesus Christ and in his eternal salvation and in his ability to keep us through our trials and tribulations, then our hope won't be shattered when the really tuff stuff comes upon us, because we will be ready for it, spiritually prepared, knowing this is what is coming.

I am more than willing to face the music if I am wrong about the Pre-Trib Rapture. After all, a believer can miss out on the Rapture if they are not living holy and righteous and they are not watching for the Lord's return as he tells us to do. For we are told that we are to watch, for we do not know what hour He is coming. This makes no sense in the Post Trib view Rapture because you will know when He is coming. You will be able to do a countdown of all the signs taking place. Demons coming out of the ground.... "Check" .... Blood red seas..... "Check" A period of darkness.... "Check." So yeah. No need to watch. Just look at the obvious signs and you will know.
 
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I hate to break it to you, but if what you are sharing here in America is the true gospel, as Jesus taught it, and as his NT apostles taught it, you will be persecuted, even within or especially within the confines of the institutional church, which largely has diluted the gospel message to make it more agreeable to the flesh of humans. You will have family members turn against you, and neighbors, and your "friends" on social media, and people on here or anywhere you might be spreading the truth of the gospel in America. In fact, you might find way more acceptance in foreign countries where they know what it means to suffer for the sake of the gospel than you would find here in America, where the church has largely adopted the ways of the world, instead.

Persecution here in America is not in any way like that in other countries where they go to horrible prisons and or face death or horrible physical abuse for their faith. I am also not opposed to myself or the Christian in general living the persecuted life for Christ. But it should be according to Christ's call to do that and not our own. Paul did not need to go to prison for his faith. He actually resisted the warnings of the Holy Spirit. So yeah, God does not always want us to suffer 24/7 non-stop.
 
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Christsfreeservant

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Jason, I appreciate you sharing all of your thoughts and beliefs with me on this subject. What I believe, though, is that I am not to try to prove my stance on this, because when Jesus returns is not a matter critical to our salvation. Whether or not we are spiritually ready when he returns is what is critical. What is important is that we know that he is coming back one day, and that we need to be ready. For many will say on that day, "Lord, Lord..." and he is going to say, "Depart from me, I never knew you."
 
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Christsfreeservant

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Persecution here in America is not in any way like that in other countries where they go to horrible prisons and or face death or horrible physical abuse for their faith. I am also not opposed to myself or the Christian in general living the persecuted life for Christ. But it should be according to Christ's call to do that and not our own. Paul did not need to go to prison for his faith. He actually resisted the warnings of the Holy Spirit. So yeah, God does not always want us to suffer 24/7 non-stop.

I disagree with your interpretation of what the Bible teaches on this subject. I think if you study the scriptures carefully that you will arrive at a different conclusion. And, again, I don't believe the Lord would be pleased with me debating with you on this subject, for it is also not critical to our salvation and to our eternal security with God.
 
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Jason, I appreciate you sharing all of your thoughts and beliefs with me on this subject. What I believe, though, is that I am not to try to prove my stance on this, because when Jesus returns is not a matter critical to our salvation. Whether or not we are spiritually ready when he returns is what is critical. What is important is that we know that he is coming back one day, and that we need to be ready. For many will say on that day, "Lord, Lord..." and he is going to say, "Depart from me, I never knew you."

I agree that we have to be ready (i.e. We have to live holy), or we will not see God (Hebrews 12:14). I believe that is one of the purposes of the Rapture. It will be a rebuke to all those Christians who were living in sin and thinking they were saved.
 
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I disagree with your interpretation of what the Bible teaches on this subject. I think if you study the scriptures carefully that you will arrive at a different conclusion. And, again, I don't believe the Lord would be pleased with me debating with you on this subject, for it is also not critical to our salvation and to our eternal security with God.

Fair enough. May God bless you.
 
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Dave-W

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I have no idea what you are referring to. It's best to speak Bible with me. That is the language I speak because that is where my faith rests upon.
If you have no idea, that is fine; as long as you study and show your self approved by digging into the history.

The Bible was not written in a vacuum; and the historical setting of the authors and original readers play into the text far more than we may realize.

I am giving you a bit of that setting.
 
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Bible Highlighter

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If you have no idea, that is fine; as long as you study and show your self approved by digging into the history.

The Bible was not written in a vacuum; and the historical setting of the authors and original readers play into the text far more than we may realize.

I am giving you a bit of that setting.

I believe sometimes history is written by the victors. Obviously those of other religions have a colored history that support their own agenda or religion. So we have to be careful to defend something based on history involving the Bible sometimes. I would say what one cannot mess up involving their interpretation of the Bible is having a foundation of morality or goodness in their belief. Is their belief founded upon God's goodness or basic morality?
 
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