fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399 
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Post by fearnot on May 2, 2016 23:51:05 GMT -5
Today Monday May 2nd
I read Mark 3:20-34
Jesus is accused by his very own family as being crazy as unbelievable as that seems. After all his mother Mary talked to an angel concerning her son, and now she is also saying he is out of his mind!
That is a very good lesson to me, that sometimes the very ones we love can turn against us! There is only one who will never leave us nor forsake us.
And of course the religious leaders are ratcheting up their smear campaign saying Jesus was possessed by satan. I have no words for that, its beyond unbelievable!
However Jesus does address this nonsense.
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Post by Cindy on May 3, 2016 9:09:19 GMT -5
I loved reading your reply to Eva!!!
I am not sure I would ever had put together the two different scriptures about the fig tree ( and how many years it had to produce figs).
Which shows why I need to be more in the Word,
and
to make more use of the concordance duh!!
I also remembered that why Adam sinned even Creation was effected. I suppose a person could ask why should the Creation suffer, when it did not make the choice to sin?
However, Adam had rule over plants and animals until he sinned when then the plants ( sort of rebelled and would produce thorns and weeds...a problem to gardeners and farmers to this day).
And strangely it was a 'plant' of sorts that was used as the 'test' of love that God set for Adam. I am wondering if maybe that made 'plants' no longer innocent? Because I am reminded you had said once ( I think you said it)that even if a woman is raped she is a part of the sin.
Did I misunderstand what you said? I never quite understood that....IF, that is what you said ( not your exact words for sure, that is just what I 'thought' you meant)??
You also helped clarify what Jesus meant by many are invited but few are chosen.
And again in explaining about the Lord said to my Lord. I knew the 2nd one was Jesus but you clarified it more for me....thank you for all of the above!!
By the way, I got an inter-library load of a book written by Jay Adams,
but I am reading the Prayer Slacker book first right now.
And I also got several books by Jill Eileen Smith but one in particular I really want to read is Michael ( King David's first wife....I always felt badly about that story...all the way around.
I do sort of see Michael as a symbolism of the unbeliever and eventually Jesus sends or lets them go to their father ( satan)....as Michael was sent back to her Father, never to see David again....but that is such a heart-breaking story (both ways....as the relationship between the read David and Michael, and the unbeliever and Christ Jesus.
Anyway, I am curious how she will handle the story ( I read one other book of hers that was good). I should prob write about this in the book thread, but I got carried away because of the Adams reference sorry.
Let's look at it from another direction too. Let's say someone steals something from a store. That's a sin, right? Who does that sin hurt? It hurts the person who did the stealing, and it hurts the store owner as well. The store owner often has thoughts like, "why didn't I take more precautions?" "I wish I'd gotten that surveillance equipment that was suggested to me". "Why did I go home early that day?" They feel shamed and guilty too, even though it wasn't really their fault and they know that. Again, they did not sin, the sin was committed against them, but in order to be cleansed from their guilt, shame, and even their anger (for that could easily become a sin) they need to go to God for cleansing from it. They've been defiled from the sin committed against them and need to be cleansed of it.
So it's not that the person sinned, so much as that they need to get rid of the defilement that was left on them by the sinner.... see what I mean?
Hey guys, I havent seen your replies on the other thread, because I didnt get any notification. Probably because you didnt quote me, I dont get notifications for new replies. Eva I don't mean this as a criticism but your question about why did Jesus rebuke the fig tree, so reminded me of Jonah and the vine. I think your question puts you in good company, because Jonah was greatly loved by the Lord.
But remember God's answer to Johan about his plant which also did no wrong:
Ch 4:9-11
"9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
I think I will let Cindy tackle the reason Jesus cursed this plant.
I have read tho, that the fig tree represented Israel....
but I will leave it at that, least I mislead you.
s Thank you Barbara for your helpful reply :) There is no reason to see is as criticism, dont worry. By the way Hot Cross Buns seem really nice !! I read from Matthew 24 and finished the book. I am not sure about Matthew 24: 9-31, it is talking about the events before or after the rapture? I believe it is talking about the events that will follow rapture. I amnot sure of the meaning of "'the abomination that causes desolation,' in verse 15 Verse 36-51 Jesus is talking about how we should live, and that we should not live like the unbelievers do thinking that "we have time to repent". We dont know neither the time we will die, nor the time the rapture will be. Jesus continues on 25 about the same issue. We have to be ready and prepared. 25:14-30 it talks about how we should spread Gods Word and not to keep it only for ourselves, or did I miss something? 25:31-46 I believe is linked to chapter 22:34-40, the sheeps are the ones that kept the commandment that is above all, to choose to love is above all. In 26:25 I wondered why the other disciples didnt say anything when Judah was obvious that he was the one to betray Jesus. In 26:69-75 it was sad to see Peter acting like this because of fear. Sometimes we also do the same thing, at I least I know I failed to do this, not to say what I believe, because I was afraid of other people, but its sad and its wrong. To hide your belief its the same thing as denying Him. As for Judas in 27:3-10 I heard that he could be forgiven if he has repented and did not murder himself, could this be true? The following verses until the end of the book of Matthew are too "big" lets say to describe them with words. I am always unable to even imagive what He faced in order to save all of us, and we dont deserved it...
It is really nice to have you back posting again Eva.
It's funny what you said about how the Greek people act towards tourists. I can see both sides having been both a resident with loud partying tourists in the summer, where we now live ,
and then,
years ago we went to France, and the French treated us with great disdain.
And it's worse if it's in the church, because these are your brother and sisters in Christ.
I remember once when we lived in Hawaii, we had several people for dinner. There was a Chinese young woman student ( who hubby had dated for awhile) as one of our guests.
I tried to compliment her ( because I honestly thought she was very smart). However, she angrily responded by saying I was stereo-typing her as a ( I forgot the word) 'something???' oriental.... maybe it was an 'inscrutable Oriental'.
I didn't think of it at the time, but for the longest time after the incident, I wished I had said and pointed out to her, that she was doing the same to me, calling me basically, the 'ugly American'.
Anyway it is so nice to have you back!!!
Today Monday May 2nd
I read Mark 3:20-34
Jesus is accused by his very own family as being crazy as unbelievable as that seems. After all his mother Mary talked to an angel concerning her son, and now she is also saying he is out of his mind!
That is a very good lesson to me, that sometimes the very ones we love can turn against us! There is only one who will never leave us nor forsake us.
And of course the religious leaders are ratcheting up their smear campaign saying Jesus was possessed by satan. I have no words for that, its beyond unbelievable!
However Jesus does address this nonsense.
I'll have to post more tomorrow as I don't have time today. Sorry. I'll reply to you tomorrow too Eva, God willing...
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 3, 2016 21:46:15 GMT -5
Today May 3rd
I read Mark 4: 1-20
This was about the interesting Parable of the Sower
The seed falls in 4 different places, and only 1/4 falls on good ground, and only 1/3 of them produce 100 percent.
I want to go from 30% to 60% if possible.
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Post by Cindy on May 4, 2016 11:30:05 GMT -5
I read from Matthew 24 and finished the book. I am not sure about Matthew 24: 9-31, it is talking about the events before or after the rapture? I believe it is talking about the events that will follow rapture.I amnot sure of the meaning of "'the abomination that causes desolation,' in verse 15Verse 36-51 Jesus is talking about how we should live, and that we should not live like the unbelievers do thinking that "we have time to repent". We dont know neither the time we will die, nor the time the rapture will be. Jesus continues on 25 about the same issue. We have to be ready and prepared. 25:14-30 it talks about how we should spread Gods Word and not to keep it only for ourselves, or did I miss something? 25:31-46 I believe is linked to chapter 22:34-40, the sheeps are the ones that kept the commandment that is above all, to choose to love is above all. In 26:25 I wondered why the other disciples didnt say anything when Judah was obvious that he was the one to betray Jesus. In 26:69-75 it was sad to see Peter acting like this because of fear. Sometimes we also do the same thing, at I least I know I failed to do this, not to say what I believe, because I was afraid of other people, but its sad and its wrong. To hide your belief its the same thing as denying Him. As for Judas in 27:3-10 I heard that he could be forgiven if he has repented and did not murder himself, could this be true? The following verses until the end of the book of Matthew are too "big" lets say to describe them with words. I am always unable to even imagive what He faced in order to save all of us, and we dont deserved it...
"'the abomination that causes desolation,' in Matthew 24:15 is something that will happen half way through the tribulation. It is a VERY important sign! The word “desolation” means sacrilege. This is from the prophecy in Daniel 9:27, and is also spoken of in Daniel 11:31, and Daniel 12:11. The Antichrist will do something in the temple that will cause it to be defiled and insist that only he is to be worshiped, and that they can no longer worship the God of their Father's. This sign, when it happens, will tell the Jewish people that see it, to flee to the mountains or they will be killed. Jesus tells them they don't have time to even stop to get anything but that they should run away as quickly as possible if they are to live. God has prepared a place in the desert (probably Petra) where they will be kept safe from the Antichrist until the end of the Tribulation. When this happens, it means that the very worst persecution of any that has ever happened before is about to start. This will make the Holocaust look like a picnic.
Notice that the first 35 verses are talking about a time that has specific events that will happen that people will be able to tell that soon, Jesus will return for the second time. Starting with verse 35 though, it changes a little and we're told that no one can know exactly when He will return. Then examples are given to show how people won't bother to understand what's happening and will go on living like they always have.
The verses that we usually are mistaken about at first are Matthew 24:40–44. We often mistakenly think He is talking about the rapture there, but He is not. Again, we have to remember that Jesus is speaking to Jew's about what will happen to them. He is talking about what will happen at the end of the tribulation when He has returned. The people taken away, are taken for judgement, not for reward, so this cannot be the rapture. The people left behind are those who will live and be part of the Millennial Kingdom.
Of course He has to also say what will happen to those who don't believe, those who are just pretending, and all the wicked as well as those who are really saved. This is what He is talking about in Matthew 24:45–51.
Matthew 25 is about what will happen after Jesus has returned to earth the second time with all of us, His Church, with Him. Here He tells us about the judgements that will happen to those who have lived through the tribulation. The parable of the ten virgins, Matthew 25:1-13 explains what will happen to both the believing and unbelieving Jews at that time.
The Parable of the Talents starting in Matthew 25:14 continues to explain what will happen in this judgement. What it teaches can also be applied to us as well, as it's mainly showing how people will be judged. It's showing that those who are really saved will bear fruit for God. Those who are only pretending, won't, and they will be assigned to hell.
The Sheep and Goats starting in Matthew 25:31 shows the judgement of the Nations. This will be mainly to judge how the people who lived during the tribulation treated the Jews. Those who are true believers will have treated them with love and helped them, and they will enter the Millennial Kingdom. Those who didn't help the Jew's when they had opportunity, will be sent to Hell to wait for the final judgement after the Millennium.
After this judgement Jesus will begin the Millennial Kingdom. Even though these chapters are about the Jew's, the tribulation and second coming, we can also apply what He taught here to our lives.
In Matthew 26:25 , the disciples did not say anything because they did not know that Judas was the one who would betray Jesus. Only Jesus knew this, and He had known it even before He chose Judas as one of His disciples. When we read about it, it can sound like the disciples should have known, but the way the table was set up, and all that was happening then, there was no way they could have known, and Jesus did not want them to know, so that is why He did things the way He did.
About Judas in Matthew 27:3. No, he cannot be forgiven because he did not truly repent. The word in the original language means that he felt badly about it because he didn't expect them to kill Jesus. He felt badly about what would now happen to Jesus, not about what he did. Judas did not repent of his sins. Remorse & regret are not the same as repentance. Jesus clearly said that Judas was a devil (John 6:70), & that, though the prophecies would be fulfilled, Judas would still be guilty of deliberate sin (Matt. 26:24). He said, “I have sinned” (Matthew 27:4) because he had been caught in the act, but he did not show sincere repentance. He had rejected the truth and believed a lie, and Satan had taken possession of him. Judas showed human remorse but not spiritual repentance. In verse 3 where it says, "was remorseful" it means ‘to regret, to be sorry, to change one’s mind.’ It is not the word that is usually used for ‘repent’; the NT only uses it 6 times, and it is never used for a change of heart, but only for a change of mind; it is intellectual, not spiritual.
 My goodness Eva, you took in one huge bite what takes me at least a month to study! Slow down!  But you're doing very well. I hope what I've tried to explain to you has helped you, and I'm sorry I couldn't do it yesterday, but as you can see these chapters are very involved and take a lot of time study and explain. And although I've been writing this for over an hour, I've only explained the very bare outline of it all.
Today May 3rd
I read Mark 4: 1-20
This was about the interesting Parable of the Sower
The seed falls in 4 different places, and only 1/4 falls on good ground, and only 1/3 of them produce 100 percent.
I want to go from 30% to 60% if possible.
That just reminded me of something that happened to me the last voting season (not this year). But we were at the polls to vote and Bruce introduced me to a friend he used to work with. His friend replied that he remembered me because Bruce always told him that I was praying for him! That totally shocked me because I'd never asked Bruce to tell anyone when I was praying for them, so was surprised that he would, but I was also surprised that after several years had passed, that anyone would remember something like that. It was obvious that it meant a lot to that man. Much more then I would have ever guessed. That just makes me realize even more that we can never know what our words or actions have done until we get to heaven. I bet we'll be very surprised at the ways we've helped others and never known it!
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Post by evafromgreece on May 4, 2016 16:04:22 GMT -5
I read from Matthew 24 and finished the book. I am not sure about Matthew 24: 9-31, it is talking about the events before or after the rapture? I believe it is talking about the events that will follow rapture.I amnot sure of the meaning of "'the abomination that causes desolation,' in verse 15Verse 36-51 Jesus is talking about how we should live, and that we should not live like the unbelievers do thinking that "we have time to repent". We dont know neither the time we will die, nor the time the rapture will be. Jesus continues on 25 about the same issue. We have to be ready and prepared. 25:14-30 it talks about how we should spread Gods Word and not to keep it only for ourselves, or did I miss something? 25:31-46 I believe is linked to chapter 22:34-40, the sheeps are the ones that kept the commandment that is above all, to choose to love is above all. In 26:25 I wondered why the other disciples didnt say anything when Judah was obvious that he was the one to betray Jesus. In 26:69-75 it was sad to see Peter acting like this because of fear. Sometimes we also do the same thing, at I least I know I failed to do this, not to say what I believe, because I was afraid of other people, but its sad and its wrong. To hide your belief its the same thing as denying Him. As for Judas in 27:3-10 I heard that he could be forgiven if he has repented and did not murder himself, could this be true? The following verses until the end of the book of Matthew are too "big" lets say to describe them with words. I am always unable to even imagive what He faced in order to save all of us, and we dont deserved it...
"'the abomination that causes desolation,' in Matthew 24:15 is something that will happen half way through the tribulation. It is a VERY important sign! The word “desolation” means sacrilege. This is from the prophecy in Daniel 9:27, and is also spoken of in Daniel 11:31, and Daniel 12:11. The Antichrist will do something in the temple that will cause it to be defiled and insist that only he is to be worshiped, and that they can no longer worship the God of their Father's. This sign, when it happens, will tell the Jewish people that see it, to flee to the mountains or they will be killed. Jesus tells them they don't have time to even stop to get anything but that they should run away as quickly as possible if they are to live. God has prepared a place in the desert (probably Petra) where they will be kept safe from the Antichrist until the end of the Tribulation. When this happens, it means that the very worst persecution of any that has ever happened before is about to start. This will make the Holocaust look like a picnic.
Notice that the first 35 verses are talking about a time that has specific events that will happen that people will be able to tell that soon, Jesus will return for the second time. Starting with verse 35 though, it changes a little and we're told that no one can know exactly when He will return. Then examples are given to show how people won't bother to understand what's happening and will go on living like they always have.
The verses that we usually are mistaken about at first are Matthew 24:40–44. We often mistakenly think He is talking about the rapture there, but He is not. Again, we have to remember that Jesus is speaking to Jew's about what will happen to them. He is talking about what will happen at the end of the tribulation when He has returned. The people taken away, are taken for judgement, not for reward, so this cannot be the rapture. The people left behind are those who will live and be part of the Millennial Kingdom.
Of course He has to also say what will happen to those who don't believe, those who are just pretending, and all the wicked as well as those who are really saved. This is what He is talking about in Matthew 24:45–51.
Matthew 25 is about what will happen after Jesus has returned to earth the second time with all of us, His Church, with Him. Here He tells us about the judgements that will happen to those who have lived through the tribulation. The parable of the ten virgins, Matthew 25:1-13 explains what will happen to both the believing and unbelieving Jews at that time.
The Parable of the Talents starting in Matthew 25:14 continues to explain what will happen in this judgement. What it teaches can also be applied to us as well, as it's mainly showing how people will be judged. It's showing that those who are really saved will bear fruit for God. Those who are only pretending, won't, and they will be assigned to hell.
The Sheep and Goats starting in Matthew 25:31 shows the judgement of the Nations. This will be mainly to judge how the people who lived during the tribulation treated the Jews. Those who are true believers will have treated them with love and helped them, and they will enter the Millennial Kingdom. Those who didn't help the Jew's when they had opportunity, will be sent to Hell to wait for the final judgement after the Millennium.
After this judgement Jesus will begin the Millennial Kingdom. Even though these chapters are about the Jew's, the tribulation and second coming, we can also apply what He taught here to our lives.
In Matthew 26:25 , the disciples did not say anything because they did not know that Judas was the one who would betray Jesus. Only Jesus knew this, and He had known it even before He chose Judas as one of His disciples. When we read about it, it can sound like the disciples should have known, but the way the table was set up, and all that was happening then, there was no way they could have known, and Jesus did not want them to know, so that is why He did things the way He did.
About Judas in Matthew 27:3. No, he cannot be forgiven because he did not truly repent. The word in the original language means that he felt badly about it because he didn't expect them to kill Jesus. He felt badly about what would now happen to Jesus, not about what he did. Judas did not repent of his sins. Remorse & regret are not the same as repentance. Jesus clearly said that Judas was a devil (John 6:70), & that, though the prophecies would be fulfilled, Judas would still be guilty of deliberate sin (Matt. 26:24). He said, “I have sinned” (Matthew 27:4) because he had been caught in the act, but he did not show sincere repentance. He had rejected the truth and believed a lie, and Satan had taken possession of him. Judas showed human remorse but not spiritual repentance. In verse 3 where it says, "was remorseful" it means ‘to regret, to be sorry, to change one’s mind.’ It is not the word that is usually used for ‘repent’; the NT only uses it 6 times, and it is never used for a change of heart, but only for a change of mind; it is intellectual, not spiritual.
My goodness Eva, you took in one huge bite what takes me at least a month to study! Slow down! But you're doing very well. I hope what I've tried to explain to you has helped you, and I'm sorry I couldn't do it yesterday, but as you can see these chapters are very involved and take a lot of time study and explain. And although I've been writing this for over an hour, I've only explained the very bare outline of it all.
Hey guys :) Thank you Cindy for making clear all the above. But to be honest I have to say that terms like tribulation, rapture, millenial Kingdom takes a lot of effort from me to understand... Hard topics... I am moving on to Mark. I think it would be nice to study together the Revelation, since I am a bit afraid of going to this book on my own... |
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 4, 2016 21:30:09 GMT -5
I found it helpful that you reminded me, in your comments to Eva that the abomination that causes desolation is for the Jews.
The reason is because I had recently watched a youtube video where the person was talking about 'trans-humanism', scientists on a quest to completely map the brain ( with the intent of down-loading it into a robotic body)....thus reaching so-called eternal life.
He was speculating if that might not be the abomination, because the 'temple of God' is no longer a 'temple' made of hands but our bodies.
By doing so unbelievers could circumvent God all together, and need not die, and could have eternal life....
but of course, they would be trapped in 'horror' , having willing submitted to this ploy of satan.
I thought it was an interesting and unique idea, but it didn't seem 'right'.
But your mentioning that the abomination was a Jewish thing, explains at least on reason why this 'theory', tho interesting, in a way, could not be correct.
I kept thinking God would let me know in time, and already here is one key reason.
But as an aside, I just read where 1/4 of all Britain's youth say they (given the chance) would 'date' a robot.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 4, 2016 21:46:45 GMT -5
Today, Wed. May 4th
I read Mark 4: 21-33
Jesus talks about a Lamp on a stand parable ....things we hide, if not confessed, will be brought to light
In any case, it was a good reminder to always confess to the Lord and never try to think I could ever hide anything from Him.
The parable about how seeds grow
and the parable of the mustard seed.
I have often wondered about the mustard seed, because the mustard seed in our country, at this time, is not the smallest of all the seeds, nor does it grow into a tree.
I am wondering if perhaps in the day our Lord walked in Israel, back then, there was a variety of mustard that was indeed the smallest of seeds, and also grew into a tree so that the birds could sit in it.
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Post by Cindy on May 5, 2016 10:57:00 GMT -5
OK, here we go: Matthew 24: In order to understand what Jesus is talking about, you have to pay attention to the context, which is where they are, who He is talking to, and what they asked Him . He's talking to His disciples only, and they are Jew's, and are asking a very Jewish question. Remember, Israel as a nation had already officially denied and rejected Christ as their Savior. So what they really wanted to know was how was Jesus going to start His Kingdom and when was it going to happen. So the first 35 verses, are talking mainly about the the tribulation with some of it being about the times just before the tribulation. (not the rapture itself, but what will be happening on the earth just before the tribulation begins.) Keep in mind though that Jesus is speaking to Jew's about what will happen to them, the Jewish Nation.
"'the abomination that causes desolation,' in Matthew 24:15 is something that will happen half way through the tribulation. It is a VERY important sign! The word “desolation” means sacrilege. This is from the prophecy in Daniel 9:27, and is also spoken of in Daniel 11:31, and Daniel 12:11. The Antichrist will do something in the temple that will cause it to be defiled and insist that only he is to be worshiped, and that they can no longer worship the God of their Father's. This sign, when it happens, will tell the Jewish people that see it, to flee to the mountains or they will be killed. Jesus tells them they don't have time to even stop to get anything but that they should run away as quickly as possible if they are to live. God has prepared a place in the desert (probably Petra) where they will be kept safe from the Antichrist until the end of the Tribulation. When this happens, it means that the very worst persecution of any that has ever happened before is about to start. This will make the Holocaust look like a picnic.
Notice that the first 35 verses are talking about a time that has specific events that will happen that people will be able to tell that soon, Jesus will return for the second time. Starting with verse 35 though, it changes a little and we're told that no one can know exactly when He will return. Then examples are given to show how people won't bother to understand what's happening and will go on living like they always have.
The verses that we usually are mistaken about at first are Matthew 24:40–44. We often mistakenly think He is talking about the rapture there, but He is not. Again, we have to remember that Jesus is speaking to Jew's about what will happen to them. He is talking about what will happen at the end of the tribulation when He has returned. The people taken away, are taken for judgement, not for reward, so this cannot be the rapture. The people left behind are those who will live and be part of the Millennial Kingdom.
Of course He has to also say what will happen to those who don't believe, those who are just pretending, and all the wicked as well as those who are really saved. This is what He is talking about in Matthew 24:45–51.
Matthew 25 is about what will happen after Jesus has returned to earth the second time with all of us, His Church, with Him. Here He tells us about the judgements that will happen to those who have lived through the tribulation. The parable of the ten virgins, Matthew 25:1-13 explains what will happen to both the believing and unbelieving Jews at that time.
The Parable of the Talents starting in Matthew 25:14 continues to explain what will happen in this judgement. What it teaches can also be applied to us as well, as it's mainly showing how people will be judged. It's showing that those who are really saved will bear fruit for God. Those who are only pretending, won't, and they will be assigned to hell.
The Sheep and Goats starting in Matthew 25:31 shows the judgement of the Nations. This will be mainly to judge how the people who lived during the tribulation treated the Jews. Those who are true believers will have treated them with love and helped them, and they will enter the Millennial Kingdom. Those who didn't help the Jew's when they had opportunity, will be sent to Hell to wait for the final judgement after the Millennium.
After this judgement Jesus will begin the Millennial Kingdom. Even though these chapters are about the Jew's, the tribulation and second coming, we can also apply what He taught here to our lives.
In Matthew 26:25 , the disciples did not say anything because they did not know that Judas was the one who would betray Jesus. Only Jesus knew this, and He had known it even before He chose Judas as one of His disciples. When we read about it, it can sound like the disciples should have known, but the way the table was set up, and all that was happening then, there was no way they could have known, and Jesus did not want them to know, so that is why He did things the way He did.
About Judas in Matthew 27:3. No, he cannot be forgiven because he did not truly repent. The word in the original language means that he felt badly about it because he didn't expect them to kill Jesus. He felt badly about what would now happen to Jesus, not about what he did. Judas did not repent of his sins. Remorse & regret are not the same as repentance. Jesus clearly said that Judas was a devil (John 6:70), & that, though the prophecies would be fulfilled, Judas would still be guilty of deliberate sin (Matt. 26:24). He said, “I have sinned” (Matthew 27:4) because he had been caught in the act, but he did not show sincere repentance. He had rejected the truth and believed a lie, and Satan had taken possession of him. Judas showed human remorse but not spiritual repentance. In verse 3 where it says, "was remorseful" it means ‘to regret, to be sorry, to change one’s mind.’ It is not the word that is usually used for ‘repent’; the NT only uses it 6 times, and it is never used for a change of heart, but only for a change of mind; it is intellectual, not spiritual.
My goodness Eva, you took in one huge bite what takes me at least a month to study! Slow down! But you're doing very well. I hope what I've tried to explain to you has helped you, and I'm sorry I couldn't do it yesterday, but as you can see these chapters are very involved and take a lot of time study and explain. And although I've been writing this for over an hour, I've only explained the very bare outline of it all.
Hey guys :) Thank you Cindy for making clear all the above. But to be honest I have to say that terms like tribulation, rapture, millenial Kingdom takes a lot of effort from me to understand... Hard topics... I am moving on to Mark. I think it would be nice to study together the Revelation, since I am a bit afraid of going to this book on my own...
The Tribulation happens after the rapture and is the last 7 years during which God will pour out His wrath on mankind for their sin and wickedness, and especially on the Jews for rejecting Jesus.
The rapture is a term for what will happen to the people who are alive when Jesus calls His Church, (the body of Christ) to join Him in heaven. They will not die, they will be transformed and given their new bodies, will no longer have a sin nature, and will join Him in the air above the earth to go with Him to Heaven (New Jerusalem). All those who believed in Jesus and died before this happens, will be called to join Him in the air even before those who are alive at the time. So when He calls us, first the dead who died in belief will rise to join Him, and then those who are alive will rise to join Him in the air.
The Millennial Kingdom is the Kingdom that Jesus will begin after the tribulation. It is when Jesus will reign on the Earth for 1000 years. All those who joined Him in the rapture will also be part of that kingdom, as we will help rule the Kingdom with Him. Those who lived during the tribulation and came to believe in Him, will be part of the Kingdom too and will live with Him there for 1000 years. They will still have their sin nature, but Satan will be locked away and unable to influence them for most of that time.Satan will be released just before the end of that kingdom so he can deceive those who were born during that time and haven't chosen Jesus. Jesus will then destroy all the unbelievers and Satan will be thrown into the Lake of fire. Then the Great White Throne Judgement will happen where all the unbelievers are judged and sent to Hell. After that, God will destroy the earth and heavens and create brand new ones for us, for all who believe and trust in Him, and we will live on the new earth with Him for eternity.
This is a very, very, condensed version of what these things mean and what will happen. So please tell me what you don't understand now, as they are very important to understanding all of God's Word.
I found it helpful that you reminded me, in your comments to Eva that the abomination that causes desolation is for the Jews.
The reason is because I had recently watched a youtube video where the person was talking about 'trans-humanism', scientists on a quest to completely map the brain ( with the intent of down-loading it into a robotic body)....thus reaching so-called eternal life.
He was speculating if that might not be the abomination, because the 'temple of God' is no longer a 'temple' made of hands but our bodies.
By doing so unbelievers could circumvent God all together, and need not die, and could have eternal life....
but of course, they would be trapped in 'horror' , having willing submitted to this ploy of satan.
I thought it was an interesting and unique idea, but it didn't seem 'right'.
But your mentioning that the abomination was a Jewish thing, explains at least on reason why this 'theory', tho interesting, in a way, could not be correct.
I kept thinking God would let me know in time, and already here is one key reason.
But as an aside, I just read where 1/4 of all Britain's youth say they (given the chance) would 'date' a robot.
Today, Wed. May 4th
I read Mark 4: 21-33
Jesus talks about a Lamp on a stand parable ....things we hide, if not confessed, will be brought to light
In any case, it was a good reminder to always confess to the Lord and never try to think I could ever hide anything from Him.
The parable about how seeds grow
and the parable of the mustard seed.
I have often wondered about the mustard seed, because the mustard seed in our country, at this time, is not the smallest of all the seeds, nor does it grow into a tree.
I am wondering if perhaps in the day our Lord walked in Israel, back then, there was a variety of mustard that was indeed the smallest of seeds, and also grew into a tree so that the birds could sit in it.
The claim that the mustard seed is the smallest seed is made in the context of this parable which is set in a garden, for the word translated ‘herbs’ in v. 32 literally means ‘garden plants.’ The Life of Christ
The mustard seed is not the smallest of all seeds in existence, but it was in comparison to all the other seeds the Jews sowed in Israel. The MacArthur study Bible
This parable has an elaborate double-question introduction which states in essence that the emergence of God’s kingdom is similar to what happens to a mustard seed (the common black mustard, sinapis nigra) after it is sown on the ground. In Jewish thinking, its small size was proverbial since it was the smallest of all the seeds sown in the field. It took 725-760 mustard seeds to weigh a gram (28 grams equal one ounce). The mustard shrub is an annual plant which, growing from seed, becomes the largest of all garden plants (ta lachana, “large, fast-growing annual shrubs”) in Palestine, reaching a height of 10–12 feet in a few weeks. Birds of the air (undomesticated fowl) are attracted by its seed and the shade of its large branches. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
Jesus did not intend to teach botany here but to make a point about the kingdom of God. The mustard seed was the smallest seed of any plant cultivated in first-century Palestine and was proverbial for minuteness. Though mustard is not technically a tree, it can grow to a height of from six to ten feet and support birds. Jesus was probably making a theological point that His readers would catch, alluding either to Ezk 31:17 or Dn 4:12 and the world dominion of God’s kingdom. Alternatively the statement may have been meant to shock: The kingdom of heaven will grow much bigger than one would expect when seeing its beginning. The Apologetics Study Bible
Hope that helps. I'm going to go try and post some about some of the things I've been learning....
Did you see what I said about the devotionals I've been posting?
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 5, 2016 14:50:27 GMT -5
Thank you so much for the info about the mustard seed. I did not know it grew up to 10 feet....but then if I think about it, having lived in Hawaii for about 12 years, almost every plant, that I knew on the mainland, grew waaaaay bigger in Hawaii...
(even the Hawaiian people, in general, were on average, much bigger boned than mainland haoles ( the men especially pride themselves on having legs as big tree trunks LOL...they don't even have to lift weights!!).
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Post by evafromgreece on May 5, 2016 16:23:06 GMT -5
Hey guys :) Thank you Cindy for making clear all the above. But to be honest I have to say that terms like tribulation, rapture, millenial Kingdom takes a lot of effort from me to understand... Hard topics... I am moving on to Mark. I think it would be nice to study together the Revelation, since I am a bit afraid of going to this book on my own...
The Tribulation happens after the rapture and is the last 7 years during which God will pour out His wrath on mankind for their sin and wickedness, and especially on the Jews for rejecting Jesus.
The rapture is a term for what will happen to the people who are alive when Jesus calls His Church, (the body of Christ) to join Him in heaven. They will not die, they will be transformed and given their new bodies, will no longer have a sin nature, and will join Him in the air above the earth to go with Him to Heaven (New Jerusalem). All those who believed in Jesus and died before this happens, will be called to join Him in the air even before those who are alive at the time. So when He calls us, first the dead who died in belief will rise to join Him, and then those who are alive will rise to join Him in the air.
The Millennial Kingdom is the Kingdom that Jesus will begin after the tribulation. It is when Jesus will reign on the Earth for 1000 years. All those who joined Him in the rapture will also be part of that kingdom, as we will help rule the Kingdom with Him. Those who lived during the tribulation and came to believe in Him, will be part of the Kingdom too and will live with Him there for 1000 years. They will still have their sin nature, but Satan will be locked away and unable to influence them for most of that time.Satan will be released just before the end of that kingdom so he can deceive those who were born during that time and haven't chosen Jesus. Jesus will then destroy all the unbelievers and Satan will be thrown into the Lake of fire. Then the Great White Throne Judgement will happen where all the unbelievers are judged and sent to Hell. After that, God will destroy the earth and heavens and create brand new ones for us, for all who believe and trust in Him, and we will live on the new earth with Him for eternity.
This is a very, very, condensed version of what these things mean and what will happen. So please tell me what you don't understand now, as they are very important to understanding all of God's Word.
Thank you Cindy :) Its not that I dont understand these terms at all, we have discussed them various of times, I have searched them also. The thing is that its good to be reminded of them often. Because there are terms far from what I can even imagine and that makes it hard to truly understand them. Similar difficulty I face when I read about what happened to Jesus on the cross, I mean how He suffered. These are things that my mind is too small to understand. But I believe it would be a good idea to study the Revelation together. It might sound strange but, I am a big afraid of reading it again. When I also see verses from it I feel strange feelings I cannot express. I cannot truly understand it, its really hard. But also when I see what is going to happen I am a bit afraid. Like a 5 year old who has just saw a horror movie and cannot sleep. I am not afraid for me. I have Him! But I cannot explain this feeling.
Today, Wed. May 4th
I read Mark 4: 21-33
Jesus talks about a Lamp on a stand parable ....things we hide, if not confessed, will be brought to light
In any case, it was a good reminder to always confess to the Lord and never try to think I could ever hide anything from Him.
The parable about how seeds grow
and the parable of the mustard seed.
I have often wondered about the mustard seed, because the mustard seed in our country, at this time, is not the smallest of all the seeds, nor does it grow into a tree.
I am wondering if perhaps in the day our Lord walked in Israel, back then, there was a variety of mustard that was indeed the smallest of seeds, and also grew into a tree so that the birds could sit in it.
The claim that the mustard seed is the smallest seed is made in the context of this parable which is set in a garden, for the word translated ‘herbs’ in v. 32 literally means ‘garden plants.’ The Life of Christ
The mustard seed is not the smallest of all seeds in existence, but it was in comparison to all the other seeds the Jews sowed in Israel. The MacArthur study Bible
This parable has an elaborate double-question introduction which states in essence that the emergence of God’s kingdom is similar to what happens to a mustard seed (the common black mustard, sinapis nigra) after it is sown on the ground. In Jewish thinking, its small size was proverbial since it was the smallest of all the seeds sown in the field. It took 725-760 mustard seeds to weigh a gram (28 grams equal one ounce). The mustard shrub is an annual plant which, growing from seed, becomes the largest of all garden plants (ta lachana, “large, fast-growing annual shrubs”) in Palestine, reaching a height of 10–12 feet in a few weeks. Birds of the air (undomesticated fowl) are attracted by its seed and the shade of its large branches. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
Jesus did not intend to teach botany here but to make a point about the kingdom of God. The mustard seed was the smallest seed of any plant cultivated in first-century Palestine and was proverbial for minuteness. Though mustard is not technically a tree, it can grow to a height of from six to ten feet and support birds. Jesus was probably making a theological point that His readers would catch, alluding either to Ezk 31:17 or Dn 4:12 and the world dominion of God’s kingdom. Alternatively the statement may have been meant to shock: The kingdom of heaven will grow much bigger than one would expect when seeing its beginning. The Apologetics Study Bible
Hope that helps. I'm going to go try and post some about some of the things I've been learning....
Did you see what I said about the devotionals I've been posting?
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Post by evafromgreece on May 5, 2016 16:30:43 GMT -5
Barbara, it seems like we study similar things now :)
I studied Mark chapters 1-4
One thing. Mark 1:25, 1:34, 1:44, 3:11-12
Jesus didnt want to be recognised as the Messiah, why?
Also, in 3:28-30 , I am not sure about what He meant with this.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 5, 2016 23:08:25 GMT -5
:
EvaI think one reason was that He did not want nor need the testimony of demons....if you notice it was demons saying: we know who you are etc.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 5, 2016 23:16:51 GMT -5
Today Thur May 5th
I read Mark 4: 35-41
Jesus calms a storm...a really really BIG storm, the waves were breaking over the boat about to swamp it and drown them.
I have heard other Christians say, that we can apply this to the 'storms' of our lives
I am not saying that Jesus will stop the storm every time, although He is able to , and He may indeed stop some...
but if He allows the storm to continue on, or even to swamp our boat, we know, He is with us.
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Post by Cindy on May 6, 2016 10:23:15 GMT -5
Barbara, it seems like we study similar things now :) I studied Mark chapters 1-4 One thing. Mark 1:25, 1:34, 1:44, 3:11-12 Jesus didnt want to be recognised as the Messiah, why? Also, in 3:28-30 , I am not sure about what He meant with this.
Did you see my reply about the terms you did not understand before? Do you understand them now or do you need me to explain it better?:
EvaI think one reason was that He did not want nor need the testimony of demons....if you notice it was demons saying: we know who you are etc.
Today Thur May 5th
I read Mark 4: 35-41
Jesus calms a storm...a really really BIG storm, the waves were breaking over the boat about to swamp it and drown them.
I have heard other Christians say, that we can apply this to the 'storms' of our lives
I am not saying that Jesus will stop the storm every time, although He is able to , and He may indeed stop some...
but if He allows the storm to continue on, or even to swamp our boat, we know, He is with us.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 7, 2016 14:00:57 GMT -5
Thanks Cindy!! :-)
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 7, 2016 22:01:42 GMT -5
Fri May 6th
I read Mark 5:1-20
Jesus restores a Demon possessed man
I have noticed much demon activity while Jesus was on earth and it seems like the closer it gets to His return, we are once again having more and more demon activity.
This man was into cutting himself and again it seems there is more of that today.
The people were Gadites ( the ones that choose the wrong side of Jordan and their livelihood and business was raising pigs!
It reminds me of how one step in the wrong direction can eventually lead into a very low depraved life.
Today May 7th
I read Mark 5: 21-34
It starts off with Jarius coming to plead for Jesus to heal his daughter, but it gets interrupted with a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years.
She had used up all her money on doctors who did not heal her, but just by touching the clothes of Jesus she was healed.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 9, 2016 0:14:55 GMT -5
Today May 8th
I read Mark 5:35-41
Jesus raises a girl from death.
This is one of those passages that secular people point to and say: SEEEEEE the Bible contradicts itself!!
First the dad says the little girl is dying and then they say she is dead.
What they forget is that yes when the dad came his daughter was dying (her death was eminent, she was not going to linger on for days, weeks or months...not even hours)
However, Jesus was interrupted by the woman with the bleeding problem, in the time it took him to deal with that, the little girl died, so there was no contradiction.....she was dying....and within a few minutes she died.
But that was not a problem to Jesus who was and is God.
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Post by Cindy on May 9, 2016 10:47:25 GMT -5
Fri May 6th
I read Mark 5:1-20
Jesus restores a Demon possessed man
I have noticed much demon activity while Jesus was on earth and it seems like the closer it gets to His return, we are once again having more and more demon activity.
This man was into cutting himself and again it seems there is more of that today.
The people were Gadites ( the ones that choose the wrong side of Jordan and their livelihood and business was raising pigs!
It reminds me of how one step in the wrong direction can eventually lead into a very low depraved life.
Today May 7th
I read Mark 5: 21-34
It starts off with Jarius coming to plead for Jesus to heal his daughter, but it gets interrupted with a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years.
She had used up all her money on doctors who did not heal her, but just by touching the clothes of Jesus she was healed.
Today May 8th
I read Mark 5:35-41
Jesus raises a girl from death.
This is one of those passages that secular people point to and say: SEEEEEE the Bible contradicts itself!!
First the dad says the little girl is dying and then they say she is dead.
What they forget is that yes when the dad came his daughter was dying (her death was eminent, she was not going to linger on for days, weeks or months...not even hours)
However, Jesus was interrupted by the woman with the bleeding problem, in the time it took him to deal with that, the little girl died, so there was no contradiction.....she was dying....and within a few minutes she died.
But that was not a problem to Jesus who was and is God.
I'm not doing very well today, so not up to writing anything, but I did post some stuff yesterday morning in the other forums.
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Post by evafromgreece on May 9, 2016 15:33:57 GMT -5
Hey guys I studied Mark 5-7.
About chapter 5. I was thinking about this again when I read this thing in Matthew, and everytime I read something similar. And I believe we have talked about this before. In "modern" terms this person could have been discribed as mentally ill? Do we have such kind of people in our societies, but because we are unable to understand what is going on we are talking about illness? Also, it amazes me how the people who were living in the same area, when they saw this man acting normally, instead of feeling good about him, they were frightened.
In chapter 6:5, does this verse mean that He healed only the people who had faith, or it says that he healed some but He was amazed because even them they could not believe in Him?
6:6-12, the disciples were to be humble, even if they had to spread such a precious message.
6:53-56 , the Jews wanted miracles, they could not understand , did Jesus healed even the ones that did not have faith, the ones that wanted to "take advantage" of Him? Again the same thought. I dont think He did.
Chapter 7. The Jews made people to do extra things, except from the Law? It seems that they made up things to make people do, in order to keep their power and earn money for example.
Chapter 7:36- before we discussed that Jesus didnt want demons testimonies. Thats ok. But in these verse it seems again that He wanted to hide his identity for some reason.
I think I am ok with the terms millenial Kingdom, tribulation etc. But, as I said before, a study on this topic would help a lot
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 9, 2016 23:11:24 GMT -5
Eva:
It's interesting you brought up mental illness, because I have just started a book which is presenting a different view point about mental illness than most people think when they hear that someone is mentally ill.
One thing he mentions is the term mental illness, implies the person is 'ill' they have an illness, to be compared with being physically sick.
If a person is 'sick' it's not their fault, so they can't be held accountable because they are sick.
Furthermore, if one is mentally ill, their psych person, helps them figure out who in their childhood, was to blame (mom, dad, grandparents, teachers, the church folks, pastor, older siblings etc.
This is not to say, that people don't ever have cruel, hurtful people in their childhood, but once people are adults to continue to live blaming present choices on the people in their past, is a way to avoid being held accountable for choosing to sin.
A child may suffer terrible things, but the time comes when they are free ( away from abusive parents or older brother or sister etc.) and they are choosing sin but using mental illness as a way to not be held accountable.
And many may pay tons of money to a psych for years and years of analysis, and not be one bit better.
They are looking to man made help rather than God's help.
There are some people with brain damage who don't fit into this group but the large majority of folks do.
I have only read about 10 pages so I am sure I will learn a lot more about God's way of dealing with 'mental illness'
It just caught my attention because you mentioned it in passing and I just started a book on that subject.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 9, 2016 23:25:22 GMT -5
Today May 9th
I read Mark 6 1-12
I am sorry you are not feeling well Cindy.
I have been struggling also.
I wonder if its partially the weather. Our weather has been fluctuating from sunny and warm-ish to cooler, rainy, windy and back and forth.
I have been in more pain, etc.
I will pray that you might feel better soon. I hate hearing you are suffering!
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Post by Cindy on May 10, 2016 11:24:03 GMT -5
Hey guys I studied Mark 5-7. About chapter 5. I was thinking about this again when I read this thing in Matthew, and everytime I read something similar. And I believe we have talked about this before. In "modern" terms this person could have been discribed as mentally ill? Do we have such kind of people in our societies, but because we are unable to understand what is going on we are talking about illness? Also, it amazes me how the people who were living in the same area, when they saw this man acting normally, instead of feeling good about him, they were frightened. In chapter 6:5, does this verse mean that He healed only the people who had faith, or it says that he healed some but He was amazed because even them they could not believe in Him? 6:6-12, the disciples were to be humble, even if they had to spread such a precious message. 6:53-56 , the Jews wanted miracles, they could not understand , did Jesus healed even the ones that did not have faith, the ones that wanted to "take advantage" of Him? Again the same thought. I dont think He did. Chapter 7. The Jews made people to do extra things, except from the Law? It seems that they made up things to make people do, in order to keep their power and earn money for example. Chapter 7:36- before we discussed that Jesus didnt want demons testimonies. Thats ok. But in these verse it seems again that He wanted to hide his identity for some reason. I think I am ok with the terms millenial Kingdom, tribulation etc. But, as I said before, a study on this topic would help a lot
Yes, Jesus healed people that did not believe in Him, and even those who would try to take advantage of Him. Most of the people did NOT believe He was the Messiah, but He healed them anyway, just like He saved all of us even though we were still His enemies.
In Mark 7:36 Jesus helped Gentiles when He was asked to, but He did not yet intend to have a ministry there. At this point He was mainly ministering to the Jew's. So He told them not to tell anyone because He didn't want another big crowd to come and keep Him from His ministry to the Jews. Also, He told people not to tell about the miracles because He wanted people to focus on His message, not on the miracle. The purpose of each miracle was to show that He was God and that the people should pay attention to what He had to say. But instead, they paid more attention to the miracles and didn't care about what He was saying. People still do that today. He was not trying to hide His identity at all. He simply wanted the people to focus on the right thing: His message.
How much of the Old Testament have you read Eva? I'm asking so I can know how much needs to be explained about the tribulation etc.....
Eva:
It's interesting you brought up mental illness, because I have just started a book which is presenting a different view point about mental illness than most people think when they hear that someone is mentally ill.
One thing he mentions is the term mental illness, implies the person is 'ill' they have an illness, to be compared with being physically sick.
If a person is 'sick' it's not their fault, so they can't be held accountable because they are sick.
Furthermore, if one is mentally ill, their psych person, helps them figure out who in their childhood, was to blame (mom, dad, grandparents, teachers, the church folks, pastor, older siblings etc.
This is not to say, that people don't ever have cruel, hurtful people in their childhood, but once people are adults to continue to live blaming present choices on the people in their past, is a way to avoid being held accountable for choosing to sin.
A child may suffer terrible things, but the time comes when they are free ( away from abusive parents or older brother or sister etc.) and they are choosing sin but using mental illness as a way to not be held accountable.
And many may pay tons of money to a psych for years and years of analysis, and not be one bit better.
They are looking to man made help rather than God's help.
There are some people with brain damage who don't fit into this group but the large majority of folks do.
I have only read about 10 pages so I am sure I will learn a lot more about God's way of dealing with 'mental illness'
It just caught my attention because you mentioned it in passing and I just started a book on that subject. Today May 9th
I read Mark 6 1-12
I am sorry you are not feeling well Cindy.
I have been struggling also.
I wonder if its partially the weather. Our weather has been fluctuating from sunny and warm-ish to cooler, rainy, windy and back and forth.
I have been in more pain, etc.
I will pray that you might feel better soon. I hate hearing you are suffering!
It's kind of neat that you and Eva are reading some of the same things right now. I'm working on John 9 now. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day for both of us!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 10, 2016 22:56:04 GMT -5
Cindy I am reading a 1972 book by Jay E. Adams 'Competent to Counsel'
I think you may have mentioned him and I think this was the only book I could find, tho I think he wrote over 100?
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 10, 2016 23:06:29 GMT -5
Today Tues May 10
I read Mark 6: 14-29
This is the sad story of the beheading of John the Baptist.
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Post by evafromgreece on May 11, 2016 9:08:37 GMT -5
Hey guys.
-
I studied Mark chapter 8-9. I dont have much to write on these, because they are describing things we discussed also in Matthew. One small thing though, chapter 8:31-33 reminded me of Matthew 27:51-53 and I forgot to mention this. So it says that the saints rose from the dead at the same time Jesus rose and people saw them? Can we discuss this?
Thank you guys for making clear the things I didnt understood.
Cindy, as for what I have read from the OT I have read the basic things from all the books, from a reading plan I followed , and all the chapters in Ruth, Job and Proverbs.
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Post by Cindy on May 11, 2016 11:47:20 GMT -5
Cindy I am reading a 1972 book by Jay E. Adams 'Competent to Counsel'
I think you may have mentioned him and I think this was the only book I could find, tho I think he wrote over 100?
Today Tues May 10
I read Mark 6: 14-29
This is the sad story of the beheading of John the Baptist.
Hey guys. - I studied Mark chapter 8-9. I dont have much to write on these, because they are describing things we discussed also in Matthew. One small thing though, chapter 8:31-33 reminded me of Matthew 27:51-53 and I forgot to mention this. So it says that the saints rose from the dead at the same time Jesus rose and people saw them? Can we discuss this? Thank you guys for making clear the things I didnt understood. Cindy, as for what I have read from the OT I have read the basic things from all the books, from a reading plan I followed , and all the chapters in Ruth, Job and Proverbs.
Apparently the graves were opened by the earthquake, which to the Jew's meant that the whole land was defiled. That's interesting because they had been fearful of leaving our Lord's body on the cross because they didn't want the land defiled by it. God showed them what He thought about the way they lived their religion by defiling the land with all the dead bodies. This also was a symbol of "death being swallowed up by victory" when Jesus died. Then, after Jesus was raised from the dead, all those righteous people, who's graves had been opened by the earthquake, were raised from the dead and came out of their graves, just like Lazarus had come out of his. They went into Jerusalem and many people saw them. They were resurrected after Jesus because Jesus was to be the first to be resurrected as the first one born from the dead. (Ac 26:23; 1 Co 15:20, 23; Col 1:18; Rev 1:5). They went into Jerusalem as witnesses to this, and many people, both believers and unbelievers saw them and could not deny it. Jesus however did not allow Himself to be seen in Jerusalem by any except His disciples and believers because Jerusalem had rejected Him and they were now under God's judgment. This was so well known at the time, so many people witnessed this, that the authors of the NT did not say much about it since everyone already knew about it.
I'm afraid I don't understand what the "basic things" from all the books are... I've never heard it put that way. To most teachers and pastors, every word in the Old and New Testament is "basic" and to be read and studied.... I can't even imagine choosing some parts over others to leave out or put in.... Please know that God expects us to know all of His Word, not just parts of it. I think you already know that, but am saying it because of that study leaving parts out....that just amazes me, and I wouldn't want anyone else who might read this to think that it's ok to leave out any part of God's Word.
Anyway, I guess the best way to do this is to explain it from the beginning. It's interesting to me that you asked because the Lord has been leading me to do this anyway. I just wasn't sure when or how. I guess He means now What I have to figure out though is how to do this and still maintain this thread too.
Barbara, do you want to be part of this study about the tribulation etc. as well? Or have you had enough about that subject?
I can warn you right now that the study will take a long time for me to do. I'm going to try to make one post a day about it and I will try very hard to keep my posts fairly short so they won't take forever to read. No promises, but I'll do my best to do that. Next, I also have to determine where to put the thread. It could be in this forum or in the End Times, Rapture, Tribulation, Millennium, & Eternity forum. So give me a few days to figure it all out. Let's plan on starting it next Monday, ok?
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 11, 2016 23:03:02 GMT -5
Yes Cindy I would love to be a part of it, and no I have not had enough of it LOL
Besides I wouldn't want to miss you posts ( and whom ever else you might quote)
and commentaries on it.
Thank you, Monday sounds good!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 11, 2016 23:22:04 GMT -5
Today Wed. May 11th
I read Mark 30-44
Jesus Feeds 5000
It was late in the day and in a remote place, the people were hungry and Jesus had compassion on them.
He tells his disciples to give them something to eat but his disciples reply:
“That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”
I am afraid I am very much like them. It sounds funny in a way, knowing Jesus can do miracles because his is wholly man and wholly God.
Nevertheless, I have a self-centered selfish streak, and often forget to pray, rather, I think 'practical, logical' thoughts, which are really, lack of faith.
For the longest time, I thought it was just Judas who held the purse strings who said this, and that made me feel a billion times worse ( not that it could ever be a good thing).
But actually it does say that 'they' said that, so I hope I am not just like Judas.
Needless to say when they found out there were 5 loaves and 2 fish, Jesus was able to multiply them to feed everyone with lots left over.
I actually have been blessed way more than I probably ever deserve, with the Lord multiplying for us our whole married life.
And tho I am not demanding or presuming He will always do so, I also often ( after praying) wait to see what He may indeed do.
I think Father does love to give to His children ( if we are not needing to lack ( for our benefit).
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Post by Cindy on May 12, 2016 10:43:54 GMT -5
Yes Cindy I would love to be a part of it, and no I have not had enough of it LOL
Besides I wouldn't want to miss you posts ( and whom ever else you might quote)
and commentaries on it.
Thank you, Monday sounds good! Today Wed. May 11th
I read Mark 30-44
Jesus Feeds 5000
It was late in the day and in a remote place, the people were hungry and Jesus had compassion on them.
He tells his disciples to give them something to eat but his disciples reply:
“That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”
I am afraid I am very much like them. It sounds funny in a way, knowing Jesus can do miracles because his is wholly man and wholly God.
Nevertheless, I have a self-centered selfish streak, and often forget to pray, rather, I think 'practical, logical' thoughts, which are really, lack of faith.
For the longest time, I thought it was just Judas who held the purse strings who said this, and that made me feel a billion times worse ( not that it could ever be a good thing).
But actually it does say that 'they' said that, so I hope I am not just like Judas.
Needless to say when they found out there were 5 loaves and 2 fish, Jesus was able to multiply them to feed everyone with lots left over.
I actually have been blessed way more than I probably ever deserve, with the Lord multiplying for us our whole married life.
And tho I am not demanding or presuming He will always do so, I also often ( after praying) wait to see what He may indeed do.
I think Father does love to give to His children ( if we are not needing to lack ( for our benefit).
If you look back up in verse 31 you see: “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”” (Mark 6:31) So the disciples (and Jesus) were tired and hungry themselves. But the people didn't care. They followed them and ran ahead and actually got there before Jesus and His disciples. When Jesus saw them, it says He had compassion on them and taught them anyway, even though He was worn out and hungry as were the disciples. The disciples did pretty well to just wait as long as they did, really, at least I think they did. But eventually, they remind Jesus gently that they're tired and hungry and ask Him to send the people away. They remind Him by telling Him that the people hadn't eaten either. But what they're really thinking of is themselves and probably of Jesus too as they were protective of Him as well. But Jesus always put others before Himself and was teaching the disciples to do the same. They would be pastors and pastors miss meals and bed times often, for the flock must come first.
The excitement of the miracle though would have worn off shortly after Jesus dismissed the crowd though, so keep in mind when you read the next section that the disciples were already exhausted when they got into the boat, but at least they weren't hungry anymore....
Being selfish is what our sin nature does best and all of us are therefore naturally selfish and really can't be any other way until we're saved. That's why I said I thought the disciples did well to wait as long as they did. They really tried to put others first, but were most likely dog tired by that time, not to mention hungry. I bet when Jesus started multiplying the bread and fish though that all their tiredness left them! That must have been really amazing to experience! I've noticed when reading commentaries and sermons written in the early 1800's that they talked a lot about self and selfishness and how we have to deny ourselves when we're saved. They at least understood very well what being saved was all about and how it meant separating ourselves from our selfish nature and constantly abiding in Jesus instead so we could put others first.
I agree, God blesses us all tremendously more then we deserve, especially since we don't really deserve anything at all. God's love is truly amazing.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,399
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Post by fearnot on May 12, 2016 22:11:57 GMT -5
Eva:
I just read (paraphrasing J. Vernon Mcgee)
another reason that Jesus said not to tell people when He did a miracle, was because the whole story was not told yet.
He had not died and been resurrected yet It's His death to pay for our sins, and His resurrection overcoming death, without those, the miracles, miss the whole point of the good news.
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My goodness Eva, you took in one huge bite what takes me at least a month to study! Slow down! 
But you're doing very well. I hope what I've tried to explain to you has helped you, and I'm sorry I couldn't do it yesterday, but as you can see these chapters are very involved and take a lot of time study and explain. And although I've been writing this for over an hour, I've only explained the very bare outline of it all. 
!!
