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“THE BODY” AND “THE BRIDE.” #3

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new jerusalem

 

 

 

 

 

By E. A. Rawlence.

 

(Note: The original article has been edited because of its length. However, the argument and purpose of the author is clear. We do not necessarily condone all the writer says, but it seems to be the best answer to age old question. The publishing of this article does not imply that we agree with any departure from the KJV, should the author do so.)

It seems to me impossible from this to regard the Bride as composed of any but Israelites.  Let us then look back through the Word for any indications of such a solution. In the prophets we  frequently find Israel referred to as the wife, and Jehovah as the husband. “Surely as a wife  treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with Me, O house of  Israel, saith the Lord” (Jer. 3. 20 and see Hosea 2.).

We have already shown that she was put away for spiritual adultery, but these same  prophets make it equally clear that she will be forgiven and received back again, when there will
be a re-marriage in the future. “For thy Maker is thine husband ; the Lord of Hosts is His name ;and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel ; the God of the whole earth shall He be called. For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee” (Isa. 54. 5-7).

“For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee ; and, as the  bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee” (Isa.62. 5).  Our Lord Himself gives details as to this re-marriage in Matt. 22., “The kingdom of  heaven is like unto a certain King, which made a marriage for his son.” The whole scene is Jewish.

The guests who were first invited were obviously Israelites, and naturally near relatives and  friends of the Bridegroom and Bride, and the Bride must obviously have been a virgin of Israel,  otherwise it would have supplied an excuse for those invited to have stayed away. For, according  to the law of Moses, it was forbidden any Israelite to marry a Gentile (see Deut. 7: 3). But when  the near kinsfolk and friends of the Bride and Bridegroom would not come, then it was that the  bond-servants were sent out into the “highways” to procure the necessary company, and when  they were procured “the King came in to see the guests.”

I think all will agree that, on the return of Israel as a nation to their own land, the bulk of  the nation will follow the Antichrist, whilst the residue will form the godly remnant upon whom  the Spirit is to be poured out, as prefigured by the promise, “I will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month” (Joel 2: 23).

“THE BODY” AND “THE BRIDE.” #2

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new jerusalem

 

 

By E. A. Rawlence.

 

(Note: The original article has been edited because of its length. However, the argument and purpose of the author is clear. We do not necessarily condone all  the writer says, but it seems to be the best answer to an age old question. The publishing of this article does not imply that we agree with any departure from the KJV, should the author do so.)

 

With Israel and the kingdom set aside, how was God’s work to carry on? God would begin a new ministry which had been hidden from the foundation of the world. It had been kept secret and is called a “mystery.” He would accomplish His new plan through a new apostle, not of the Twelve, through a new gospel, not the one preached by the Twelve, and a new body, without Israel’s involvement, without the Law, or any part of Judaism. It is called a “new man.” “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;” Ephesians 2:15. Today, the Jew and the Gentile are on equal standing before God. All are sinners, and all are in the same body by the new gospel of free grace. Eph. 3:6.

When the church, the body of Christ, is completed, it will be raptured, and God will “jumpstart” his program with Israel again. The body of Christ will be in heaven, and the kingdom of heaven ministry will once again be offered to Israel, and then through them, to the world. Since we as members of “the Body of Christ,” form part of the Bridegroom, it cannot reasonably be said to be “the Bride” at the same time.

We have a definite introduction to the bride in Rev. 21. John was invited to come and see, “The Bride, the Lamb’s wife.” John introduces, not to the Church, nor to the Body, but to the Holy Jerusalem. It is certain the City appertains to Israel. The twelve foundations represent the twelve Apostles, who are by promise to sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28). It is important to note there is no foundation for a thirteenth Apostle.

There are twelve Gates, one for each Tribe, and three gates on each of the four sides of the City, as described in Ezek. 48. The Nations, of them that are saved and the kings of the earth walk in the light of it. They bring their glory and honor into it. This, the glorified Israel does not do. They obviously have their dwelling there.

(Lord willing, we will add part 3 soon.)

KNOWLEDGE IS A DANGEROUS TOOL IN THE HAND OF THE FOOLISH

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KnowledgeThe Danger of Knowledge

By Ken Blue

“…Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.” 1 Corinthians 8:1 .

I remember asking an older pastor, whom I respect very much, “How do you get wisdom?” He said, “I guess you just plead ignorance.” If we do that, and mean it, it opens our heart so God can teach us.

I am familiar with the passages in Proverbs and James on this subject, and I have tried to make them a habit in my life. However, I have met men who can quote the Bible backward, and it is evident that they are sadly in need of wisdom. What my pastor friend was telling me was that one must come to God with a spirit and attitude of personal ignorance before he can be taught wisdom.

The context of the above verse is not written to those who were ignorant of the Scriptures. They were ignorant of what was most important. They assumed that their knowledge of Scripture gave them liberty to ignore the weak, uninformed, and baby Christians who were not up to their level of “Bible knowledge. “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.” 1 Corinthians 8:9.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]…one must come to God with a spirit and attitude of personal ignorance…[/pullquote]

Knowledge is a dangerous thing, yes, even of the Bible, when it is in the hands of the foolish, or one who does not consider others. There are many passages in the Bible that are difficult to understand, but everyone understands when you love and care about them. If we will show the love of Christ to others first, they will open up their heart and mind so they become teachable.

How do you get wisdom? You go to God as a little child, and you admit your own ignorance.  Then, you ask Him to help, lead, and guide you in the area of concern. Remember, your knowledge of the Scriptures does not mean you know how to rightly divide them, balance them, or apply them in the real world. “…Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.” 1 Corinthians 8:1. May God grant all of that wisdom from above.

WHY ATHEIST HATE THE BIBLE-#4

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athiest creed By Ken Blue
The list below was sent to me by an atheist who does not believe in God. He thinks it impossible and unreasonable to believe the following. I ask him if it was “reasonable” to believe that all matter came from nothing, or has always existed. Also, why do humans progress, create, and reason, while animals never change their behavior? The beaver builds his dam, the birds build their nest, and monkeys still swing in trees. Why do they never progress? I never received an answer to my questions, and will not.  If one can accept, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. There will be no issue with the following.

*I take it, then, that as a Bible-believing Christian you believe all of the following are true, actual, factual (let me know one way or the other, please):
* there was light (“night and day”) before there was a sun GE 1.3-5, 14-19-No
* plants began to grow before there was sunlight GE 1.12, 16-No
* every plant and tree which yield seed (including hemlock, buckeye pod, nightshade, and oleander) are safe to eat GE 1.29-No
* there was a Garden of Eden GE 2.8-15-Yes
* there was an Adam GE 1.27, 4.1, 5.1 and an Eve GE 2.22-Yes
* there was a Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil GE 2.17-Yes
* there was a Serpent who spoke human language (presumably Hebrew) GE 3.1-5-No
* there was a Tree of Eternal Life GE 3.24–Yes
* there was a cherubim with a flaming sword guarding the way to the Garden of Eden GE 3.24-Yes
* Cain built and populated a whole city in only two generations (GE 4.17)-Yes
* giants (Nephalim) were on the earth before the Flood GE 6.4-Yes
* there was a Flood covering the entire earth at one time to a depth of 20+ feet above the highest mountain GE 7.17-19-Yes
* there was a Noah’s Ark GE 6.15-Yes
* there were still giants on the earth after the Flood NU 13.33-Yes
* “God” ate solid food with Abraham GE 18.1, 7-8-Yes
* Jacob altered the genetic characteristics of cattle by letting them view a striped rod GE 30.37-43-No
* “God” took part in a wrestling match with Jacob (and won by injuring his hip) GE 32.24-30-Yes
* An “angel of the Lord” appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush that was nevertheless “not burned up.” EX 3.2 “God” then called to Moses “out of the bush,” and spoke to him. The two then carried on a conversation. EX 3.4-Yes
* the Lord killed all the first-born of Egypt and there was not a house where there was not at least one dead (this means that there was not a house in Egypt that did not include at least one first-born—a most unusual situation) EX 12.30-No
* a donkey saw an angel, recognized it as such, and then spoke human language (presumably Hebrew) to his master NU22.21-30-No
* “God” obliged Joshua by making the sun and the moon stand still (so that he could finish his battle by daylight) JS10.12-14-Yes
* Samson lost his strength as a result of having his head shaved JG 16.17-22-Yes
* Solomon’s temple was only about ninety feet long by thirty feet wide, yet 153,300 persons were employed to build it, it took seven years to build, ~7,500,000 lbs. of gold and ~75,000,000 lbs. of silver were used, 24,000 supervisors and 6,000 officials and judges were employed to manage it 1KI 6.2, 2CH 3.3, 1KI 5.15-16, 1KI 6.38, 1CH 22.14, 1CH 23.4-No
* an iron axe head was made to “swim” or float (2KI 6.5-7)-Yes
* Ahaz was a 10- or 11-year-old father (Ahaz was thirty-six years old when he died. His twenty-five year old son Hezekiah succeeded him.) (2KI 16.2, 20, 18.1-2)-No
*The shadow on a sun dial was made to move backwards (2KI 20.11)_Yes
* Solomon sacrificed 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep in one week (845+ animals per hour, 14+ animals per minute, for seven days straight) 2CH 7.5, 8-9-No
* fire consumed wet wood, stones, and dust, and “licked up”water 1KI 18.33-38-Yes
* an iron axe head was made to float 2KI 6.5-7-Yes
* the shadow of the sun was made to move backwards 2KI 20.11-Yes
* dry bones were made to come alive EZ 37.1-10-No
* the shadow of the Sun was made to move backwards (again) (IS 38.8-Yes
* there is or was a high mountain from which all the kingdoms of the world could be seen (MT 4.8)-No
* both mental and physical illness are caused by demons and can be cured through exorcism MT 4.23-24, 9.32-33, 12.22, 17.14-18, MK 1.23-26, 32-34, 5.2-16, 9.17-29, 16.9, LK 11.14, 4.33-35, 8.2, 27-36, 9.38-42, AC 8.7, 16.16-18-No
* you should give to everyone who asks, lend to everyone who wants to borrow (MT 5.42, LK 6.30, 35)-No
* faith can move mountains, nothing is impossible if you have faith as small as a grain of mustard seed MT 17.20, 21.21, MK 9.23, 10.27, 11.23, LK 17.6-No
* whatever you ask in prayer, if you have faith you will receive it MT 21.22, MK 11.24-No
* you can handle snakes and drink any deadly poison without suffering any harm? (MK 16.17-18)-No
* a dead man whose body had begun to stink because he had been dead four days was brought back to life JN 11.39-44-Yes
* the bodies of dead saints arose from their graves and went in force into the city of Jerusalem MT 27.52-53-Yes
* you can handle snakes and drink any deadly thing without suffering any harm whatsoever MK 16.17-18-No
* you should sell all your possessions and give to the poor?(LK 12.33, TI 6.8)-No
* you should use prayer and anointing to cure illness? (JA5.14-15)-No
* you should consider making yourself a Eunuch for the sake of the Kingdom? (MT 19.12, RO 8.13)-No
* you should be subject to every human institution because all authorities (laws and governments) are from God (RO 13.1-4, PE 2.13-14)-No
* there are at least three heavens 2CO 12.2-Yes
* an angel (from “God”) who preaches a gospel contrary to that of Paul’s will incur Paul’s wrath GA 1.8-9”-No
The girls in our elementary Sunday school could answer most of these questions. These are not a problem if you believe in God, know your Bible, and can rightly divide it. Jeff strikes out on all three.

“WHERE IS THY GOD?”

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Where is God?
where is God

By Ken Blue

“…My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?” Psalm 42:3. “Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see…” John 1:38,39.

Very little is more painful than memories of former days when we experienced the joy and personal fellowship with God and His people, then discover all has been destroyed by our enemies. To add to David’s pain, he was taunted daily by his enemies with, “Where is God?”

That question has been asked by millions. When life seems to be at its worst, then the taunt, “where is thy God?”, usually follows. But, God was there all the time, though we may not be aware of His presence.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]God is there all the time…[/perfectpullquote]

  • Israel in Egypt 400 years- I am sure God was forgotten by many Israelites. No doubt they were taunted every day with, “Where is God?”      Yet, He was there all the time. First, he led them there to protect them, and allow them to multiply. Next, He led them out to make a great nation of them. God was with them every day although they didn’t know it.
  • The Red Sea- When Israel came to the Red Sea, the Egyptian armies were hot on their heels, and the Red Sea lay before them. It appeared that they were trapped. Many ask, “Where is God?” He was there all the time. The sea opened to let Israel cross, and it closed to destroy Egypt’s army.
  • Bitter water- Soon Israel was out of drinking water. They came to a pool that appeared to solve the problem, but the water was poison. Where was God in their time of need? Moses was instructed to cut a branch from a tree and cast it into the water. The water was healed, and all could drink. God was there all the time.
  • Water from a rock– Some days later, they were in need of water again, but this time there wasn’t a pool nearby. Moses was commanded to strike the rock. He did, and water came powering out. Where was God? He was there all the time.

Time would fail to tell of the Manna, and the quail, of Daniel’s captivity in Babylon, of Queen Esther, the birth of Christ, the death of Christ, the Resurrection of Christ, the absence of Christ, the Tribulation, the Second Advent of Christ, your sickness, and your death. He was there, and is still there all the time! Trust Him.  Where is God?  “…he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5