THE PARENTHESIS

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The parenthesis mystery

parenthesisBy Ken Blue

(The Mystery)

Of the many rules or principles of Bible interpretation, one must not overlook the principle called the parenthesis. “A parenthesis is used to mark off explanatory or qualifying remarks in writing or printing or enclose a sum, product… A comment departing from the theme of discourse; a digression.” American Heritage Dictionary-

The difference in the Bible is that the parenthesis is not filled by the writer, and it remained a mystery until revealed to and by Paul. Peter spoke of this when he said, “Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, (gap here) and the glory that should follow.” 1 Peter 1:11.

The parenthesis was always between the suffering of Christ and the glory to follow. None of the Old Testament saints or the followers of Christ understood the mystery that was hid from the foundation of the world.

The parables of Matthew 13 were primary in preaching the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven during the parenthesis that would exist from the crucifixion to the Revelation at the Second Advent. The secondary mystery was the preaching of the church, the body of Christ in this dispensation.

Let us observe this principle throughout Scripture. It is the key that unlocks Scripture.

Luke 4:18-22 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (gap here)  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?” See Isa. 61:1-2.

Another example is Psalm 22:21-22 “Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. (gap here) I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.” This text speaks of Christ’s death and resurrection.

We see the same principle in Psalm 118:22 “The stone which the builders refused (gap here) is become the head stone of the corner.” Note Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: (gap here) and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Because we have the writings of Paul, we can clearly see the mystery that fits in the parentheses.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Because we have the writings of Paul, we can clearly see the mystery that fits in the parentheses.[/perfectpullquote]

One more example should be sufficient to establish this principle of Bible interpretation. “And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?  And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?  And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:  And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.  But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.  Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;  And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:  Ought not Christ to have suffered these things,( the parenthesis goes here) and to enter into his glory?  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.  And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.  And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.  And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.  And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” Luke 24:17-32.

A WORKABLE OUTLINE OF ROMANS

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By Ken Blue

 

There are five main divisions of Romans, excluding the introduction and conclusion.

Introduction-1:1-17

Sin-Romans 1:-3:20

Salvation-Romans 3:21-5:21

Sanctification-Romans 6:1-8:39

Sovereignty-Romans 9:1-11:36 Why God chose Israel as His chosen people.

Service-Romans 12:1-15:13

Conclusion-Romans 15:14-16:27

It is relative easy to build your sermons or study around each of the points. God’s people need to master the book of Romans.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD

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                                    Copied

by Greg on February 1, 2011

In an article written today on the New American, writer Christian Gomez traced the history of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in March 1928 by Hassan al-Banna, an outspoken Egyptian schoolteacher, and imam who, among many topics, openly discussed Marxism.

Originally established as an Islamic society, the Muslim Brotherhood soon attracted many individuals including Sayyid Qutb.

Born on October 9, 1906 in Musha, Egypt, Sayyid Qutb would go on to become one of the leading Islamic theological scholars for the Muslim Brotherhood. His writings have been credited as the main ideological inspiration for Islamic terrorism.

In his book Social Justice in Islam Qutb discussed a range of issues, including Communism of which he wrote:

Similarly we have no good grounds for any hostility between Islam and the struggle for social justice, such as the hostility which persists between Christianity and Communism. For Islam prescribes the basic principles of social justice and establishes the claim of the poor to the wealth of the rich; it lays down a just principle for power and money and therefore has no need to drug the minds of men and summon them to neglect their earthly rights in favor of their expectations in heaven.

In discussing the connection between the economic ideals of Communism with his views on Islam, Qutb wrote: “…while Communism is compelled to oppose religion in order to safeguard the rights of the workers, we have no need of any such hostility to religion.”

Mr. Gomez went on to write: In an interview on January 14, 2011, Salah Adly of the Communist Party of Egypt (CPE) referred to the Muslim Brotherhood as “the maximum right” and although he claimed “we do not ally ourselves with them,” he nevertheless said, “but we are coordinating some of the issues of democracy and an end to a state of emergency against the practices of torture and to guarantee free elections.” (Emphasis added).

In discussing some of the problems the Communist Party has had with the Muslim Brotherhood he admits to “alliances made with them in recent years.”

Regardless of how Islamic the Muslim Brotherhood would have one believe it is, it’s communist heritage remains undeniable and worth noting as the dominoes fall throughout the Middle East.

The most significant part of the interview, however, was what it revealed of the CPE’s role in the orchestration of the current revolution in Egypt.

In speaking of the 2011 Alexandria bombing, in which a group of Coptic Christians were killed a few minutes into New Year’s Day 2011, Adly condemned the attack and predicted “that the growing sectors of the Christians may join in the coming stage to protest movements demanding democracy, equality and change the conditions prevailing dictatorship.” (Emphasis added)

What did he mean by “coming stage”? Was he alluding to the current revolution? If so, then how could he and the CPE have known of the protests, over a week before they started, unless they were key in its inception?

Although some members, including elder leaders, of the Muslim Brotherhood have been arrested, the truth of the matter is that they have been playing the role of catch-up — initially taking no side in the conflict — eventually joining in on the side of the masses already in revolt.

This would largely seem to discredit many commentators and pundits who regard the Egyptian revolution as a purely Islamic one or one helmed by the Muslim Brotherhood.

While the brotherhood may only be “fellow travelers” to the events taking place in Egypt, the article goes on to link the CPE with radical Islam and points to the World Socialist Web Site which states:

The aim must be to replace the existing state with a workers’ government, controlled by new institutions of popular democracy. Such a government will be the basis for carrying through socialist measures, including the nationalization of all major corporations and banks.

Finally, the struggle of the Egyptian workers must be consciously linked to the struggles of workers throughout the region and internationally. As Trotsky explained in his theory of permanent revolution, there can be no solution to even the most basic democratic demands, including an end to dictatorship, within the framework the nation-state system and the rule of the national bourgeoisie.

As if right on queue, the board placed the blame for the recent protests in Egypt squarely on that most hated of groups: The bourgeoisie in every country—“first and foremost the United States—is responding to the global breakdown of capitalism by ruthlessly attacking its “own” working class.

Of course, this so-called “global breakdown” was preceded by an interesting set of circumstances. For more on that, see China and the Bailout.

Sources:  1.Fanning the Flames of Revolution in Egypt. 2. Editorial Board. “The United States, Egypt and the Fight for Socialist Revolution”. 29 Jan 2011.”

Pundits have portrayed the Brotherhood as uncompromising zealots or beneficent providers of social services that long-deprived Egyptians desperately need.

A translation released Tuesday of a 1995 book by the movement’s fifth official leader sheds light on just how Egypt’s Brotherhood views itself and its mission. Jihad is the Way is the last of a five-volume work, The Laws of Da’wa by Mustafa Mashhur, who headed the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt from 1996-2002.

WHAT IS A BAPTIST?

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MARKS OF A BAPTIST

By Ken Blue

Some time ago I was invited to join another pastor and one of his church members for breakfast at a nearby cafe. We had a pleasant visit. We discussed various subjects, the nature of which I cannot remember. However, as we were finishing our meal, the pastor asked me a question that caught me off guard, and I am convinced he was not impressed with my answer.

The question was, “What is a Baptist?” My answer was, “one who holds to Baptist beliefs.” I proceeded to tell him of the acrostic used to explain what Baptist believe. B-Born again membership. A-Autonomy of the local church. P-Preservation of the saints. T-Total depravity of the lost. I-Inspiration of the Scriptures. S-Separation of church and state. T-Two ordinances.

However, although I agree with the above, I do not think that was the answer he was after. If a Lutheran is a follower of Martin Luther, one might assume a Baptist would be a follower of John the Baptist. I am aware that there are a few Baptist who believe just that.

The facts will demonstrate that Baptist do not, nor can they follow the Baptist.

1. John was sent to Israel only to prepare them for their Messiah. No Baptist today does that.

2. John’s baptism was accompanied with repentance and confession of sins. No Baptist makes that a requirement.

3. John’s ministry was to prepare a people for their King and earthly Kingdom. That is not the goal of any Baptist today.

4. John’s gospel (good news) was that the King was coming to establish His Kingdom, and repentance and baptism were a requirement to enter it. No Baptist preaches that.

5. John’s ministry and message never contained one word about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. That is the central theme of Baptist today.

6. Since John knew nothing about the upcoming death of Christ, his gospel must have contained a different message than that of Baptist today.

7. Since John knew nothing of Jesus’ coming death, his baptism must have served a different purpose, and possibly a different mode, then the baptism practiced today,

8. Since John was sent to baptize and Paul was not sent to baptize, there must have been light years between their two ministries.

9. No one claimed to be a follower of John the Baptist, “Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:12, isn’t it strange that no one claimed to be a follower of John the Baptist?

So, the best I can do is stick with the acrostic and follow Christ, since it is impossible, and unscriptural to follow John the Baptist.

FIRSTY LADY SAYS ‘EAT CARROT STICKS,’ SERVES JUNK FOOD AT WHITE HOUSE

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     Beer from super bowl states heads up Obama’s party

Sun Feb 6, 3:50 pm ET

“WASHINGTON – You could call it the White House Beer Summit, Part II.

President Barack Obama is turning again to fermented alcoholic beverages to find common ground between antagonists, this time fans of the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For his Super Bowl party Sunday evening, Obama is offering Yuengling Lager and Light, brewed in Pennsylvania, and Hinterland Pale Ale and Amber Ale, all the way from Wisconsin. Independents can pour down some White House Honey Ale if they like.

The rest of the menu for the 100 or so guests at the White House bash is tailgate-friendly even if served inside the Executive Mansion: bratwurst, kielbasa, cheeseburgers, deep-dish pizza and Buffalo wings with sides of German potato salad, twice-baked potatoes and assorted chips and dips.”

The American Heritage Dictionary: hy·poc·ri·sy. hy·poc·ri·sies. 1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness. 2. An act or instance of such falseness.