The Parable Of The Ten Virgins
New Light Becomes Old Light Again and Again for Jehovah's Witnesses
The Temporal VS The Eternal [AUDIO]
The First 100 Years of Christianity
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And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because HE IS KIND TO THE UNGRATEFUL AND WICKED. BE MERCIFUL, JUST AS YOUR FATHER IS MERCIFUL. (Luke 6:34-36)**God's kindness leads to repentance (Rom. 2:4), yet with the backslidden prodigal, it was VERY HARD TIMES - even his longing to eat hog food (which he still didn't get to have) that caused him to "come to his senses" (Luke 15:17) and repent. God's ways are not our ways (Isa. 55:8-9); in the eternal scheme of things, those hard times for the prodigal were God's kindness and a BLESSING.
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that GOD'S KINDNESS LEADS YOU TOWARD REPENTANCE? (Rom 2:4)On a related note: contrast the examples of David and the Prodigal regarding sexual temptation to Joseph. Joseph fleed and resisted sexual temptation (Gen. 39:7-13).
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. ANYONE WHO DOES THESE THINGS IS DETESTABLE TO THE LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. (Deu 18:10-12)
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, THOSE WHO PRACTICE MAGIC ARTS, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Rev 21:8)
A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and BURNED THEM PUBLICLY.... (Acts 19:19)
They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with him will be his CALLED, CHOSEN AND FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS. (Rev 17:14)
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Blessed are those who WASH their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the **dogs [the Judaizers - Phil. 3:2], those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and EVERYONE who loves and practices falsehood. (Rev 22:14,15)"WASH" in Rev. 22:14 is a PRESENT TENSE - a continuous action.
**One either has the right to enter THE CITY (New Jerusalem) because of WASHING HIS SPIRITUAL ROBE (being PURE - Rev. 21:27, Heb. 12:14) or he will be outside of the city and Rev. 21:8 shows "their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur". Those are the two final destinies.
Then each of them [the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. (Rev 6:9)] was given a WHITE ROBE, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. (Rev 6:11)
After this I looked and there before me was A GREAT MULTITUDE THAT NO ONE COULD COUNT, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They [they who have come out of the great tribulation; THEY HAVE WASHED THEIR ROBES AND MADE THEM WHITE IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB (Rev 7:14)] were WEARING WHITE ROBES and were holding palm branches in their hands. (Rev 7:9)
FINE LINEN, BRIGHT AND CLEAN, was given her [Jesus' bride] to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) (Rev 19:8)Ponder also the next verses about dressing and clothes with the above verses.
"BE DRESSED ready for service and keep your lamps burning, (Lk. 12:35)
He asked, 'HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE WITHOUT WEDDING CLOTHES, friend?' The man was speechless. "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' (Mt. 22: 12,13)**BTW, Jesus himself wears a robe down to his feet (Rev. 1:13) and on his robe DIPPED IN BLOOD is his name - King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:13; 19:16).
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Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. (English Standard Version)
Now I want to remind you, you having known all this, that Jesus, having saved at one time a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward He destroyed those not having believed. (Berean Literal Bible)
Now I want to remind you, though you know everything once and for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. (New American Standard Bible)
Now I want to remind you, although you came to know all these things once and for all, that Jesus saved a people out of Egypt and later destroyed those who did not believe; (Christian Standard Bible)Among other reasons, the OT includes "WARNINGS for us" in NT times, such as just cited in Jude 5:
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as WARNINGS FOR US, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! (1 Cor 10:11,12)
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The mighty man will become tinder and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the fire. (Isa 1:31)
And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind. (Isa 66:24)
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When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. (Luke 4:13)For the devil to look and wait for an OPPORTUNE time means he's watching and waiting to devour, if possible, via sinful temptation, persecution or some kind of deception.
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if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and MADE THEM AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE UNGODLY; (2 Pet 2:6)
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as AN EXAMPLE OF THOSE WHO SUFFER THE PUNISHMENT OF ETERNAL FIRE. (Jude 7)** The Sodomites are still SUFFERING in eternal fire, as you read this!
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Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, (1 Tim 3:2)
A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. (1 Tim 3:12)
An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. (Titus 1:6)
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For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Col 1:16,17)
... Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor 1:24)For Jesus to create everything, he would have to have all power and wisdom.
** ALL POWER in heaven and earth was restored back to him after he resurrected (Mt. 28:18), yet somehow Jehovah's Witnesses think Jesus is a mere angel!
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And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. (New Living Translation)
And they smote his head with a reed, and spat upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. (American Standard Version)
Then they beat him on the head with a stick. They spit on him and knelt down and pretended to worship him. (Contemporary English Version)
And they smote his head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. (English Revised Version)
They kept hitting him on the head with a stick, spitting on him, kneeling in front of him, and worshiping him. (International Standard Version)
And they struck him on the head with a reed, and spit upon him, and bowing their knees, worshiped him. (Webster's Bible Translation)** That means Catholics, and others, commit idolatry with their bowing before their graven images (idols). Also, considered worship is "genuflecting", a type of bowing of the knee which Catholics do before their tabernacle, because of their communion wafer, before they enter the pew to take their seat.
Question: when people bow the knee before "royalty", is that a form of worship too? Worship can be very subtle, and God said "my people perish for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6). Be very guarded with your actions and words.
Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen) Prayer
Four Common Errors among Conditional Salvation Proponents
Heavenly Treasure [AUDIO]
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If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. (1 Cor 15:13-17)The rapture is the "first resurrection":
Blessed and holy are those who share in the FIRST RESURRECTION. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Rev. 20:6)John 5:29a is also the "first resurrection":
and come out - those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. (John 5:29)
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There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the BRUIT of thee shall clap the hands over thee: FOR UPON WHOM HATH NOT THY WICKEDNESS PASSED CONTINUALLY? (Nahum 3:19, KJV)The NIV reads:
Nothing can heal your wound; your injury is fatal. Everyone who HEARS the news about you claps his hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty? (Nahum 3:19, NIV)
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The woman you saw is the great CITY that rules over the kings of the earth. (Rev 17:18)
The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and BURN HER WITH FIRE. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. (Rev 17:16,17)
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and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.... (John 11:26)
...if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. (John 8:51)**Since the end result is shown to be the same ("NEVER DIE"), then those two ways (believing and "keeping his word") to avoid (spiritual) death are one and the same; they are synonymous. Again, to be "believing on Jesus" means to OBEY GOD'S WORD. Compare that truth to John 3:36, which concisely supplements that VITAL salvation truth and which shows that mere head knowledge of the Lord Jesus is NOT good enough to save. Remember, the demons also know who Jesus is.
Get Stirred by reading and pondering 1 Cor. 10:1-12
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and
slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, CRAVE pure spiritual milk, so that by
it you may grow up in your salvation, (1 Pet 2:1,2)
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you,
LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. (Psa 9:9,10)
The 7 seals in Revelation, starting in Rev. 6, also all get broken.
Even the "seal" placed over Jesus' tomb (Mt. 27:66) did not prevent the stone from being rolled away.
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, (Rom 8:13)**There absolutely is NO eternal security.
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He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he [JESUS] is the one whom God appointed as JUDGE OF THE LIVING AND THE DEAD. (Acts 10:42)
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: (2 Tim 4:1)
But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For BY YOUR WORDS you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." (Mat 12:36,37)
God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. (Rom 2:6-8)The "DEAD" (do not have Jesus)
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged ACCORDING TO WHAT THEY HAD DONE as recorded in the books. (Rev 20:12)The "LIVING" or spiritually alive (have Jesus)
BLESSED AND HOLY are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Rev 20:6)
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Heb 12:14)
When CHRIST, WHO IS YOUR LIFE, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Col 3:4)**Catholics openly profess Mary is their "LIFE" in the rosary (salve regina), thus denying Jesus.
The Final, FINAL State of all:
Let the evildoer STILL DO EVIL, and the filthy STILL BE FILTHY, and the righteous STILL DO RIGHT, and the holy STILL BE HOLY. (Rev 22:11)BTW: The annihilation of the wicked dead belief is opposed by the verbal action shown here - "Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy".
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"Listen to me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last. (Isa 48:12)
"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. (Rev 2:8)ANSWER: They are ETERNAL, without beginning or end.
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But you, Daniel, close up and SEAL THE WORDS of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge." (Dan 12:4)
Then he told me, "DO NOT SEAL UP THE WORDS of the prophecy of this book, BECAUSE THE TIME IS NEAR. (Rev 22:10)
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...The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. (Acts 11:26)
However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. (1 Pet 4:16)NEVER were the Lord's disciples called Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc., nor did they ever refer to themselves as Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.!
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So they set out and went from village to village, PREACHING THE GOSPEL and healing people everywhere. (Luke 9:6)Paul concisely stated his message to all:
I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. (Acts 20:21)
Important Truths For New Converts
It's Possible To Lose What You Have Spiritually
What Is A True Preacher of God's Word Really Like?
What's Wrong With Today's Gospel [AUDIO]
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and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus-- (Acts 1:16)
David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."' (Mark 12:36)
So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' (Heb 3:7-10)
For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Pet 1:21)Jesus = the Word of God = the Truth. Note the following verses:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. (Jn. 1:1-2)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (Jn. 1:14)
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Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. (2 Ki 12:2)
Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years of Jehoiada the priest. (2 Chr 24:2)Jehoiada died at age 130 (2 Chron. 24:15) and then:
They abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God's anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem. Although the LORD sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen. Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, "This is what God says: 'Why do you disobey the Lord's commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.'" But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord's temple. King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah's father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, "May the LORD see this and call you to account." (2 Chr 24:18-22)
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(b) Since Timothy was truly saved, did Paul believe a Christian could shipwreck his faith? ___Yes ___No
(c) Paul was in a shipwreck on his way to Rome (Acts 27:27-44). The ship he was in was broken to pieces (vv. 41,44). The implication is that the ship was beyond recovery - totaled. Paul used this same kind of description to describe what could possibly happen to the faith of a real Christian like Timothy's. ___True ___False
(d) Did Jesus tell the saints to "HOLD ON" (Rev. 3:11)? ___Yes ___No
The following text teaching demonstrates what we can lose, if we do not "hold on".
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From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and FORCEFUL MEN LAY HOLD OF IT. (Mat 11:12)On a related note: the concept of force lines up with the Scriptures that command us to "make every effort" (Lk. 13:24; 2 Pet. 3:14; 2 Pet. 1:5; 2 Pet. 1:10 and Heb. 12:14). Jesus answered the man's question:
Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" He said to them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because MANY, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. (Lk. 13:23,24)
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in truthful speech and in the power of God; with WEAPONS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE RIGHT HAND AND IN THE LEFT (2 Cor 6:7)
On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, KEPT ON TALKING UNTIL MIDNIGHT. (Acts 20:7)
They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. FROM MORNING TILL EVENING he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. (Acts 28:23)
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that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not HONOR the Son does not HONOR the Father, who sent him. (John 5:23)
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These men are grumblers and faultfinders; THEY FOLLOW THEIR OWN EVIL DESIRES; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. (Jude 1:16)
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That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation SCATTERED and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled! (Isa 18:2, KJV)[Do you believe that even a 12 year old can understand the KJV?]
which sends envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water. Go, swift messengers, to a people TALL and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers. (Isa 18:2, NIV)
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Why not say - as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say - "LET US DO EVIL THAT GOOD MAY RESULT"? Their condemnation is deserved. (Rom 3:8)Did you know wicked people falsely accused John the Baptist as being DEMON POSSESSED and Jesus as being a GLUTTON and DRUNKARD?
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions." (Mat 11:18,19)
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For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. (2 Th 2:7,8)
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great." Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. (Rev 19:16-21)
Halloween And The Christian [very timely]
Bible Questions Related To Salvation Security
Which Are You - A Slave to Sin or A Servant of God?
Hands Were Lifted up to the Throne of the LORD
Examine Yourselves: Are You Still In the Faith
True Servant of God [AUDIO]
Fiery Radio Interview With Dan Corner On Halloween From Ireland [AUDIO]
Which Type of Wisdom is Yours?
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Woe to you, blind guides! ... (Mat 23:16)In that same chapter, Jesus called the Pharisees blind several other times referring to their inability to perceive spiritual things. Again, ALL dead and lost people are also blind. Conversely, upon salvation (new creation in Christ), one's spiritual eyes are opened:
I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them TO OPEN THEIR EYES and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. (Acts 26:17,18)That reflects this truth:
Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. (Gal 6:15)Sadly, one who has been saved can regress and become spiritually blind again:
But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and BLIND, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. (2 Pet 1:9)
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Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is IN you - unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Cor 13:5)Though some English translations of the NT omit the word "IN," as in "Christ Jesus is IN you" - at least in one Greek manuscript the term for "IN" is found. That is more proof of Christ deity, thus showing Christ Jesus would be in the physical bodies of the saints worldwide. [The Holy Spirit is too - 1 Cor. 3:16.]
...Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Col 1:27)
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. (Rom 8:9,10)
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...To the churches in GALATIA: (Gal 1:2)
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, GALATIA, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, (1 Pet 1:1)
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But," he said, "YOU CANNOT SEE MY FACE, FOR NO ONE MAY SEE ME AND LIVE." Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and YOU WILL SEE MY BACK; BUT MY FACE MUST NOT BE SEEN." (Exo 33:20-23)To see God's face beyond the grave, one must be qualified this way:
Blessed are THE PURE IN HEART, for they will see God. (Mat 5:8)That detail describes the overcomers:
They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. (Rev 22:4)
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Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." (Mat 28:18)That last verse shows that the Lord Jesus now has ALL AUTHORITY (or POWER) in heaven. That would be a definite impossibility if he was anything but deity, such as a mere angel. It is inconceivable that the mere angel (Michael) has all power in heaven, with the father and Jesus on the throne ruling and being worshiped.
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About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?' "Who are you, Lord?' I asked. "'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. "'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked. "'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.' (Acts 22:6-10)
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But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet YOUR SPIRIT IS ALIVE BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Rom 8:10)The Christian is a present tense possessor of eternal life, even now while in this life and while still being in his mortal body (Jn. 6:47; 1 John 5:12; etc.).
Eternal life in the Bible is also a hope (Titus 3:7) yet to be reaped (Gal. 6:8,9), in the age to come (Mk. 10:30) for only the ones who persist in doing good (Rom. 2:7) and don't grow weary and give up sowing to please the Spirit (Gal. 6:9)! Eternal life is also a promise for the Christians who hold on to the gospel truth they heard from the beginning to remain in Christ and the Father (1 Jn. 2:24-26).
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And he said, "I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder." (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.) They answered, "We'll be glad to give them." So they spread out a garment, and each man threw a ring from his plunder onto it. The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels' necks. GIDEON MADE THE GOLD INTO AN EPHOD, WHICH HE PLACED IN OPHRAH, HIS TOWN. ALL ISRAEL PROSTITUTED THEMSELVES BY WORSHIPING IT THERE, AND IT BECAME A SNARE TO GIDEON AND HIS FAMILY. (Judg 8:24-27)ALL of Israel committed idolatry by worshiping the gold ephod he made and this happened after Gideon died:
No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again PROSTITUTED THEMSELVES TO THE BAALS. They set up Baal-Berith as their god and (Judg 8:33)BTW: "seventeen hundred shekels" of gold equals about 43 pounds.
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After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, MOST OF WHOM ARE STILL LIVING, though some have fallen asleep. (1 Cor 15:6)So, over 250 actual eyewitnesses of Jesus' resurrection were still alive at that point.
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EvangelicalOutreach.org
EternalLifeBlog.com