rev 9

They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).

The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come

Nor did [people] repent of their murders, their magic arts, their s.exual immorality or their thefts.

much like what we're seeing now.

matt 10:16

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

four different personality types are mentioned here.

1. sheep

2. wolves

3. serpents

4. doves


characteristics of each one:

1. Sheep: very gentle, easy to direct, and generally trusting. Not necessarily known for being alert to danger.

2. Wolves: bloodthirsty, cunning, restless, implacable. Extremely selfish, or self serving, meaning a wolf always considers its own self only- no other interests can supercede its own.

3. Serpent: sly, deceptive, cunning, it will not tell an outright lie but rather a half truth, which will ultimately be more deadly than an actual untruth.

Has a form of wisdom meaning it's an expert in reading thoughts and desires and in addition, will always be on the lookout for how to twist these. A destroyer.

4. Doves: reliable, steadfast, gentle, can see far distances (re: noah's ark), can be used to guage a situation due to their intuitive abilities. Harmless, meaning they are not out to destroy, or destructive.

jer 1:5

The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

before you were born I set you apart;

11

The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”

“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.

12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”

wbb to discuss the issue of death being on everybody's mind these days.


most cant put together two sentences without adding some sort of calamity to it.

Most of the time, the only way people know how to relate with others is by wishing some calamity on them.

You hear "die, die, die" repeated multiple times, and in different forms, quite often, and in a manner reminiscent of the aluu murderers.

Was this the attitude or mindset shown by Jesus?

Did he come to kill, steal and destroy?

There is a spirit of death bound up in creation which is manifested by the world and which typifies our descent into savagery at certain times.

Jesus came with a different message, which was at loggerheads with the spirit of the times.

As we were shown through the parable of the fig tree, Jesus himself possessed the power to cut life short , however, he healed the sick and gave life instead.

Unfortunately, the internet is being used to fuel innate hatred and stimulate ancient, primordial and unthinking (basal ) enmities.

I suspect this is tied to the root of the www itself- the foundation on which it was laid.

1 John 4

vs 1

believe not every spirit

if your spirit is manifesting any of the characteristics of what i just described above, then know that is not from or of God- it is the spirit of the world.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

christians are supposed to know a more excellent way than those who do not know Christ. If there is no difference in your attitude regarding hatred/s, than that of a stark unbeliever, then understand you are deceiving your own self, not God.

yes, there are situations where your enemies seem unrelenting and hate you for no just cause. What i am referring to is when you yourself are the one hating on others for no just cause. Manifesting the spirit of the world, and not allowing the love of God to show itself in you.

as regards the current dispensation:

romans 8

19 For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God.

20 For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope

21 that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now..

eccle 10:8

He that digs a pit shall fall into it; and whoever breaks an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

Genesis 3

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,

3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.

5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

genesis 2

15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,

3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

somewhere, in between God commanding adam not to eat from the tree, and eve repeating God's instructions to the wily serpent, the issue somehow arises of somebody touching the tree.

God's original instructions did not say anything about touching, so eve included that in her conversation because either:

1. adam had specifically told her not to touch the tree, vis a vis a more detailed talk with God

2. she saw the serpent was already touching the fruit of the tree


the second scenario brings to mind the possibility the serpent had already eaten some of the fruit before eve got there.

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

how did the serpent get more crafty than all the other wild animals?

was it from eating the fruit of the tree, or had it been created that way?

so, in essence, eve may have seen it eating from the tree, and noticed it was indeed more crafty, and with "opened eyes" [wisdom/craftiness]. This would have swayed the doubts she might have had about eating the fruit, and made her waver in her faith and also in her trust in God. So, she submitted to the devil's tempting and ate it, simply because of what she saw.

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.

5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

she [or they] "saw" the serpent had eaten the fruit and was still alive?

2 cor 5

7 For we walk by faith, not by sight

if our faith is based on what we see, then it wont be strong and will give room to doubt and open rebellion against God's word.


2 cor 4

18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

i'll think of titles for the topics, for clarity.

a lot of people have been wondering if man was created immortal or not.

did death enter the world after adam and eve sinned?

or was man a finite being right from the getgo.

genesis 2

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;

17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

one can assume the man was brought from outside eden, and placed within the garden.

God told him he would certainly die if he ate from the tree.

Had adam seen death before, outside? Did he know what death was [maybe in animals], or did God have to explain it to him.

if man was created immortal, then how do we explain the animals and their ecosystems, which has to do with the interactions between organisms and their environment.

matt 2:15

" Out of Egypt have I called my son"

22 . . . Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee,

23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

When Jesus was threatened, his parents had to flee with him to egypt, a land of idolatry and which was at various times, the sworn enemy of the isrealites.

However, it was in egypt that Jesus was protected from the evil that stalked him in his own land and among his own people. And to remain there, among his people, would have been deadly at that point in time.

During the time of Joseph, in the same way, the israelites had to migrate to egypt in order to survive. Would this not seem in direct contradiction to God's promise to Abraham regarding Isreal? When you are forced to run to the very people who ordinarily would be considered your sworn enemy, yet God is clearly directing your path right into their midst.


More on this later.

After Jesus' parents returned from egypt, it still was not safe for them to go home. So, they setyled in nazareth instead of their hometown. This led to Jesus being referred to as a nazarne

When is it ok to give or withhold? How do we distinguish between the two.


looking at the parable of the sheep and the goats, we are enjoined to show compassion to the less priviledged:

matt 25

33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?

39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

compare with the parable of the ten virgins:

"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.

4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.

5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

both scenarios are found in the same chapter, however one precedes the other.

the first [the ten virgins] refers to wisdom: five of them were wise, therefore they got prepared for the future. The other virgins, in contrast to them, were foolish because they did not plan for what they were preparing for [the return of the bridegroom].

prov 4:7a

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom

when you have wisdom, you will understand earthly treasures should not superceed heavenly ones.


matt 6:19

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

treasure is much more than money or earthly possessions alone.

in between these two extremes [giving and withholding], is the story of the ten talents, or the hard hearted servant.

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.

15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.

17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.

18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?

27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.

29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.

so, we go from withholding, to giving, with an interesting story in between.

what can we learn from this?

To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

the master had noted the personality and character of each servant.

what he did can be considered a test- if they passed, they would get greater promotion. If they failed, they would get demoted. However, the servants did not know this.

the last one in particular, might have done things differently had he considered the future, or his master's character [if he'd had wisdom]. He knew the kind of master he had, but he did not fear him, thus he went ahead and made some bad choices with attendant consequences.

what can we learn from this?

the oil in jars, refers to the way you live your life as a christian.

He declares the end from the beginning Isa 46:10. Like he told the children of Isreal if they see tough things at the beginning of their journey they would not interested in their destiny!

^ go to complaints section instead of cursing here.

I wasnt the one who did whatever you're talking about.

neither do i post only on sundays.

had to report your post, its uncalled for.

i dont know those of you who check the frontpage 24/7 to see what's posting when, dont have time for such, so face whoever is doing so.

Lets look at Love

1 Cor 13

If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

So much insight and understanding exhibited by tpia@. I must commend you, you are doing a fabulous job.

thanks.

The Lord of Hosts

josh 5

13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

God's army is often present during times of intense physical warfare in the christian's life.

when you look with your physical eyes, all you see is who is for or against you.

when you see through the spiritual realm, you understand its about much more than just you, but rather "the battle belongs to the Lord"

joshua was ready to fight physically, but it turned out the walls came tumbling down without a single sword being drawn. The actual fighting at that particular time, had been done in the spiritual, all that was left was to praise God for the victory.

covenant battles are fought by the lord.

9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.”

secondly, who was the angel and why was he standing at the camp [in front] with a drawn sword?


he was not there to fight a physical battle, seems more like he was there protecting them from dangers they could not see. The Isrealites had just renewed their covenant with God, had gotten circumcised, and were about to enter canaan, in fulfillment of God's promise to them, or to abraham.

God watches over His word, to perform it.


jer 1

11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.”

12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”