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Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op):
You have not shown a contradiction. The Qur’an clearly says Adam was created from clay (15:26; 38:71–72). The debate is not about what he was created from, but where the Garden was located. Muslim scholars have held two views: the Garden was either heavenly Paradise or a garden on earth. A difference of interpretation is not a contradiction. The Qur’an never states that Adam was created in Iraq or Mesopotamia. Those are later interpretations, not explicit Qur’anic claims. So asking where the Qur’an says Adam was created actually proves the pointit does not give a specific geographical location.
The real question remains.Even if Adam was created in a heavenly Garden and later descended to earth, how does that prove two permanent classes of saved believers with separate eternal destinations?
Stop deflecting and answer.

MaxInDHouse:
When i told you that your Quran is just one useless and worthless book it may seem as if i was exaggerating things shey?😂

Oya look at where your Quran landed you:





Please where exactly did your Quran say your Allah created Adam and Eve?

Do you now see that you have started disputing with yourself on where Adam and Eve were created?😂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 12:56pm On Jun 10
You're assuming more than the Quran explicitly says. Quran 54:54–55 states that the righteous will be in gardens and rivers, near a Sovereign, Perfect in Ability. It does not specifically say this is the same heaven from which Adam was sent down. That conclusion comes from reading multiple texts together. The Quran also makes it clear that earth was part of Allah's plan from the beginning; I will place a khalifah (representative) on the earth (Quran 2:30). That was declared before Adam's creation.
And that's really the point. Adam's story explains humanity's origin and purpose on earth. By itself, it does not establish two permanent classes of saved people with two different eternal destinations. The original question therefore remain where is that doctrine explicitly taught in your Bible?

MaxInDHouse:
This is what is found written in your Quran and heaven wasn't EXPLICITLY STATED
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says:
اِنَّ الْمُتَّقِيْنَ فِيْ جَنّٰتٍ وَّنَهَرٍ
"Indeed, the righteous will be among gardens and rivers,"
فِيْ مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِنْدَ مَلِيْكٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍ
"In a seat of honor near a Sovereign, Perfect in Ability"
(QS. Al-Qamar 54: Verse 54-55)


Of course i won't take any other Muslim seriously but you so don't think i will bring in any contrary opinion from other Muslims. Let's use your own interpretation!🙂

Now if your Allah created Adam and Eve on planet earth what led to taking Adam's descendants to heaven?

Did your Allah missed his purpose or humans changed his mind on where they should live forever?🙂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 4:48pm On Jun 09
MaxInDHouse:
I don't want all this story just go straight to the point and quote it from your Quran.



Where exactly did your Allah say the righteous will live forever?

Heaven or Earth?😂
Heaven. Surah 54:54-55 and Sahih Al-Bukhari on Al-Firdaus both confirm it explicitly. The Quran says heaven. Your Bible says earth. Revelation 21-22 still awaits your response.
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 3:46pm On Jun 09
Your explanation actually creates a difficulty for the permanent two-class framework. If John 14:1–3 describes a special arrangement for Christ's co-rulers because of a specific historical circumstance, then the arrangement is tied to that circumstance. A temporary solution to a particular problem is not the same thing as a permanent eternal separation between two classes of believers.
That becomes even more significant when Revelation 21–22 is brought into the picture. The New Jerusalem descends from heaven, God's throne is with humanity, and His servants serve Him there. If Christ's kingdom ultimately centers on earth, then the final biblical vision is one of convergence, not permanent separation.
Ironically, the passages you've cited point strongly toward an earthly resurrection and an earthly future for God's people. When combined with Revelation 21–22, they seem to undermine rather than establish a permanent heaven-versus-earth divide. The Bible's closing picture remains one people under one King; one flock, one shepherd.

MaxInDHouse:
The Bible God never promised anyone heavenly life what He said consistently is a resurrection which will happen on planet earth {John 5:28-29; Act 24:15} and those resurrected will live forever in Paradise on earth if they pass the final test. Psalms 37:9-11,29

Regarding this servants of God always hope to be called back to life on planet earth! Job 14:13-15

It's because the Jews polluted the place where God wanted to use as government house which is Jerusalem {Isaiah 9:7} by killing servants of God and spilling their blood there {Matthew 23:37-38} that Jesus made a promise to his corulers saying he will go and prepare another place for them to stay and rule with him. John 14:1-3

So only Jesus talked about heavenly reward and it's only for his future corulers who are limited in number that is why he needs to go and PREPARE because there was no such arrangement in heaven for that before then!

Please answer those questions by quoting your own Quran with full explanation as i did!🙂
The Quran has already answered that question. Surah 54:54–55 places the righteous in a seat of truth near the Sovereign, and authentic hadith places Al-Firdaus beneath the Throne of Allah. The answer is clear: Paradise is an afterlife, heavenly reward.
So on the location of Paradise between heaven and earth, the Islamic sources already provide a direct answer. The discussion is not unresolved on that point. The texts themselves place the final reward of the righteous with Allah in the Hereafter.
MaxInDHouse:
I said LEAVE THE BIBLE OUT OF THIS FOR NOW SINCE YOU WANT IT TO BE WRITTEN EXPLICITLY.

So answer directly:

Where did your Allah said the righteous will be HEAVEN or EARTH?

Quote it out in your Quran!🙂
How do we not refer to the Bible when the text being reviewed is the Bible?
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 2:22pm On Jun 09
The Quran describes Paradise as the post-resurrection reward for the righteous, not the present earth as seen in "Gardens beneath which rivers flow…” (Quran 3:133)
“The righteous will be in a seat of truth near a Sovereign, Perfect in Ability.” (Quran 54:54–55) And in authentic hadith (e.g., Sahih al-Bukhari), Al-Firdaus is the highest level of Paradise under the Throne of Allah. So the consistent Quranic framework is afterlife reward with Allah, not earthly residence.
All this still doesn’t answer the original question being discussed.
Revelation 21–22 describes God dwelling with humanity on earth in the final state. The issue remains unchanged about where does the Bible explicitly teach two permanent classes of saved people with two permanent eternal destinations?


MaxInDHouse:
When i said your Quran is useless and worthless it may seem as if i'm speaking against your book. Can you now see that your own Quran can't answer any question regarding the destination of the righteous?

Please state where the righteous will inherit using your Quran. Is it heaven or earth?🙂

I said answer with that your own book (Quran) not quoting the Bible and later questioning the book that made things clear for you.

Oya quote where your Quran explicitly say where the righteous will inherit nah!
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 11:18am On Jun 09
Psalm 37:29 actually sharpens the question, not answer it. Yes, the righteous inherit the earth forever. Agreed. But if Psalm 37:29 says the righteous dwell on earth forever, Revelation 21–22 shows God dwelling with humanity on earth, and John 10:16 ends with one flock under one shepherd, then where is the passage that explicitly divides the saved into two permanent classes; one in heaven and one on earth?
Quoting Psalm 37:29 supports an everlasting future on earth. It does not, by itself, establish a separate eternal class living elsewhere. That's still the missing step in the argument.

MaxInDHouse:
Guy the Bible EXPLICITLY say the righteous will inherit the earth and live forever on it! Psalms 37:29

So why is your own Quran confusing all of you so that you can't speak convincingly regarding where righteous people will be permanently?

But here you are questioning the Bible where everything is stated clearly!😂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 10:48am On Jun 09
FxMasterz:
That does not invalidate the fact that Luke and Eusebus were thorough. Peter's vision was relayed throughout Christiendom as at that day. And when you remember that Peter deliberately took other christians along with him to Cornelius' place as witnesses of whatever might happen there, plus the fact that the entire congregation of Acts 15 were all fully aware of the event even before Peter narrated it in that convention, you'll come to understand that there was nothing secret or unknown about the entire episode. You alleged lack of similarity between an actual experience in relation to a general narrative does not invalidate the accuracy of Luke's account, and by extension, Eusebus'.



The bolded is the norm in christiendom. God acts first, then we follow. Christianity is in no way a human institution, neither is it human-led. You can study the entire book of Acts to see this model in full glare. What can be established right now is that Cornelius heard the Gospel through Peter. He believed the Gospel, and God went ahead of everyone to seal him up with the Holy Spirit. The most important lesson here is that, man cannot stand in the way of God for His people. God will bypass you if you are unwilling to carry out His will to the fullest. God bypassed Peter.
We are not far apart, in fact your own words confirm the argument. On Luke and Eusebius the position has never been that the account is inaccurate. The witnesses Peter brought, the Jerusalem church's awareness, Acts 15's familiarity with the episode all strengthen the narrative's credibility. The narrower point remains distinct a well-attested report and the epistemic status of the visionary experience within that report are related but separate questions. Acknowledging that distinction is not denying the account.
On Cornelius your own framing settles it. God acted first. Peter followed. God bypassed Peter rather than waiting for Peter's authorization. That sequence is exactly the principle this thread has been pressing. If God moved ahead of Peter, ahead of baptism, ahead of formal incorporation, and ahead of Jerusalem's expectations, then the decisive factor is God's initiative, not institutional control. Peter did not open a door God was waiting for permission to open. God opened it and Peter was compelled to acknowledge what had already happened.
Your personal testimony of receiving the Holy Spirit on July 6 2000 without any preacher present is consistent with exactly that pattern. God moving independently of institutional sequence is not exceptional in Acts 10. It is the norm you yourself described.
Cornelius is therefore not an exception. He is Scripture's clearest demonstration that no institution however ancient or sincere can legitimately position itself as the necessary gateway through which God must operate. Acts 10 does not merely record history. It establishes permanent theological precedent.
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 10:34am On Jun 09
That question cuts both ways. If the standard is an explicit statement, then the burden is not only on me to show where the Quran places Paradise, but also on you to show where your cited passages explicitly place all saved believers in heaven. Descriptions of Paradise and its blessings are not the same as an explicit statement about its final location. More importantly, this is still a side issue. The original claim under debate is that the Bible teaches two permanent classes of believers with two permanent eternal destinations. That is why Revelation 21–22 keeps returning to the center of the discussion. It depicts the New Jerusalem descending from heaven and God dwelling permanently with humanity. Whatever distinctions of role may exist, the passage presents one people of God in God's presence. It does not explicitly describe two eternal classes living forever in separate destinations.
So even if every side discussion is granted for argument's sake, the central question remains unchanged: where does the Bible explicitly teach two permanent classes of saved believers with two permanent eternal destinies? Revelation 21–22 is still part of the biblical picture, and it still has not been directly addressed.

MaxInDHouse:
Where will the Paradise be heaven or earth?🙂
MaxInDHouse:
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says:

وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ اَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنّٰتٍ تَجْرِيْ مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْاَ نْهٰرُ ۗ كُلَّمَا رُزِقُوْا مِنْهَا مِنْ ثَمَرَةٍ رِّزْقًا ۙ قَا لُوْا هٰذَا الَّذِيْ رُزِقْنَا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَاُ تُوْا بِهٖ مُتَشَا بِهًا ۗ وَلَهُمْ فِيْهَاۤ اَزْوَا جٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ ۙ وَّهُمْ فِيْهَا خٰلِدُوْنَ
"And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with a provision of fruit therefrom, they will say, "This is what we were provided with before." And it is given to them in likeness. And they will have therein purified spouses, and they will abide therein eternally."
(QS. Al-Baqara 2: Verse 25)

* Via Qur'an English https://quranapp.id/en


Where will the Paradise garden be?

Please show me where the Quran EXPLICITLY say it will be another earth but not this planet earth because what most Muslim say is that they are going to heaven!🙂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 7:52am On Jun 09
The Quran presents Adam’s story in a clear sequence: We created man from sounding clay, from mud moulded into shape; Quran 15:26 shows Adam’s earthly origin. He is then placed in the Garden: O Adam, dwell you and your wife in Paradise…Quran 2:35, followed by“Get down, all of you from it…(Quran 2:38).
This shows a temporary Garden experience followed by life on earth. The Quran then consistently describes Paradise (Jannah) as a reward after resurrection and judgment, not the present earth. So the pattern is: earthly creation → temporary Garden → earthly life → final Paradise in the afterlife.
The Quran places Paradise (Jannah) in the afterlife, not on the present earth. Quran 2:25:Gardens beneath which rivers flow…
Quran 4:57:We shall admit those who believe and do righteous deeds to gardens beneath which rivers flow.
So directly: Paradise is not earth; it is the post-resurrection reward (heaven/afterlife realm).

MaxInDHouse:
Please quote it from your Quran.


Now in your Quran where will the Paradise your Allah promised it's worshipers be?
Heaven or earth?🙂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 3:32am On Jun 09
On transmission, the point about Luke's contemporaries and the early Church's acceptance is well taken. Establishing authorship and general reliability matters. The narrower point is simply that confirming Luke accurately recorded an event is not the same as evaluating the evidential status of a visionary experience within that event. Those are related questions, but they are not identical.
On Cornelius, Acts 10 actually strengthens the point under discussion. God intervened before Peter fully understood what was happening and poured out the Spirit before baptism, before formal incorporation, and before Peter had finished speaking. The sequence matters. Cornelius did not receive the Spirit because Peter authorized it; Peter recognized God's work because Cornelius had already received the Spirit. The institution did not create the reality, it acknowledged a reality God had already established.
So the disagreement is quite narrow. Faith, the Word, and the Spirit are central. The question is whether any human institution determines where God may act. Acts 10 presents God acting first and the institution adjusting afterward.

FxMasterz:
I understand you just want to argue for argument sake. A reported event does jot always have to be done by eyewitnesses to be true. Luke evidentially made extensive research, interviewed eye witnesses and had several eye witnesses who read his books and never disputed his writings. You're arguing as if Luke or Eusebus were the only sources of truth for what they wrote. Just write a book right now and insert unverified claims with a lot of false narratives, let's see if your book would stand. These people had contemporaries who knew better than themselves. The fact that Lukes books were accepted by the early Church is enough proof that it was honest. The fact that Eusebus' claims were not countered by any of his contemporaries is enough proof of their veracity. You can't expect us to jettison the judgement of contemporaries for that or men like you who lived over 2,000 years after the actual events.



What you don't understand is that salvation is spiritual and not mechanical. Faith is the most important factor in salvation. The moment you have faith in the Word that is preached or being preached, that Word will cleanse you and give you a spiritual rebirth. That's why Jesus said "Ye are cleansed through the Word that I have spoken unto you" John 15:3. Cornelius believed everything Peter preached, and was cleansed by that Word. His spirit became born again because of his faith in the Word (John 1:12), and was therefore counted worthy of the Holy Spirit. God had to take that proactive action to baptise them in the Holy Spirit because Peter wouldn't have granted them such a privilege. You can see he was not even planning water baptism for them. He said "Who can forbid these from being baptized, seeing they have received the Holy Spirit just as we". Meaning, we can no longer forbid them since they have even received something much higher. God wanted Cornelius to come in completely into His family. Knowing that Peter would keep him at the door, God took proactive steps that relegated Peter to the background. Cornelius was cleansed and saved through the Word that Peter spoke to him. God had to baptize him in the Holy Spirit because Peter wouldn't do it. His mindset was that God probably wanted gentiles to come a little closer, but God showed him He wanted them all in.

This is not something exclusive to Cornelius. I myself received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit on the 6th of July, 2000 in my room. Nobody preacher or prayed for me. There are several others who have the same testimony.
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 3:22am On Jun 09
Adam and Eve were created on earth. That's not in dispute. The problem is that it doesn't address the argument being made.
The question is not where humanity began, but how Scripture describes the final state of God's people. Revelation 21–22 presents that final vision as God dwelling with humanity on earth. So pointing back to Eden does not establish a permanent two-class system with separate eternal destinations. It simply answers a different question. If the two-class framework is correct, it still has to be reconciled with Scripture's closing vision, not its opening chapters.

MaxInDHouse:
Exactly!
So both those rulers going to heaven who will rule over earth and their subjects on planet earth belongs to the same kingdom (government) of God but they are not going to live in the same place!🙂
MaxInDHouse:
Do you compare God's word (Bible) with that your useless and worthless book?

Oya answer just few questions using that your book!

Where did God create Adam and Eve?

Heaven or Earth?

Let's see if that your useless Quran is able to answer any question at all!😂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 4:16pm On Jun 08
So all Nigerians live inside Aso Rock because they're part of one country? 😂 Really now;
You keep making the analogy work against your own argument. Everyone knows rulers and subjects can belong to the same government without living in the same place.
The Bible also says God's Kingdom will never be handed over to another government in Daniel 2:44, unlike human governments where leaders come and go. So if Christ and his co-rulers are part of that everlasting Kingdom, why would their role be temporary?
And regarding one flock, one shepherd, the verse emphasizes unity under one Shepherd, not that everyone must occupy the same position or location. Unity of purpose doesn't automatically mean identical assignments or destinations.
What's really funny is that you expect every doctrine to be squeezed into a single verse, yet neither the Bible nor the Quran teaches that way. We understand teachings by comparing related passages, not by demanding that every detail be packed into one sentence.

MaxInDHouse:
So all Nigerians stay in one government house in Abuja shey?😂

You keep making this funnier each time you want to argue because we all know that rulers and subjects don't stay in the same place even though they belong to the same nation.

And unlike democratic rule where you have to change them periodically God has said His own system of government will not be passed around to other people {Daniel 2:44} so those who are going to rule with Christ will be with him forever in heaven! 1Thessalonians 4:17

The funny thing is you want everything to be written in just one single verse whereas even your Quran never taught you like that!😂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 2:41pm On Jun 08
The government analogy considering your ruling submission actually weakens the point. Rulers and citizens belong to the same nation, under the same jurisdiction, sharing the same common destiny. They are not permanently separated into different realms. The analogy supports unity, not a lasting division.
More importantly, the chain of verses does not explicitly establish what is being claimed. Matthew 19:28 gives a promise to the twelve apostles; it does not identify a 144,000-member ruling class. Revelation 21:14 names the apostles as foundation stones; it does not extend that role to 144,000 co-rulers. Those connections are inferred, not stated.
And that brings us back to John 10:16. If the end result is "one flock, one shepherd," then the burden is to show where the text turns that unity into two permanently separate destinies. The verse itself never does. It ends with one flock. You really need assistance to properly lay out your points if there are any more remaining to make.

MaxInDHouse:
Because the first flock of sheep are lost ones from the house of Israel only {Matthew 10:6} but then there are also humble people in other lands who will like to know the truth about God and submit themselves to pure worship so they will be brought in through the preaching and teaching that the first flock (from Israel) will go and do in all other lands! Matthew 28:19-20


He has mentioned it in his teachings that the first set of sheep from Israel will rule with him {Matthew 19:28} that is why his twelve apostles are the foundation stones of his rulership {Revelation 21:14} but the total number of his corulers is 144,000. Revelation 7:5-8; 14:1


They are one in the sense that they are worshiping the same God under the same ruler: Christ Jesus.
But there destination is not the same place.
You are just arguing blindly because everyone knows that when we talk of a government there must be a government house where the rulers are gathered but that doesn't mean the rulers are not part of the same nation!🙂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 1:25pm On Jun 08
The issue isn't clarity; it's consistency. In this thread alone, John 10:16 has been used to argue for separate eternal classes, one organization with two groups, rulers and subjects, and two flocks becoming one. The interpretation keeps changing, but the text does not. jesus says the other sheep will be brought in and the result will be "one flock, one shepherd." He does not mention separate destinies, rulers and subjects, or permanent classes. Those ideas come from the framework, not the verse. If two flocks become one flock, then the text is describing unity, not an eternal division. Maybe your co travellers in this faith can help you articulate your position which keeps changing

MaxInDHouse:
I'm only giving you the clearer picture of what Jesus said in that verse.

There are two sets of disciples one set will rule over the other set that's what makes them two flocks but they will all become one under one leader Jesus.

You keep making it funnier as you want to prove it's not clear whereas the book those Arabs gave you can't be of any use if i want to ask you questions regarding your faith!😂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 7:30am On Jun 08
Very inconsistent! The argument keeps changing while the text stays the same. John 10:16 has been used here to argue for two eternal classes, then one organization containing two classes, and now rulers and subjects within that organization. Yet the verse itself says none of those things. It says one flock, one shepherd doesn't it?
The same issue appears with Matthew 10:6. If Matthew 28:19–20 expands the mission to all nations, then Matthew 10:6 was a temporary restriction, not evidence of a permanent two-tier destiny. And John 14:1–3 says Christ will receive his followers to himself, but it never limits that promise to 144,000 or excludes others from it. Those conclusions are being supplied from elsewhere.
More importantly, for nearly two millennia the dominant reading of John 10:16 has been that the other sheep are Gentiles brought into one people of God alongside Jewish believers. The text explicitly states the outcome is one flock. The burden is on the two-class interpretation to show where the verse teaches rulers and subjects or separate eternal destinies. So far, that language is coming from the framework, not from the verse. Where exactly do you stand?

MaxInDHouse:
The emoji shows how laughable you are with your funny arguments!

Jesus said he is gathering only Jews for the work he wants to assign his disciples {Matthew 10:6} they are to rule with him in heaven {John 14:1-3} but they shouldn't forget other sheep will join them as his disciples {John 10:16} and they will all be in the same organization.

Perhaps it's the word "ORGANIZATION" that's confusing you:

It simply means ORGANIZED PEOPLE even though they are not of the same class there will be rulers as well as subjects in the same organization.🙂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 6:18am On Jun 08
I've read it repeatedly. The issue isn't what the verse says; it's what is being added to it. John 10:16 says one flock, one shepherd.It does not say one organization containing two permanent classes with two eternal destinations. If that meaning were truly obvious from the text, it would be the dominant historical interpretation. Instead, the longstanding mainstream reading is that the other sheep are Gentiles brought into one people of God alongside Jewish believers. .The burden is therefore not on others to reread the verse, but on the two-class interpretation to show where the verse actually says what it is claimed to say. So far, it still says the same thing: one flock, one shepherd

MaxInDHouse:
That is exactly what Jesus is saying you can read it again and again it's not rocket science joo!😂
Your emoji depicts how serious you take your statements.
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 9:30pm On Jun 07
Now you are asking John 10:16 to do two different jobs. Earlier it was presented as evidence for two distinct classes of believers with different destinies. Now it is being presented as evidence that two groups can exist within one organization. Those are not the same claim. But the verse itself does not discuss organizational structure or separate eternal destinations. It gives the outcom as one flock, one shepherd. The question remains simple where does John 10:16 explicitly say that one group goes permanently to heaven while another remains permanently on earth? It doesn't. The distinction is being supplied from outside the verse, while the verse itself emphasizes unity, not a permanent division into two eternal classes.


MaxInDHouse:
Well go and ask other religions claiming Christians it's only among Jehovah's Witnesses we have members who will go to heaven while the rest in our millions will live forever on planet earth yet we are in one organization. John 10:16
Do you understand that scriptures now? John 10:16🙂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 8:12pm On Jun 07
John 10:16 is actually one of the strongest difficulties for the two-class view. Jesus does not say two flocks under one shepherd. He says the result is one flock, one shepherd. How and why you missed that is mysterious. The very verse being cited resolves the distinction into unity.
Matthew 15:24 also cannot carry the weight being placed on it. It describes a temporary stage in Jesus' earthly ministry, not a permanent division of believers. Matthew 28:19–20 explicitly expands the mission to all nations. And while Matthew 5:5 and Psalm 37:29 promise inheritance of the earth, neither says those inheriting the earth are excluded from God's presence. In fact, Revelation 21–22 ends with heaven and earth united, God dwelling with humanity. Scripture's final vision is not two permanently separated peoples, but one redeemed people under one God much like John 10:16 itself says; one flock, one shepherd.

MaxInDHouse:
Both statements protrudes from the mouth of the same person: Jesus.

So he told first century Jewish disciples saying:

“And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those too I must bring in, and they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd." John 10:16

What he always tell his Jewish disciples is that he has no business with gentiles {Matthew 15:24} and that is because it's his Jewish disciples that must go and preach to gentiles {Matthew 28:19-20} so his first set of disciples are to be chosen as his corulers in heaven while the rest are to enjoy everlasting life on planet earth {Matthew 5:5; Psalms 37:29} after all evildoers has been removed from the planet! Psalms 37:7-11; Proverbs 2:20-22
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 9:46am On Jun 07
Agreed; if organizations are judged by their fruits, that standard must apply to all organizations equally, including your own. The question then becomes whether the fruits support the claim being made, not whether the claim is asserted.
Humility is important, but humility before Scripture is not the same as deference to a particular organization's interpretation. The text still has to make the case. Matthew 5:5 and John 14:1–3 show an earthly inheritance and a heavenly promise, but neither passage explicitly divides believers into two permanent classes. And Revelation 21–22 still remains the central difficulty. Scripture's final vision is not heaven separated from earth, but God dwelling with humanity on earth. That is the text that still needs to be reconciled with the proposed binary. Do well to properly address is.

MaxInDHouse:
Stop kidding!
If God mention the name of any group all Abrahamic religions will claim such a name so it's by their FRUITS you will know not organization name!🙂


No one says you must accept what you don't understand but then if it's not what you are brought up with you must humbly ask questions not implying your own meaning as you are trying doing now!🙂


I have answered your question that Jesus teaches everlasting life on planet earth {Matthew 5:5} and also some believers are going with him to heaven! John 14:1-3
Instead of you to think and ask why are all those arguing with you on other threads about religion disappeared you want to start arguing in their behalf!🙂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 5:07am On Jun 07
I have no issue with Christians teaching. Matthew 28:19–20 clearly commands that. The problem is that the verse never says one particular organization has exclusive authority to interpret Scripture. Teaching is in the text; a monopoly on understanding is not. And if the goal is truly Revisiting Scripture for Better Understanding, then every interpretation must remain open to examination by Scripture itself. Saying you must first accept our organization to understand the text puts the conclusion before the evidence. The real question is still the one being debated; where do the cited passages explicitly teach two eternal classes of believers with separate destinies? Pointing to organizational authority, or to my religious background, does not answer that textual question.

MaxInDHouse:
My guy the subject matter is what i keep hammering:

"Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding"

That is the topic of your thread so what i keep on telling you is that you cannot understand the Bible unless the true Christians TEACH you:

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.” Matthew 28:19:20

Of course even you no matter how any individual read your Quran in Arabic you won't accept the translation from someone who is not a Muslim therefore despite the fact that there is no evidence to prove that Muslims have any goal or purpose to achieve with that book you are just creating another religion that's all but the Bible has given us a purpose for which the books were written so you whose book (Quran) never had any meaningful goal can't understand our book better than those who have made good use of the book to fulfill what the Author promised so my guy stop deceiving yourself!🙂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 9:35pm On Jun 06
From your previous you started going off the subject matter. This following proves this. We are primarily clarifying truth from misconceptions.

MaxInDHouse:
The only reason why we're discussing now is one person: GOD or SUPREME RULER!

So if with all your interpretation you're unable to cohabit peacefully with those you call fellow believers in the same God i'm sorry what is the essence of all your interpretations?

2Timothy 3:5🙂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 5:30pm On Jun 06
You have now moved completely away from textual evidence. The problem is that this submission od yours remains circular reasoning. Jehovah's Witnesses are said to have the correct interpretation because they are God's chosen organization, and they are God's chosen organization because they have the correct interpretation. That may be a sincere belief, but it is not independent evidence.
Political neutrality and nonviolence are admirable principles, but they do not prove a particular interpretation of scripture. Conduct and exegesis are separate questions. The core textual issue remains unchanged as Revelation 21–22 ends with God dwelling with humanity on earth, and none of the passages cited has explicitly demonstrated two permanent classes of believers with separate eternal destinies. Those are the questions still awaiting a textual answer.



MaxInDHouse:
You are talking like a kid!🙂

If the Bible openly says the name of the group or organization that will have monopoly of insight regarding God's sacred writings is "Jehovah's Witnesses" do you think you can see a single Abrahamic religion that won't call themselves Jehovah's Witnesses?😂

Ọmọ use your brain nah!

Only Jehovah's Witnesses don't join in political struggles and military services these two leads to hatred and killing so no matter how hard you study the Bible you can't love your fellow believers heartily something will always lead to hatred and killing among you yet you will continue to claim believers in the same God.

The truth is only Jehovah's Witnesses see the worship arrangement as truth from God all other religions don't, how can you claim you are worshipers of the same God yet those taking the lead among you have no say in helping you people to resolve issues?🙂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 10:52am On Jun 06
MaxInDHouse:
If everything will be EXPLICITLY STATED do you think anyone could failed to see the whole message as it's written?🙂

Well what God's word foretold is that it won't be explicit that is why majority of people will not understand the message!

When Daniel asked God:
Now as for me, I heard, BUT I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND ; so I said: “O my lord, what will be the outcome of these things?” Daniel 12:8

Note the underlined as Daniel said he couldn't understand this message that are given in symbolic terms then he asked a question and God answered him:

“Go, Daniel, because the words are to be kept secret and sealed up until the time of the end. Many will cleanse themselves and whiten themselves and will be refined. And the wicked ones will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand; but those having insight will understand." Daniel 12:9-10

Do you notice what God said in the highlighted green?
So if the message is EXPLICITLY STATED how could it be difficult for many people to UNDERSTAND?🙂

Well who are the WICKED PEOPLE that are blinded not to get the sense of this messages?

They are people whose hearts are filled with evil thoughts for instance you are claiming Muslim today yet you don't care what exactly could be the reason why Muslims like you will carry weapons to go and kill their fellow Muslims in other countries at the order of a so called ruler whereas all of you claim Allah is your supreme ruler!🙂

The same applies to all these deceivers claiming Christians members of their religion will carry weapons against their own fellow worshipers in other countries and their religious leaders will bless the weapons to go killing their fellow believers yet they all claim their is one supreme ruler over them (God)

Are you people not WICKED as you keep mocking God by hating and killing one another in the name of WAR? Revelation 6:3-4

That is why God told Daniel that only those having INSIGHT will understand His message not WICKED people {Daniel 12:10} whose hearts has been blinded by Satan! 2Corinthians 4:4🙂
Agreed that Daniel 12 teaches that some prophetic material are symbolic and not immediately obvious. Daniel himself says he heard but did not understand. The point in dispute is what follows from that fact. The passage establishes that understanding requires insight;it does not establish that any particular organization possesses an exclusive monopoly on that insight. Difficulty of interpretation creates a need for careful exegesis, not automatic authority for one tradition over every other reading.
There is also a methodological issue here. If agreement is treated as evidence of insight while disagreement is treated as evidence of wickedness or spiritual blindness, then the interpretation becomes effectively unjustifiable. At that point, objections no longer need to be answered because they are dismissed in advance. Daniel 12 does not require that conclusion.
The text distinguishes understanding from misunderstanding, but it does not authorize us to declare every dissenting interpreter wicked by definition.
More importantly, the underlying textual questions remain. Revelation 21–22 depicts the New Jerusalem descending from heaven to earth and God dwelling with humanity on earth. That vision complicates a strict and permanent heaven-versus-earth distinction. Likewise, none of the passages discussed has yet been shown to explicitly establish two eternal classes of believers with permanently separate destinies. Those are the exegetical issues under debate, and they remain open questions.
As for the comments about Muslims, Christians, war, and human hypocrisy, those are moral criticisms of people, not arguments about the meaning of Daniel 12, Matthew 5, John 14, or Revelation. Whether people have acted wickedly says nothing by itself about which interpretation of those passages is correct. If the goal of this thread is, as stated, to revisit Scripture for better understanding, then every position including yours and mine must remain open to examination on textual grounds.
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 10:46pm On Jun 05
Perhaps to some extent I understand the framework you're presenting, but the question is whether those verses actually establish that framework or are being interpreted through it. None of the passages you cited explicitly teaches two eternal classes of believers as one heavenly and one earthly. Genesis 12:3, Isaiah 9:6, Matthew 20:25–28, Matthew 19:28, and Revelation 21:14 all address real aspects of God's plan, Christ's kingdom, and the apostles' role, but none of them says that all faithful worshippers are permanently divided into two distinct destinies. Even Revelation 14:1 identifies the 144,000; it does not explicitly state that everyone else can never share the same heavenly inheritance.
The same issue applies to John 14:1–3 and Matthew 5:5. John 14 clearly speaks of Christ receiving his followers to be with him, while Matthew 5:5 promises that the meek will inherit the earth. But those verses do not say these are two mutually exclusive groups. A believer can inherit the renewed earth and still dwell in God's presence, just as Revelation ultimately depicts heaven and earth united rather than permanently separated. The real debate is not whether your verses exist, but whether they actually prove the conclusion being drawn from them. And appealing to Daniel 12:10 does not resolve that question. Disagreement over an interpretation is not evidence of a lack of understanding; the interpretation still has to be demonstrated from the text itself. Remember we're revising the scripture for better understanding.

MaxInDHouse:
I have told you to ask any of them tell us the church teaching them what they are saying.
Ọmọ they are just playing back and forth arguments because they don't know all these things.
God promised to bless all the families of planet earth through Abraham's descendants {Genesis 12:3} so the Christ will be born among Jews {Isaiah 9:6} and he will teach them how to rule with him {Matthew 20:25-28} the first set of Jews to accept this message will be privileged to rule with him {Matthew 19:28} the names of Christ's Apostles will be the foundation of those who are to rule with Christ in heaven {Revelation 21:14} and the number of Christ's corulers will amount to 144,000 {Revelation 14:1} it's after these ones has been fully sealed that those who are to inherit the earth will suffice! Revelation 7:9; 14:6

So from the onset i know where you are driving at but i kept this away from you because i know it will come to this so instead of arguing blindly bring out verses that says all worshipers of God will be in the same place at least you know that Jesus said he will take some people to heaven {John 14:1-3} yet he still say others will inherit the earth! Matthew 5:5; Psalms 37:29

Don't expect churchgoers to come and argue this because it's beyond their understanding! Daniel 12:10
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 6:40pm On Jun 05
The difficulty with such reading of Matthew 5:3 and Matthew 5:5 is that they are not presented as descriptions of two different groups? Jesus is addressing the same audience and listing characteristics of the same blessed people. There's nothing in the passage suggesting that the poor in spirit inherit one destiny while the meek inherit another. A disciple can obviously be both at the same time. The two-class conclusion is being brought to the text, not drawn from it. And that's really the key issue. Matthew 5:5 echoes Psalm 37:11, where the righteous inherit the land, but neither text explicitly divides believers into separate eternal categories. You may argue for heavenly and earthly promises from other passages, but Matthew 5:3–5 does not itself establish that framework.
As for the Muslim point, a person's religious label tells us nothing about the meaning of the text. The interpretation rises or falls on the exegesis, not on who happens to be making the argument.

MaxInDHouse:
To those who will rule with him in the heavens Jesus said regarding their destination:

“Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need, since the Kingdom of the heavens belongs to them." Matthew 5:3

To those who will become subjects of the kingdom of Christ Jesus said:

“Happy are the mild-tempered, since they will inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5

Ọmọ this is Bible o!🙂
I guess others are watching you and don't have much better to offer regarding the correct interpretation.
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 4:35am On Jun 05
Don't you see that John 10:16 is difficult to reconcile with a permanent two-class system? Jesus speaks of other sheep not yet in the fold, but the verse ends with the stated outcome of one flock, one shepherd. Historically, the dominant interpretation has been that Jesus is referring to the inclusion of the Gentiles alongside Jewish believers, creating a unified people of God rather than two distinct groups with separate destinies.
The same thing appears in Revelation 7. The great crowd stands before the throne and serves in the naos (sanctuary), language Revelation consistently associates with the heavenly presence of God. Whatever distinctions may exist between the 144,000 and the great crowd, the text itself places both within the sphere of God's immediate presence. The central question is not whether Revelation contains different images, but whether those images describe two eternal classes or one redeemed people viewed from different perspectives. The latter remains a substantial and widely held interpretation. Reread and understand what you call your scripture and stop going by bias program or lazily saying the language therein is only to be understood and explained by a particular group which defeats the accessibility goal so more can understand.

MaxInDHouse:
When gathering his first century Jewish disciples Jesus told them:

John 10:16
I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ‭NIV

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.‬ KJV

“And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those too I must bring in, and they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd. NWT



Jesus already told his Jewish disciples in the first century that there is another class of followers who are not part of the first set. To the first set Jesus said:

“Have no fear, little flock, for your Father has approved of giving you the Kingdom (government or rulership)" Luke 12:32

They are LITTLE in the sense that they're to rule with Christ so they are NUMBERED but those that will possess the earth outnumbered them!

I have told you that when it comes to the Bible it belongs strictly to Jehovah's Witnesses so ask any question about what is not clear to you that doesn't mean you are not free to continue with your Islam if that's your choice!🙂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 9:01pm On Jun 03
The key question is what actual difference the text establishes between the 144,000 and the great crowd. Revelation 7 presents two images, but it never explicitly states that they are two separate classes of believers with different eternal destinies. That conclusion is inferred rather than directly stated. Given Revelation's highly symbolic nature, many scholars understand the 144,000 and the great crowd as different portrayals of the same redeemed community rather than two distinct groups.
The existence of two visions, therefore, does not by itself settle the issue. Revelation frequently uses complementary imagery to describe a single reality from different perspectives, most notably the Lion and the Lamb in chapter 5. The real question is how Revelation's symbolic framework functions, and that remains open to interpretation. As for the Muhammad pbuh reference, it does not address that hermeneutical question and adds little to the argument itself.

MaxInDHouse:
The figure 144,000 occurred twice in the Bible book of Revelation.
@ Revelation 7:5-8 the number is once again repeated and then John wrote:

After this I saw, and look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands. And they keep shouting with a loud voice, saying: “Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb. Revelation 7:9-10

If it's the complete people of God then how come another crowd of people that can't be numbered appears later?🙂

Guy this is the Bible not your religious book in your religion the number Muhammad told you is 124,000 !🙂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 2:31pm On Jun 03
I understand the argument regarding Eusebius, and a 209-year chain of transmission is a strong case for preserving knowledge of authorship and general provenance however my point is narrower. Establishing that Luke wrote Acts is not the same as establishing the evidential status of every event Luke records. The question is not whether early Christians knew Luke's sources, but whether a visionary experience relayed through witnesses and later narrated by Luke should be evaluated differently from ordinary historical reporting. Authorship and epistemic reliability are related issues, but they are not identical.
On Cornelius, your distinction between acceptability and salvation is clear. However, Acts 10 still raises a difficulty for a strictly bounded reception model. God not only recognized Cornelius before Peter arrived; the Holy Spirit fell on him and his household before baptism, before formal incorporation, and before Peter finished speaking. If reception itself can occur prior to the formal mechanism, then Acts 10 appears to show God acting beyond the institutional sequence rather than exclusively through it. The chapter seems to present the mechanism as affirming what God had already done, not as the sole channel through which reception became possible.

FxMasterz:
Eusebus can be trusted for many reasons apart from the fact that he quoted from verifiable sources. He was also in the direct line of the generation of disciples. It seems you don't understand what that means. That means the information from the first disciple were reliably passed down to him. The moment you realize that all the first century Christians know who wrote what, and how the Who gathered his information, you'll start getting it. First century believers knew Luke wrote books, and they knew his medium of data collection and validation. Eusebus was not so far away for such information to have been lost on him. Many in Eusebus' day have the same information he had. And the fact that Luke heard Peter was not a matter of debate in the 300s. Thousands of years later, it may look debatable. But in 300AD, this was common knowledge. You cannot expect that in less than 209yrs, the knowledge of how Luke wrote his books would have been lost.

You don't understand what the presence of God means. You need to understand that before you can understand what Cornelius got before and after Peter. Before Peter, Cornelius had what all men now have - acceptability. That is a qualification to be saved. As far as salvation is, everyone is qualified TO RECEIVE salvation. That's what Cornelius had before Peter. After meeting Peter, he received salvation. Today, everyone is qualified but not everyone is receiving.
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 1:26pm On Jun 03
The comment about Muslims does not advance the argument and risks distracting from the main issue. These interpretive questions stand or fall on their own merits, regardless of anyone’s religious background.

The 144,000 interpretation is a Jehovah’s Witness doctrinal position, but it is not the only plausible reading of Revelation 14. Apocalyptic literature frequently uses numbers symbolically, and many scholars understand the 144,000 as representing the complete people of God rather than a literal, limited ruling class. Likewise, the two tier destination framework drawn from Matthew 5:5 and Psalm 37:29 goes beyond what those texts explicitly state. Both passages speak generally about inheritance and blessing, not a formal division of believers into separate eternal categories.
On transmission, 1 Thessalonians and Revelation come to us through the same historical process that has been questioned regarding Luke–Acts. If that process is considered reliable when supporting one position, the same standard should apply when evaluating another. The methodology should remain consistent regardless of the conclusion.


MaxInDHouse:
The first set of Christians are the ones to rule with Christ so anyone who joins the disciples of Christ in the first century is most likely to be part of the ruling team.

This is what the Bible says:

Then I saw, and look! the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who have his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. Revelation 14:1

The selection of Christ's corulers is to be taken from the first set of Christians so the 144,000 must be selected before the rest follows them. This first set will be taken to heaven with Jesus (the lamb of God) John 14:1-3; 1Thessalonians 4:16-17

And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, and he had everlasting good news to declare to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. Reba 14:6

The remaining Christians are uncountable disciples of Christ but their own destination is planet earth! Matthew 5:5; Psalms 37:29; Surah 21:105

So don't think this is something any of your Muslim people can understand!🙂
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 8:33am On Jun 03
The statement what your religion taught you cuts both ways and if at all it's due to bias. We are discussing to properly interpret without these limitations. The JW interpretive framework is itself a tradition transmitted through an institution, subject to the same transmission questions you dismissed earlier.
Nothing you have written here changes the textual sequence. Cornelius was accepted by God before Peter arrived, before preaching, before baptism. Acts 10:34-35 establishes that directly. The co-rulership passages you cite address a separate question entirely and do not disturb that prior divine recognition.
The trajectory from exclusivity to universal access is not my life view it is the trajectory your own cited passages describe.

MaxInDHouse:
Obviously you aren't getting the message because of what your religion taught you.

Read this again for clarification:

Neither God nor Jesus said only Jews will have everlasting life o!

The redeemer from God (Christ) will be born among a race {Isaiah 9:6} and that race are those who have known all the things associated with the Christ and his origin that is what brings the Jews into the picture {John 4:22} whereas they are not the only descendants of Jacob but they knew all the prophets from Moses until John the baptist while Samaritans on the other hand only accepted Moses as the prophet of God that is why the Christ will use Jews as his disciples to reach out to other nations. Zechariah 8:23

What will be their benefit for being his disciples?

God will only choose among them those to rule with Christ! Matthew 19:27-30

But the Jewish nation declined God's offer {Matthew 23:37-38} that's why the selection of Christ's corulers was extended to other nations {Matthew 21:43} so that individuals from different nations throughout the world could become part of corulers with the Christ! Matthew 8:11

This is the arrangement Jesus stick to that is why he first told them to go and call only Jews as his disciples! Matthew 10:6
Christianity Etc › Re: Revisiting The Scripture For Better Understanding by Explore2xmore(op): 8:24am On Jun 03
You mark particular with Eusebus being a third generation disciple. What does this exactly mean? He saw Jesus and by your nomenclature the 1st generation disciples which I believe consists the original 12 from Peter to Judas?
Don't you see that the third generation discipleship strengthens his reliability as a church historian but does not resolve the specific transmission problem being pressed, which is Luke reporting a trance-state vision experienced by Peter decades earlier. Eusebius's trustworthiness concerns church history broadly. The epistemological question about visionary experience transmitted orally across decades remains a separate category that his credentials do not close.
On the acceptance versus salvation distinction, if acceptance means access to God's presence without ceremonial barrier, and salvation means inner transformation through faith, then Acts 10:34-35 is addressing the former while the Cornelius baptism episode addresses the latter. That is quite probable. The question it raises however is significant. If acceptance is universal and prior, and salvation is subsequent and conditional on faith in Christ, then Acts 10:34-35 establishes something genuinely independent of the salvation mechanism. God's prior recognition of Cornelius was real and operative before the salvation event occurred. That prior recognition cannot then be retroactively collapsed into the salvation framework without erasing what the text explicitly distinguishes. The distinction you are drawing actually reinforces the point about God acting independently of formal human inclusion rather than undermining it.

FxMasterz:
You're not getting it. Apart from the fact that Eusebus quoted verifiable sources, he was also a 3rd generation disciple. All scholars trust his writings because of the boxes he ticked.

You're also mixing things up about Cornelius. Acceptance is different from salvation. The vision shows all men are accepted. Acts 10:34-35 shows Cornelius is accepted. We gain that acceptance because we no longer need to be ceremonially clean before we can get closer to God. Salvation is a different thing entirely. It's the rebirth of the inner man which happens through faith in Christ alone.

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