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Showing posts with label Bible Study. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible Study. Show all posts

Theological Views Blog’s “New Light” (Pro 4:18)

Summary, Selective Listing of Blog’s Variously Originating “New Light” and “Present Truths” (cf. CW 33.2; COL 127.4)

            There is ample counsel in the Spirit of Prophecy in how to regard and deal with new light. These counsels are objectively both towards the one giving this new light as well as to the Church, leaders and members to whom it is being given. As these counsels are quite clear in themselves, they will not be restated here, but simply referred to. These are e.g.,:

The “Plan A” Millennium

The Temporal, Jubilee, Zionistic, Millennium (=Rev 20:1-3, 4-6, 7-10, 11-15+)

            This post is an, as succinct as possible, exposition on, what has come to now be, the Biblically/Prophetically, -including also from the SOP, inevitable event of a Temporal “Jubilee” (=EW 286.1), Kingdom of God Testifying (=Matt 24:14) Typological Millennial Era. This Event and Era has been briefly mentioned and expounded upon in prior postings (here and here; {cf. the dramatic depiction here}) and discussion (starting here), but it is now expanded in more detail.
            First of all, it is key to see and understand for a proper Biblically contextualizing background that throughout the Great Controversy history upon this planet (i.e. since its Fall) God has endeavored to have several World Order restoring re establishments for this Planet. All in order to give people on this planet their best chance to see and accept His Saving Righteousness ways. Prior to the First Advent of Christ, thus in the OT Era, these restorations attempts were towards the that Messianic Event, and the after the completed Sacrifice by Christ, thus in the NT Era, these Restoration attempts were to prepare people for Christ’s Second Advent Event. However in all of these, by now, as listed below, 7 attempts (which is quite “representational” enough), it has been the failure of those who were supposed to do their part in a covenant made by God with them, thus God’s (professing) People, who failed to do their part, and so God literally had to go back to the “drawing board” and rework/repackage His ‘Greatest Testimony’ prophetic plans, to be “covenantly” given to, and started over with, a new generation, even group, of (professing) people. Here is a brief overview of these events:

College of Biblical Research - Open Recruiting

The World Biblical Society of Christ (WBSC)
-an online College of Biblical Research
Mar 5:37; 9:2; 14:33||Matt 10:1||Luke 10:1-2||1 Sam 22:1-2
(under development)

Collaborative Research Forum
(under development)


[Registered WBSC Members thus far: 3]
[Expressed/Claimed Interest (but no follow through): 5]

Pertinent Biblical & Prophetic basis, and derived establishment endeavor history (cf. here), of WBSC.

College Objective
            If you are like me, you have, in your Biblical Studies/Research endeavors, been quite disappointed to not find much more achievable concrete and/or exhaustive documentation or studies on certain topics. Many times this is solely due to the researcher/writer having undertaken his/her study alone, and thus, for a lack of various resources, the study was not exhaustively, and thus, in most cases, not conclusively, done.
            The mission and purpose of WBSC is to have these various incomplete studies, and much more, completely done, and that by, and to, the equal benefit of all contributors involved in it. The goal is here not to “re-invent the wheel” of Biblical Research, but to make these wheels as functionable and effective as possible, and also to “invent/produce wheels” where they are presently not found, or in use.
            Therefore WBSC is being established to have an organized venue where scholarly Biblical Research can be done and in a most collaborative fashion. This Institution is being called a College to reflect both the fact that it will be “a society of persons joined together for literary or scientific purposes, and possessing exclusive privileges” and also, as knowledge is still not finite, even Biblical knowledge, especially for those who are “seeking to advance” (Dan 12:4, 10), it will simultaneously be a place of teaching and learning for all participants. So even if you currently may not be skilled in scholarly Biblical Research, but aim to, you are welcome to participate.
            To mainly the benefit of all participants, the College will be formally registered as an Institution/Business to the extent that is applicable.


The 144,000 - A Kingdom Number

The 144,000 - A Kingdom Number (Rev 7:1-8, 9-17; 14:1-5)

Understanding what the 144,000 represents has been the subject of much debate. For
lack of the necessary resources, I won’t rehash the arguments of this debates in this post, but will instead straightly state what my Theological View on this topic, ever more crystalizingly, is. 

God's Deliverance (Ezek 1 & 10)

God's Deliverance: Order/Organization (Ezek 1), Power (Ezek 10) & Timing (cf. Ezek 43)

            In prior postings in this “Theological Views” Blog, the Bible’s and SOP’s promise and delineation of the evidence that God has plans to ‘Deliver His Faithful People’ (GC 635ff = Rev 16:10ff -discussed in here). The “Power” (see e.g. in this post) and “Timing” (see e.g. here), as well as both of them combined (see e.g. here), have indeed been presented throughout this Blog. But the Bible and SOP also reveals that God has a very deliberate “Order” (=Organization), and that in seeming chaos and disarray, which He will also keyly involve in this Deliverance event and process. By now, not really surprising to me, this understanding is merely a confirmation of what had long been pursued, indeed essentially from the very beginning of, this Biblical research and tangible projects work, culminating in the launching of its NJK Project (ca. 2003ff).
            The Biblical exposition and understanding of Ezek 10 is the pivotal passage is what presents/confirms this “Order” aspect in God’s plans here, and as also seen with many passages, this is an understanding that EGW also somewhat nebulously had through manifestly various SOP revelations that she may not have “fully” understood.
                                                                                               

The Prophecy of Daniel 2 (Dan 2:31-45)

The Prophecy of (First) World Hegemony & the Final, Temporal, Super-Power, Kingdom of God (Dan 2:34-35, 44-45)

The Prophecy of Daniel 2 is patently, and with good reason, used as an introductory and
foundational study about the Bible and Bible Prophecy, as it reveals that the Bible is a Supernaturally inspired book which accurately predicts the future. But of course not everyone, namely non-Bible Believers (see e.g. pertinently here), have that view. The purpose of this blog post is to present the evidence for this understanding belief of Bible believers from this “springboarding” prophecy, but, as it was done earlier with the also popular and strongly evidencing 70 Weeks Prophecy, the presentation here will be done by a necessary more in depth, even correcting, study: Exegetically, Theologically and also Historically, of this key prophecy than what is typically done.[1] But before getting into the verse by verse exposition, a couple of key foundational points first need to be made.

Date of Prophecy - DSS & Carbon Dating
Succinctly state here the date of the prophecy of Daniel 2, (which predicts events from ca.
605 B.C. through A.D. Medieval World/Church History, through today) is scientifically/factually known, through the carbon dating of Dead Sea Scrolls which include it, (namely: 1QDana & 4QDana) to have been written/copied by around the 1st centuries B.C./A.D.  (Cf. here & here).

Gog & Magog vs. God

The USA & the Rest of the West vs. the NJK (Ezek 38&39)

            Upon now years of studying, pondering and also experience (cf. 1SM 25.4), and with this prophecy of Ezek 38=39 having been shown by God to indeed have an eschatological application, e.g. (Explicitly) Rev 20:8-9 (Ezek 38:2, 39:6) & (implicitly/allusively) Rev 19:17-18, 21 (Ezek 39:17-20); Rev 11:13 (Ezek 38:19-20), so it can here/now be forthwithly stated as the controlling thesis, indeed upon Spiritual observation & prophetic information, that this, actually popular Gog and Magog prophecy of Ezek 38-39 represents the outline, template and modus operandi, of how God has always planned to orchestrate and achieve a triumphant victory over, and that collectively so, all of those who would presently or potentially think to stand against the Zionistic plans that He has for His (redeemed and restored) Israel (cf. Isa 54), -which now, in the New Testament, is to be found, as a faithful (Apostolic) remnant (Rev 12:17), within the, today: mainly Babylonianly-Apostate, Christian Church. (Rev 18:2-4)

Responses to evilbible.com Website Claims

Responses to Common Objections and Claims of Unbelievers (2 Tim 2:15)
           
            It is patent for unbelievers to rattle off a listing of various objections to the Bible as the foundational/substantive reason why they do not believe in either its inspiration or even, the “moral beneficiality” of the Bible.  As seen in the title of the main website (old website) being responded to here, they come to conclude that the Bible is/must be “evil”. (See also in this post).
            Upon just reading through the listing of claims on that website, it seems evident to me, that the author(s) of these claims may have had some Christian background and later, upon “discovering”, these (supposed) errors/contradictions/“evils” switched to their current stance. Whatever the case, it is still pertinent that literally all of these claims are borne out of deficient, uninformed, or outright erroneous exegesis and theology. The ironic thing is that many believers also see the same errors but just silently overlook them, as if the Bible and its message does not contain the resolving answer. And to a point, that also is not an acceptable approach, because, for one thing, it does breed and perpetuate in some such vehement opposition to the Bible.

The Prophecy of Daniel 8 - Part A2

The Prophetic Geo-Political||Societal History of the World (Daniel 8:1-6, 7, 20-21)

Note: The present Part A2 (=Dan 8:7) blog post continues its preceding Part A1 (=Dan 8:1-6, 20-21)
[See next its Part B (=Dan 8:8, 9-14, 15-19, 22, 23-26)]

Daniel 8:7 - Then I (suddenly) {naturally} saw him cause to be contacting alongside the ram. Then he (repeatedly) made himself embittered at him. And he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, then the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power.

Then - As grammatically possible, the Hebrew Waw conjunction here can translated to reflect the distinct notions of the ensuing statement being: conjunctive =“and”; consecutive =“then” or explicative =“that is”. As it will be seen in the following exegetical+historical interpretation, these ensuing statements are best understood to have a consecutive =“then notion and meaning.
            A plausible, as in possible, claim/argument could (have) be(en) made that Dan 8:7 is just restating in more detail what Dan 8:6 had already introduced, i.e. the male goat attacking the ram, and so the opening Hebrew waw here would be: explicative =“that is”, but, as stated above, exegesis, and pointedly the (as earlier presented and here later continued) historical details of the application of this prophecy (i.e. Greece battling Persia for world hegemony) favors the “consecutive waw” understanding...

The Prophecy of Daniel 8 - Part A1

The Prophetic Geo-Political||Societal History of the World (Daniel 8:1-6, 7, 20-21)

Note: This blog post is continued in Part A2 [=Dan 8:7]  & Part B [=Dan 8:8, 9-14, 15-19. 22, 23-26]

            The following exposition on the prophecy of Daniel 8 parallely covers much of the same historical ground/sweep and theme/issues as the prophecy of Daniel 7 and also Daniel 2. So to get the proper background and foundation about properly interpreting Bible prophecy do first see/read this post for Dan 7 and this one for Dan 2.[1]1
            Also, from the upcoming exegetical and Biblical (i.e. letting the Bible decode/interpret itself) exposition on/of Daniel 8, it will be self-evident&demonstrated that the popular preteristic interpreting & applicational claim that this prophecy was fulfilled by the ca. 2nd century B.C. actions of Antiochus Ephiphanes and the Maccabean Revolt actually, literally comes up way short...both Chronologically as well as Theologically/Biblically/Spiritually.[2]2

            Just the fact that this preteristic view was originally crafted by the 3rd Century AD anti-Christianity sophist&philosopher Porphyry in his attempt to discredit the claim that the Bible had predictive prophecies should ring all kinds of alarm bells in Christian. For a discussion about how that overall “historical critical” claim against the presence of predictive prophecy in the Book of Daniel, (with the claim being that “the book of Daniel was not written in the 6th century B.C., nor by Daniel, but in the 2nd Century B.C., and by someone else, who moreover was not familiar with Sixth Century B.C. history), see the introductory material (such as this presentation) provided at the beginning of the Daniel 2 prophecy. The pertinent, supposed “gross error”, issue of “Darius the Mede” (Dan 6:28; 9:1) is resolved in this chapter on the prophecy of Daniel 9.

            Relatedly, the alternative claim by Christians who have the unBiblical Dispensationalist-Futurists view, and therefore they claim that the “Little Horn” portion of this prophecy applies, -(as is their claim for the similar symbol in Daniel 7), to a still future antiChrist is also disproven in this exposition...Indeed the coming “antiChrist” manifestation that they are expecting from their interpretation of this prophecy is actually not the one that this prophecy is Biblically identifying (i.e. at Dan 8:23-25ff) ...More on that issue later when it comes up...    

Is Roman Catholicism Biblical??? (=Matt 16:19??)

Is the Roman Catholic Church the True Christian Church??? (=Matt 16:18??)

Spoiler Alert: ...upon this blog post's detailing review: !!!Hell NO!!! (Gal 1:6-9; cf. Rev 13; 17 and 18)
Cf.: 7 Reasons Why I AM NOT a Roman Catholic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04FZW81uSes                               

Catholicism Refuted (Mike Winger)
Catholicism: Worth Arguing About (1st of 4 videos on Catholicism)
Refuting CATHOLIC Authority
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AsPuOxVZKw                                 
Why Catholicism is WRONG
Unbiblical stuff the Catholic Church teaches: Mary, Indulgences, Eucharist, Priests, 7 Sacraments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1xZTPY98Oc                        
+Catholic Apologists Abuse Typology to Teach Mariology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p7DIQnRYO8


---------------------------------------

            ...Alright, upon especially after having viewed this conversion testimony (cf. here) of Teresa Beem [responded to here], I am going to, -in much more/deeper investigation, consideration and detail than what was done here, fully go through only a couple of RCIA (=Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) series/“process”, namely this (20+class) one+this (27-class) one, while also skimming through the 1425-page Cathecism of the Catholic Church (CCC)...to see why 1.285 Billion Roman Catholics are so sure that the:

-Bible & Prophecy misinterpretation; contra-Biblical traditions; heretical doctrines; superstitious sacraments; non-Authoritative dogmas; whimsical canon; misguided councils; compromised Faith; paganized Church; fallible “infallibility”; Old Covenant-mimicking clerical order; dead/penance works; “saints” necromancy; images-worshiping; “bilocation” spiritism [really???!]; Eastern-meditative mysticism; eucharistic hocus pocus; vain repetitions; gesturing superstition; penitent penances and historical violence, sadism, crimes & murders of the Roman Catholic Church are actually “Godly” (i.e. both: Just & NT-mandated).... and not “(Roman) Babylonian”...

            ...But, candidly: “Heads Up”: Don’t get your hopes up...I.e.: As the RCC has already fulfilled various historical Bible Prophecies, -and to a literal, chronological and eventful “T” (=2 Pet 1:19 (NASB-margin)), there is indeed not much hope that its foundation is the words, faith and teaching of Jesus Christ (Luke 6:46-49)....Yet, it seems to me that despite my obvious Biblically-cemented foundational bias, if Catholicism is True/Biblical, then these indepth explanations from it for its views/teachings/beliefs, should convince and convict me since I am devoted to doing and believing whatever the Bible teaches....So let’s go, and let’s see:

Yeshua for (Orthodox) Judaism

Yeshua for (Orthodox) Judaism (Psa 110:1-7|Matt 22:41-46)

The Bible Evidence Why Jesus was/is the Bible’s Prophesied Messiah (cf. John 10:25, 37-38; 14:10-11; Matt 7:15-20)

            Alright, after several months now of endeavored work on this blog post, as it increasingly involves each answer to be given, literally deserving to be in a full blown dissertation/thesis in themselves, also involving the deeper exegetical study of many OT and NT passages, and thus requires much more of the needed resources than what I presently have and/or can expend, I have decided that rather than wait for the manifest several more months to complete this blog post, I’ll instead just post my written work thus far and also the ca. 140 pages of notes and jotted down answers and lines of countering arguments that I have produced thus far. So the following posting is as rough a draft, including brainstorming stage notes, as it can be. I recognize that not everything stated thus far in that “working thesis” stage may be polishedly accurate, but that is only a small minority of what is posted here. Further study and expounding may prove and better substantiate those points and statements.
            So here goes with my responses (thus far) to the ca. 45+ hours of “Counter-missionary” material found on “Jews for Judaism” (and certain other) websites:


            It will likely/naturally be the case that the authors of the content to which I am responding to here will more readily understand the responding statements and succinct notes being made here, even if they are not yet fully developed. Someone who is not familiar with the initial material here would be greatly benefited by first viewing the resources from the above links. The specific resource under discussion is many times cited as (highlighted) headers below.

Note: As involved in the chosen Title Verse, as Jesus’ trumping card statement in Matt 22:41-46; the discussion of Psa 110 included in these discussion is most pivotal to understanding and recognizing the Messiah as it generally explains many of the key objections still being claimed by Jews against Christianity.
            And as with all other acts of God in both the OT and NT, right through today, if one is refusing to involve faith combined with also loving righteousness (=right doing), then it literally becomes impossible to “see the light” (Rom 9:30-33; cf. Rev 3:18 -see here).
            I’ll also generally say here, in regards to an also key/pivotal passage on this topic of the Messiah, as God’s Israel had been started by one person, and then following the Babylonian Captivity was revived by a small remnant, the related Servant songs in Isaiah 40-54, particularly Isa 53 can validly apply to the experience of a single (establishing) person and also a (later) preserving and re-establishing Remnant.

___________________

Primer on the Plagues (Rev 8&9 || 15&16) - Part 2

What to Biblically (Fully) Know, (including for SDA’s  (cf. CET 187.3)), in Order to Avoid Suffering the 7 Last Plagues (Rev 18:4-8) - Part 2 [See Part 1 here]


Sixth Trumpet & Plague

            As a studied out summary statement on the Series of Sixths in Revelation discussed throughout this section, it is in this age that God aims to have a perfected Church/People, and that in order to next have, in the Series of Sevenths, a perfect, and thus secure, everlasting Kingdom, especially as this Seventh stage Kingdom will be most abundantly (materially) blessed. (Cf. 2SAT 294.3)

Internal State of Church: (Sixth Church - Rev 3:7-13 [1790's-1847 A.D.]) - So after God having tried to do a work of reform with the catholic Church replacing Protestant movement in the Fifth Church Age, but not being able to due to their choice to be and remain deficient in their Christian Doctrines and Experience/Practices (Rev 3:1-2), God now will do a work with/through any willing person who is aiming to know and pursue Truth, to fully re-establish the Apostolic Church (Jude 1:3), through a faithful Remnant (Rev 12:17; 14:12).

Primer on the Plagues (Rev 8&9 || 15&16) - Part 1

What to Biblically (Fully) Know, (including for SDA’s (cf. CET 187.3)), in Order to Avoid Suffering the 7 Last Plagues (Rev 18:4-8) - Part 1 [Cont'd in Part 2 here]

            While an exhaustive study on the ‘Seven Last “Plagues”’ will not be done at this time in this blog post, there are several key interpretational and understanding pointers that will help one arrive at the proper and full intended divine meaning in this revelation. These will be, as succinctly as possible, expounded upon here.

            It is typical in SDA circles to hermeneutically claim that ‘things must be interpreted literally unless they clearly are symbolic’ and while that is partially true, the truth of the matter is that, as seen in several prophecies, even OT prophecies, what determines how a statement is interpreted is how “removed” it is from its initially intended fulfilment. So for prophecies, e.g., OT prophecies in regards to Israel, they were to be literally fulfilled with Ancient Israel, however when they rebelled against God and were not able to enter into His New Covenant, the statements in those prophecies then entirely came to have a spiritually application with also a Spiritual New Israel.

The Coming of the Sealing Angel

The Advent of the Third Message's Angel (Rev 6:14-7:3ff-14:20)

            As it was first mentioned in this post, EGW relates in EW 254.1 a very pointed, and keyly detailed, account of when the Third Angel began to sound its message. She says that:

As the ministration of Jesus closed in the holy place, and He passed into the holiest, and stood before the ark containing the law of God, He sent another mighty angel with a third message to the world. A parchment was placed in the angel's hand, and as he descended to the earth in power and majesty, he proclaimed a fearful warning, with the most terrible threatening ever borne to man.

            As shown by the supplied emphasis, the key issues here for this discussion are the facts that this Third Angel was a “mighty angel” and also that Jesus had placed a “parchment” in his hand. While it may for now seem exaggerated to see these seemingly trite words as being “pointed”, it is by comparing them with other similar mentions of Jesus commissioning angels with special messages that reveal that these were not empty words. As it will also be shown in this post, there are also other similar key, “loaded”, words and expression in this SOP revelation which also contain quite significant Theological and Prophetic meanings.

Ezekiel's Valley of Dry Bones and the "Shaking"

A “Prophesyingly” Interpretive Commentary (Ezek 37:1-14 (NASB))

The Vision
Ezekiel 37:1 - The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.

-hand of the Lord upon & brought out by the Spirit - Ezekiel was made to see this representation through a vision only and not in reality. As such it was God showing him what was the case/condition with Israel. As Israel, in mainly the surviving tribe of Judah then, which had actually been judged (Ezek 9) some ca. 7 years before[1] (See also in the outline chart of Ezekiel here). This vision is therefore a representation of what is, however, to the extent that it is shown (i.e, many, dry, bones strewn across a valley), which was not a depiction of actual reality with the people of Judah or Israel, it is really a representation of how God was seeing things.

The Third, Prophetic, Shut Door

The Third, Prophetic, “Shut Door” (Rev 3:7)

            The topic of the Shut Door has been, frankly, due to prevailing misunderstandings, an “embarrassing” one in the history of Seventh-day Adventism. That mainly stems from the fact that it is the one teaching/understanding where early Adventist all had to express that they had been somewhat wrong, even in “error”, in their prior understanding on what was then such a decisive and divisive issue. (See this document by the White Estate for a developmental history of this topic amongst early Adventists/SDA’s). The fact of the matter is that these early Adventist were actually pointedly wrong in the extent to which they had believed that the (first understood) Shut Door (a.k.a. the “Midnight Cry’s” Shut Door (Matt 25:1-13)) applied, and not merely because they had believed that there had then been a “Shut Door” event (i.e., a demarcating point in time that enduringly separated the aware “just” from the equally aware/knowing “unjust”).[1] As EGW correctively said in 1883 (Ms. 4 = 1SM 63-64):

God's Whirlwind Judgement on SDA Church

God’s Whirlwind “Shaking” of the SDA Church (Ezek 13:1-16 = EW 48.2-50.3ff)
The “Sheep Which Have No Shepherds” Vision of EGW (1 Kgs 22:17)

            There has come to be an, ultimately, “chicken-or-the-egg” situation with a prophetic statement that is asserted to have been said by Ellen G. White in ca. 1908. In trying to refute this asserted EGW origin, SDA proponents, on top of trying to discredit the reliability of the claimant himself, have effectively, quasi-substantively based their position on a defence that it is: ‘a claim that does not agree with what EGW has said on such a topic.’ However on top of, understandably, examining the claimant’s reliability, and doing a thematic comparison with the rest of EGW’s writings, there are deeper issues that need to also be analysed in order to conduct a proper investigation. This “deeper look” thus also involves “Biblical Exegesis” (i.e., does the statement harmonize with the/a message of the Word of God, as well as the Spirit of Prophecy, for SOP revelations are ultimately the continuing divulgence of God’s Word (cf. Num 12:6; Rev 19:10)).

The Four Living Creatures Throughout the Bible

The Foundation of God’s Triumphant Restoration Plan[s] (Num 2|Ezek 1&10|Rev 4)

Important Reference: The exegetical verse-by-verse commentary of (mainly) Ezek 1 & 10, (-as well as Spirit of Prophecy statements), which underlie the conclusions and applications posted here are presented in detail in this supporting post.

            The mention of the Four, -frankly freaky, Living Creatures in, especially, continuingly in a New Testament context and in direct association with God’s Throne in e.g., Rev 4:6b-11 can lead one to candidly ask: “What is going on here?” To think of God’s Throne as involving animals, namely: a Lion, Ox, and Eagle, and also Man, -animals/creatures which are indeed objects of various form of worship and reverence (as it can be seen today in the emblem and insignias of world countries and seats of government), along with the idolatrous (humanistic) self-worship of man by man, feels like all of this in association with the Throne of God borders on the sacrilegious/blasphemous, or at least a -endorsement/validation of the various forms of paganistic idolatry of men. One would expect such association with adversarial entities towards/against God, as patently seen elsewhere in the prophecies of especially Daniel and Revelation. However these are here deliberately, explicitly, and most prominently, associated with the Throne of God. Well, it happens, that, as with anything else that is mentioned in Bible prophecy, the key to understanding what is being communicated here lies in Biblically interpreting the symbols.