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[Berean]

Denying the truth about the state of the dead

Another smooth stone that God’s people have refused to load in their sling is that of the true state of the dead. Merriman-Webster defines death as a permanent cessation of all vital functions. It is consistent with God’s word. The wise man Solomon informs us: “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6).

Again, this stone has not only been abandoned in deception’s ditch; but is desparately objected to by almost all humanity who passionately believe that when you die you are not really dead. This notion can be traced back to the Biblical creation narrative where humanity’s progenators were warned that should they disobey their Creator they will be permanately separated from HIm. Like most of the world today, they listened to the master deceiver called Satan who informed them that by believing him instead of their Creator they would become wiser and live forever.

Because of the wholesale abandonment of this smooth stones billions believe that their dead loved ones are walking around, looking down upon the from some parallel universe where they will join them someday when they also die. But Creator God through His prophet Moses lets us know that this belief is not only deceptive, but dangerous: “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

The prohibitions given to God’s people against communicating with the dead have been overwhelmingly rejected by most humaniry, including untold millions claiming to be God’s people. They have forfeited the stone provided them to slay the Goliath of endtime deception.

[Berean]

Isa.56
[1] Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
[2] Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
[3] Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
[4] For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
[5] Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
[6] Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
[7] Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer👉 for all people.

[Berean]

@ DT

The seventh-day Sabbath was instituted at Creation for all humanity, not for a single nation.

Origin and universal scope

Creation: According to the biblical account in Genesis, God rested on the seventh day after completing the universe, blessing and sanctifying that day 👉before the existence of any Jew or patriarch.

👉An institution for humanity:

Movements and theologians who uphold this view point out that the Bible describes the seventh-day Sabbath as a universal gift of rest and a reminder of Creation, intended for humanity as a whole. The teaching of Jesus—”The Sabbath was made for man”: In the Gospel of Mark (2:27), Jesus articulates this fundamental principle to convey that Sabbath rest is a benevolent provision from God for human well-being and physical and spiritual health, rather than an oppressive, legalistic yoke.

[Berean]

Not understanding Salvation in the Sanctuary

Another one of Gos’d’s smooth stones abandoned by God’s peole is the Sanctuary and its services. God’s Plan of Salvation is best understood by studying the ancient Jewish sanctuary and its services. The Psalmist David declared, “Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?” (Psalms 77:13). When the sanctuary is properly understood, Jesus Christ and His work of redemption on behalf of fallen humanity becomes crystal clear.

The knowledge of the sanctuary and the lessons it teaches have been largely neglected and forgotten by most of Christendom. In the process, they have deprived themselves of the power the sanctuary offers to live a victorious Christian life. By disarming themselves of this smooth stone, untold millions fall for the enemy’s deception. As a direct consequence, they have allowed themselves to be engrossed into a plethora of false doctrines, firmly believing them to be true. In the process their defence against the Goliath of our time is severly weakened.

The sanctuary gives the only correct view of God and His dealings with His people. It reveals His true perspective of sin and His plan for human redemption from it. The sanctuary reveals Jesus Christ and His plan and purpose for the salvation of fallen man. As one studies the sanctuary and its services, all false doctrines are turned upside down and God’s truth comes alive in their places with brightness and glory. Rejecting the lessons of the sanctuary is tantamount to leaving in the brook another of God’s precious five smooth stones.

[Berean]

 

REJECTION OF THE FIVE SMOOTH STONES

…and rendered helpless against the enemy

Confrotation and decision

There’s a storm coming, yea, it is verily upon us. This storm portends eternal consequences. Eerily, it appears as the time of trouble that Daniel and the ancient Jewish prophets, including Jesus Christ, warned the world about. Not unlike the confrontation of the young Hebrew boy David against the Philistine giant, Goliath, the people of God are faced with a seemingly unconquerable giant named deception. Likewise, they have been given five smooth stones to contend with and defeat this endtime Goliath.

The Philistines stood on one hill taunting the armies of Israel under the leadership of a weak and demoralized king Saul. Goliath, the well-armored leader of the Philistines, challenged the Israelites to send a man that would challenge him. David arrived on the scene after forty days and was surprised at the cowardice of Saul and his army. But he was neither dismayed nor discouraged. He reached into the nearby brook and loaded his sling with five smooth stones.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of those who claim to be God’s people have blantantly refused to pick up, and in many cases boastfully reject, God’s five smooth stones given to them. Consequently, they are overwhelmed by the Goliath of deception in these latter times.

Substituting God’s Seventh-day Sabbath
The foremost rejected of those stones is God’s Seventh-day Sabbath. Despite it’s very clear presentation from Genesis to Revelation and God’s admonition to remember it, unnumbered of God’s people, who claim to belong to Him through His Son and our Savior Jesus Christ, not only have forgotten it, but vehemently argue against its value. That precious stone was bequeathed to humanity at creation. The prophet Moses reports, “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:1-3).

Then He reminded us on behalf of our Creator, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11).

Jesus Christ assured His people of its divine value, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28). In speaking of the renewed heaven and earth, another prophet foretold, “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain…And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord (Isaiah 66:22-23).

The Sabbath was given to humanity at creation as a reminder of who is our Creator and Redeemer. It is an oasis in time which God has provided that we may come apart from our worldly labors, challenges, and concerns. It’s His Cathederal in time into which He invites all to be refreshed, rejuvenated, and spend sweet communion with Him through worship and in enjoying His creative works. God’s Sabbath is a time to reflect and to be thankful for all He has done for us in the past six days. Unlike the other measurements of time which are based upon the movement on the heavenly bodies, the Sabbath is based strictly on faith. Nevertheless, this most precious of God’s five smooth stones continues to be rejected and the adoption man’s Sunday sacredness is blindly embraced.

To be continued

Blessings

[Berean]

 

@ DT

for he was cut off out of the land of the living:
👉 for the transgression of my people👈 was he stricken.

Isaiah 53:8b states that the Servant is stricken “for the sins of MY PEOPLE.” If the prophet Isaiah says “my people” (Israel), the Servant who suffers in their place must logically be SOMEONE ELSE: an individual DISTINCT from the nation.
Doesn’t that make sense?
To me, it does.

[Berean]

Hi

Does the phrase “the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever” mean the fires of hell will never God out?

The word translated as “forever” in the Bible does not always mean “without end.” In fact, the Bible uses this term 56 times in connection with things that have already ended. (Sometimes you will need to look up the word “ever” in a concordance to find them.) For instance, in Exodus 21:1–6, the Hebrew servant was to serve his master “forever,” but it was obviously only as long as he lived. Hannah took her son Samuel to God’s house to abide “forever” (1 Samuel 1:22), but she plainly limited that time to “as long as he lives” (verse 28).

The term is clearly defined in Psalm 48:14: “For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.” The desolation of Edom was to ascend “forever” (Isaiah 34:10), yet we know that it does not still burn but, as the Bible says, lies in “waste.”

According to these definitions of the term “forever,” the wicked will suffer as long as they continue to live in the fire. Then, as the Bible states, “The wicked … shall be destroyed forever” (Psalm 92:7). This means that when the work of the fire is completed, it will go out. The Bible says these fires will “burn them up” and will leave them “neither root nor branch” and will leave “ashes under the soles of your feet” (Malachi 4:1–3).

And so the punishment of the wicked will be forever complete. It is not an everlasting state of torment, which would portray God as an evil sadist. Our loving Lord will blot sin out of existence because He knows it would eventually destroy our world and everyone in it.

Key Bible Texts
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: (Revelation 14:10 KJV)

[Berean]

Hi

A COLOSSAL CLEANING

It’s not the most pleasant subject, but when a job has to be done, it has to be done. So—what’s the best toilet bowl cleaner on the market? Instead of providing a list of products, here is what many people say they want from a cleanser: It cleans with a single flush; it tackles the toughest stains; it prevents the build-up of toilet rings; it kills most germs; it eliminates odors; it has no harsh fumes; and it’s safe for plumbing and septic systems. Is all that too much to ask?

There’s a much bigger cleaning job that will take place at the end of the millennium, when God tackles the work of removing all sin from the universe. The apostle Peter explains that the cleaning agent used by the Lord is fire: “The elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).

Every impurity of sin will be eliminated by the fire that destroys the wicked. From the ashes of what is left over, God will create “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Revelation 21:1). Even better still, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (verse 4).

For those who desire to walk in the New Jerusalem, a cleansing work must include asking Christ to remove sin from the heart. In light of the coming judgment, Peter concludes, “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?” (2 Peter 3:11).

Apply It:

What does your favorite household cleaner teach you about getting rid of sin?

Dig Deeper:

1 John 1:9; 2 Peter 3:10–13; Revelation 21:1–8

Key Bible Texts
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10 KJV)

Blessings

[Berean]

So now you’re backing down when it comes to Cain and Abel!?
Why is that?

You’re backing down regarding David’s clothes, too—yet that isn’t symbolic; it’s not just a casual figure of speech…
Reconsider your position, DT.

[Berean]

@DT

On what occasion were David’s clothes divided?

[Berean]

 

@DT

Gen.4
[1] And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
[2] And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
[3] And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
[4] And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
[5] But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

 

Why did Abel offer a sacrifice (a sacrificed animal) to God, and why did God accept his sacrifice but not that of his brother Cain?

[Berean]

Psalm 22:16 in the Hebrew Bible (Masoretic Text) reads “like a lion, my hands and my feet” (כָּאֲרִי יָדַי וְרַגְלָי), while Christian translations often render it as “they pierced my hands and my feet”. [1, 2]

The Translation Difference
The Hebrew Masoretic Text: Uses the word ka’ari (כָּאֲרִי), which translates to “like a lion”. Grammatically, it lacks a clear verb in that specific phrase, leaving it literally as “as a lion [are] my hands and my feet”. [1, 2, 3]
The Septuagint & Ancient Versions: The ancient Greek translation (Septuagint), done centuries before Jesus, translates the word as oryxan (“they dug” or “pierced”), implying a Hebrew reading of ka’aru (כָּאֲרוּ). [1]

Why the Difference Exists
Letter Confusion: The difference comes down to a single tiny Hebrew letter at the end of the word—either a yod (י) for “lion” or a vav (ו) for a verb meaning “pierced/digged”. These two letters look very similar in ancient and medieval Hebrew scripts, making copyist errors easy. [1, 2]
Manuscript Evidence: Standard medieval Hebrew manuscripts support “like a lion”. However, some ancient textual fragments (such as a scroll scrap from Nahal Hever) have been interpreted by some scholars as supporting a verb form. [1, 2, 3]

[Berean]

CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING!!

Go ahead, explain what happened with David’s clothes when we shared them.

[Berean]

Ps. 22:18 They parted my garments among themselves, and cast lots upon my raiment.

 

John 19:23] Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
[24] They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Berean]

 

 

Prove the Jesus IS The Messiah!!

@DT

THE ENTIRE BIBLE PROVES THAT JESUS ​​IS THE BIBLE’S MESSIAH.

Among other things, 53:5

[3] He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

THIS IS EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL TOWARD THE MESSIAH, CHRIST JESUS.

1. YES, BY REJECTING HIM YOU ARE FULFILLING THE PROPHECY OF ISAIAH.

[Berean]

ps 22:16
For dogs have compassed1 me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: 👉they pierced my hands and my feet.👈

Zech.13:6

And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in 👉thine hands? 👈Then 👉he shall answer, 👉Those with which👉 I was wounded 👈in the house of 👉my friends.

[Berean]

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him: Yes, the Messiah was stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. The prophet explains why. It was for us – for our transgressions…for our iniquities. It was in our place that the Messiah suffered.

Wounded is literally “pierced through.”

[Berean]

But he was wounded 👉for our transgressions,👈

he was bruised for 👉our iniquities:

👉the chastisement of our peace was upon him;👈

and with 👉his stripes we are healed.👈

[Berean]

Hi

How did the Puritans argue in favour of remembering the Sabbath day even under the New Covenant today?

The Sabbath is a moral commandment, binding on the world today, for at least five reasons:

1. The Sabbath was first instituted in paradise, in the state of innocence (Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 20:11, Mark 2:27), before any ceremony existed, even “made for man”

2. All the arguments made for its use in the Ten Commandments are perpetual, not ceremonial (Exodus 20:8-11). E.g. resting from work is still necessary, and it is not a mere ceremony fulfilled

3. The Sabbath command is placed in the middle of the Ten Commandments, and all the other nine are moral, and therefore it is too; and, with the rest, it was written by God on tables of stone which shows the perpetuity of it

4. Because the Gentiles were required to observe this, the “stranger” as well as others (Exodus 20:10 cf. Isaiah 56:6-7); but they were never under the ceremonial law

5. From the testimony of Christ: “Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day” (Matt. 24:20). This flight was to be many years later, even when all ceremonies were abolished; and yet our Saviour speaks of the Sabbath in force

– Adapted from The Shorter Catechism Explained from Scripture by Rev. Thomas Vincent (1634–1678), endorsed by Revs. John Owen, Thomas Watson, and over thirty Puritan ministers

 

 

Blessings

[Berean]

@ DT

The figure in Isaiah 53 was innocent. But was Israel?
Huh?

[Author]

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