Do you believe Jesus died?
1 Thess.
{5:1} But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
{5:2} For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
{5:3} For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
{5:4} But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
{5:5} Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
{5:6} Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.
{5:7} For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
{5:8} But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. {5:9} For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ
{5:10} Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
{5:11} Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
Matthew
{24:36} But of that day and hour knoweth no [man,] no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
{24:37} But as the days of Noe [were,] so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
{24:38} For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark
{24:39} And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
{24:40} Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
{24:41} Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
{24:42} Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
{24:43} But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
{24:44} Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Rev.
{1:5} And from Jesus Christ, [who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
{1:6} And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
{1:7} Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Matthew
{24:22} And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be
shortened.
{24:23} Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not.
{24:24} For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were]
possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
{24:25} Behold, I have told you before.
{24:26} Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, [he is] in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe [it] not.
{24:27} For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
1 Thess.
{4:14} For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
{4:15} For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
{4:16} For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first
{4:17} Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
{4:18} Wherefore comfort one another with these words
1 Cor.
{15:51} Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
{15:52} In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
{15:53} For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality.
{15:54} So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
{15:55} O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory?
It's true. Christ is coming again. Christ is coming because He promised He would come and there would be a people waiting for Him. Not only would there be a people waiting for Him, but the dead in Christ would rise to meet Him.
Do you believe Jesus died?
Do you believe that Jesus rose again?
Are you one of millions who celebrate the resurrection of your Savior from the dead?
Then you have to believe that the breath of life that returns to God who gave it, when a person dies, will once more return to those who have died -fallen asleep in Christ. That breath of life will return to themand they will rise first before any of those still alive when Christ returns. Those dead in Christ will rise first and meet the Lord in the air, and then we who are alive will join them.
The dead will be raised incorruptible.
We will all be changed into these marvelous new beings of which Christ was the first.
Every eye shall see Him when He comes and how this is done only the Lord Himself knows. Every eye shall see Him. And when He comes it will be too late to prepare for the journey we are to take with Him. When you are going on a trip somewhere you prepare for it, you pack your suitcase, duffle bag, you make sure you have all the things you'll need for that journey. Rarely, and unless someone is running from the law, for their life, or are mentally/emotionally unstable do they just up and leave. For a trip of a lifetime you plan don't you? Well, we know we are to undertake a journey- our final one and that is to be with Christ. Those of us alive must be ready to meet Him. So many won't be. They'll be so many just too caught up in the here and now, too caught up in the cares of this life whether they be happy cares or sad ones, they'll be tied to this earth by their own lack of faith in a life everlasting. We have the promise of a life eternal and that life isn't here on earth. Right now here on earth we are travailing as a woman in labor travails and the birth of new life will be when Christ comes again. Yes, there will be one taken and one left, but everyone will see it happening and know why- it will not be a secret because every eye will see Christ when He returns, when the dead and those alive in Him are called to meet Him in the air. It'll be sudden, it'll be unexpected, it will be as a thief because no one knows when a thief will strike. Christ will come and only those who are looking for Him will be ready. By the time He's in the air calling His to Him it will be too late to suddenly decide to take the journey. We have so much given to us to prepare us, so much to help us and the only one to blame in that day if we aren't among those meeting Christ in the air, is ourselves.
By faith, by love, by hope in the Lord Jesus Christ; through His mercy and grace by His sacrifice and forgiveness may we all be found ready in Him.
May the Holy Spirit guide us to Him and through all the travailing of this world around us.
Amen.
7/23/10
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
And be not conformed to this world
con·form
[kuhn-fawrm]
Show IPA
–verb (used without object)
1.
to act in accordance or harmony; comply
2.
to act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes, practices, etc., of society or a group
3.
to be or become similar in form, nature, or character.
We are not to be conformed- we are not to be in harmony, we are not to be in accord, we are not to be similar, we are not to be conformed to THIS world.
Do we really realize the significance of what this is telling us? When we grow up being told to conform every step of the way or else face ridicule and worse, do we really understand? Conform-- be like others, fit in, don't make a spectacle of yourself, behave, act normal. Most people conform so they don't stand out in a crowd. Fitting in is something we take pride in. Those who fit in are considered normal, those who don't are abnormal. Those who don't fit in are rebellious, oddballs, strange.
And be not conformed to this world
If we fit in this world, if we are not square pegs trying to fit in round holes, perhaps we need to look long and hard at ourselves. Alarm bells may be sounding already, those internal bells warning you that not fitting in is wrong. Being rebellious is wrong, right? Rebellion isn't proper. Did Jesus rebel? Did Jesus conform? Did Jesus act in harmony with society? Did Jesus become similar to those of His day in form, nature, or character? The answer to the first is yes, Jesus did rebel according to those in authority in His day. Jesus didn't conform to those wanting Him to conform. Jesus didn't act in harmony with society, but the thing here to really note is Jesus for the most part didn't use violence in his non-conformity. Jesus used love. Jesus wasn't similar to those in His day- He was amazingly different, He was unique, He was our great EXAMPLE.
1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps
Col 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Rom 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Transformed! We are to be transformed! We are not to be part of this world, but we are to be transformed and in being transformed our minds are renewed and that will prove what is good, what is acceptable and perfect…. WILL OF GOD! It is the will of God that we be transformed and not conformed.
Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
The renewing of our minds.
The renewing of the Holy Ghost.
Renewing--
G342
a??a?a?´??s??
anakaino¯sis
an-ak-ah'ee-no-sis
From G341; renovation: - renewing.
Renovate--
ren·o·vate
[ren-uh-veyt]
Show IPA verb, -vat·ed, -vat·ing, adjective
–verb (used with object)
1.
to restore to good condition; make new or as if new again; repair.
2.
to reinvigorate; refresh; revive.
Pasted from <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/renovate>
Transformed by the renovation of our minds- transformed by the restoration of our minds, our minds made new, our minds repaired.
Oh to have my mind repaired! It is only through such renewing our transformation will take place and we will not be conformed to this world. By the grace and mercy of our wonderful Lord and Savior may we be renewed! His WILL be done!
In His love now and forever! All praise and glory to our Creator and Redeemer!
Amen.
7/23/11
- The following is taken from a
site online but it sums it up nicely- if you go to the site you'll see a map
and chart.
Yesterday
we discuss Daniel 11: 1- 4 which
brought us right up to Alexander the Great's divided kingdom.
How many main
compass directions are there?
North, South, East and West, right? So when we read this next verse we have
to keep in mind that we'd just discuss the divided kingdoms.
Dan 11:5 And the king of the south shall be
strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have
dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.
How was Alexander
the Great's kingdom divided to the South, North, East, West?
We need a starting point don't we? Well, because we are reading from our
Bible and this is Biblical prophecy it only seems sensible to use the Holy
City, the city from which Daniel
had been taken, Jerusalem.
North
-taken by
Lysimachus- Thrace, Asia Minor
Later conquerered
by Seleucus (281)
Roman rule-Pompey
(63 BC)
South
- taken by
Ptolemy- Egypt, Palestine,
Roman rule-
Octavian (31 BC)
East
-taken by
Seleucus- Syria, Babylon, Persia,
Later conquered
by Ptolemy Ceraunus
Roman rule-
Pompey (63 BC)
West
-taken by
Cassander- Greece, Macedonia,
Later conquered
by Lysimachus (288)
Roman rule-
Aemilius Paullus (168)
After the death
of Alexander without an heir, the Greek empire was eventually divided among four
successors. Ptolemy, Seleucus and Lysimachus were his generals and Cassander was
the son of his general Antipater.
After
a while, the empire was reduced to a northern and southern kingdom.
Diadochi Wars.
SOUTH
The Greeks
started a new dynasty of kings (Ptolemies) in Egypt. They were defeated in the
battle of Actium in 31 BC.
NORTH
The generals in
the north were at war.
•
Lysimachus. In 288 BC, Lysimachus allied with Pyrrhus of Epirus and invaded
Macedonia then he expelled Pyrrhus in 285. Now he controlled Greece, Macedonia,
Thrace and Asia Minor.
•
Seleucus 1 Nicantor. In 281 BC, he killed Lysimachus in the battle of
Corupedion. Now everything except Egypt belonged to him, but not for long.
•
Ptolemy Ceraunus. In 281 BC, he murdered Seleucus 1 Nicantor and controlled the
north.
Pasted from
<http://www.teachinghearts.org/dre00maps.html>
So now we have to
advance with this prophecy and history-
Dan 11:5 And the king of the south shall be
strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have
dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.
The king of the
South- Egypt- this king would be
strong but another would be
stronger than Him and have a greater dominion than he does.
Does this reflect history? The ruler who took over Egypt was Ptolemy,
let's see what history reveals.
~
'Seleucus I
(given the surname by later generations of Nicator, i.e. Seleucus the Victor)
(ca. 358 BC – 281 BC) was a Macedonian officer of Alexander the Great and one of
the Diadochi. In the Wars of the Diadochi that took place after Alexander's
death, Seleucus established the Seleucid dynasty and the Seleucid Empire. His
kingdom would be one of the last holdouts of Alexander's former empire to Roman
rule.
They were only
outlived by the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt by roughly 34 years.
After the death
of Alexander, Seleucus was nominated as the satrap of Babylon in 320 BC.
Antigonus forced Seleucus to flee from Babylon, but, supported by Ptolemy, he
was able to return in 312 BC.
Seleucus' later
conquests include Persia and Media. He formed an alliance with the Indian King
Chandragupta Maurya. Seleucus defeated Antigonus in the battle of Ipsus in 301
BC and Lysimachus in the battle of Corupedium in 281 BC. He was assassinated by
Ptolemy Ceraunus during the same year. His successor was his son Antiochus
I.
Seleucus founded
a number of new cities, including Antioch and Seleucia.'
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucus_I_Nicator>
Seleucus was
supported by Ptolemy and went on to form a greater empire than Ptolemy. This
holds true to prophecy. The king
of Egypt supported (one of his princes) Seleucus and then he went on to be
strong above the king of Egypt garnering more land through his conquests. This divide took the four (N,E,S,W) and
the split was more between two (N,S).
Now it is
incredibly important to understand that the kingdoms of these various
directional divisions N,S are the focus. The land of the North, the land of the
South- we cannot logically keep it to the ruling kings of the time because it
would make absolutely no sense whatsoever. The land has to be the main
focus. We understand that those
who controlled the divided kingdom, not by happenstance, split it between North
and South by design, God's design.
So when Seleucus
died not long after gaining his great kingdom encompassing much of the Northern
territory that had once belonged to the conquering Alexander the Great, the
lands fell to his successor and they become the *kings* of that territory.
Now let's look at
the next verse--
Dan 11:6 And in the end of years they shall join
themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king
of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the
arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they
that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these
times.
This is very
detailed. The king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north
to make an agreement- did this happen? Yes.
'Berenice, also
called Berenice Syra, was the daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and his first
wife Arsinoe I of Egypt.
In 261 BC she
married the Seleucid monarch Antiochus II Theos (King of the North), who,
following an agreement with Ptolemy(King of the South)
(249 BC), had divorced his wife Laodice I and transferred the succession
to Berenice's children.'
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berenice_(Seleucid_queen)>
HISTORY!
PROPHECY!
Berenice daughter
of Ptolemy (King of the South) married the Selecuid (Seleucus') monarch
Antiochus II Theos(King of the North)- following an AGREEMENT with the king of
the south to divorce his current wife and give all succession to the daughter of
the South's children.
That's not all of
it though. The verse goes on-- '
but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his
arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat
her, and he that strengthened her in these times. '
The daughter
would NOT retain power- they would not stand- they would be given up that
brought her and begat her and strengethened her- read this….
'In 246 BC, when
Ptolemy died, Antiochus II took up again with his first wife, Laodice. The
Syrian King died shortly after, many suspect from poisoning. Queen Berenice
claimed the Regency for her son, Seleucus and conquered Soloia with her army,
however, she and her son were both poisoned by Laodice as well. Berenice's
brother, Ptolemy III Euergetes succeeded their father and set about to avenge
his sister's murder by invading Syria and having Laodice killed.'
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berenice_(Seleucid_queen)>
The daughter of
the king of the South did NOT stay in power with the king of the North- the king
of the North brought back his first wife. Then the king of the North died and
the first wife claimed everything for her son- even going on to kill the
daughter of the king of the South and her children, and her entire entourage
that had come with her from the South. Such treachery and all predicted by
Daniel's prophecies, God's prophecies through Daniel.
Let's read more
of this fascinating history predicted LONG before it occurred.
Dan 11:7 But out of a branch of her roots shall
one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into
the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall
prevail:
Dan 11:8 And shall also carry captives into
Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver
and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north.
Dan 11:9 So the king of the south shall come
into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.
Out from the
fallen daughter of the king of the South (Berenice) came her family to avenge
her. Just reread a bit of the history already noted above--
'Berenice's
brother, Ptolemy III Euergetes succeeded their father and set about to avenge
his sister's murder by invading Syria and having Laodice killed.'
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berenice_(Seleucid_queen)>
Berenice's
brother - King of the South avenged the death of his sister and
the murdering Laodice was killed.
'Due to a falling
out at the Seleucid court, his eldest sister Berenice Phernophorus was murdered
along with her infant son. In response Ptolemy III invaded Syria.[6] During this
war, the Third Syrian War, he occupied Antioch and even reached Babylon.[7] In
exchange for a peace in 241 BC, Ptolemy was awarded new territories on the
northern coast of Syria, including Seleucia Pieria, the port of Antioch. The
Ptolemaic kingdom reached the height of its power.'
Pasted
from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_III_Euergetes>
The king of the
South went into the kingdom of the North and he gained much- 'awarded new
territories' , the kingdoms of the South reached the HEIGHT of its power.
Amazing facts!
Amazing truths! Amazing history! Amazing prophecies!
There is no doubt
to be left here, the pieces once again fit into place.
Why is it so
important that we piece together the prophecy with history? Because it will lead
us right up to the end… to prophecy not yet filled.
We have to
remember though, and remember it good- there will come a time when God's people
will be living in the last prophecies, they will, or maybe I should say -we
will, be living as prophecy is being fulfilled. We are blessed with being able
to watch and pray. We are blessed with being able to discern the signs of the
times we live in. All through
history people had to live through prophecies as they were fulfilled- and only
as we've looked back can we see where things have come to pass as predicted, but
at the end there will be no looking back. It's so important for us to piece this
together as God allows, as the Holy Spirit guides us so we can understand our
own position in prophetic time.
By the grace of
God we will understand more and more of His truth and all the truth we need to
be prepared for Him fully, known by Him,
all in His amazing LOVE!
More tomorrow by
God's amazing grace!
Amen.