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The heaven of heavens .
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Sep 8, 2009 4:40 am
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Which heaven did they ascend to ?
Question :
it was said about Enoch that he ascended to heaven
( Gen.5:24) ,
and the same was said about Elijah the prophet
( 2 Kgs.2:11).
St. Paul the Apostle also said that he was caught up to the third heaven , whether in the body or out of the body, he did not know
( 2 Co.12:2)
How then did our Lord Jesus Christ say to Nicodemus ,
" No one has ascended into heaven but He who came down from heaven , that is the Son of Man who is in in heaven "
( Jn.3:13) ?
Did not Enoch and Elijah ascended to heaven ?
Also what is the third heaven ? and how many heavens are there in the Bible ?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The heaven that the Lord descended from and again ascended to is not the same heaven that Enoch and Elijah ascended to ...........
The heavens that the Bible has mentioned are :
1. The heaven of the birds.
2. The heaven of the stars (the sun & moon ), the Firmament.
3. The third heaven or Paradise .
4. The heaven of heavens where the throne of God is...
it is above and beyond all the previously mentioned heavens. It is the heaven about which the Lord said ,
" No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is , the Son of Man who is in heaven."
The third heaven , is Paradise.....
+ That was the heaven that St. Paul ascended to, and said about himself , " Such a one was caught up to the third heaven........he was caught up into paradise "
( 2 Cor.12:2-4)
+ it is the same heaven about which the Lord said to Demas
( the thief on His right :
" You will be with Me in Paradise "
( Lk.23:43)
+ It is the same place to which the Lord relocated the spirits of the righteous people of the Old Testament , who waited on the hope of Salvation and to which the spirits of the righteous ascend now..........till the day of resurrection when all will be moved to the Heavenly Jerusalem ( Rev.21)
The heaven of heavens :
+ It is the heaven where the throne of God is..........
The Psalmist said about it , " The Lord's throne is in heaven "
( Ps. 11:4 , 103:19)
And he said also , " Praise Him , you heavens of heavens "
( Ps.148:4 )
+ This is the heaven about which the Lord said ," No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven , the Son of Man who is in heaven.
( Jn.3:13 ).
It is the heaven to which no human has ever ascended.
+ The Lord commanded us not to swear by heaven , for it is God's throne
( Mt.5:34)
This is what is mentioned in ( isaiah 66:1)
and what St. Stephen also saw during his stoning ;
" I saw the heavens opened and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God "
( Acts 7:55,56)
+ All the heavens that humans have reached , are nothing compared to the heaven of heavens . For this reason , it was said about our Lord :
" Has passed through the heavens "
( Heb.4:14 ) ,
" And has become higher than the heavens "
( Heb.7:26)
+ Solomon the Wise mentioned the heaven of heavens on the day he consecrated the temple.
He said to the Lord in his prayer , " Behold , heaven and the heaven of heavens can not contain You "
( 1 Kgs 8:27)
+ The heaven of heavens , no human has ascended to. The Lord alone came down from it and again ascended to it.
Proverbs say :
" Who has ascended into heaven , or descended ?......What is His name , and what is His Son's name , if you know ? "
( Proverbs 30:4 )
Blessings
Sicowin
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Who is the Shepherd ?!
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Sep 6, 2009 12:06 pm
Mood: cheerful,
224 Views
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God is the Shepherd.
Undoubtedly He is the True Good Shepherd as he says in the Gospel :
+ " I am the good Shepherd .The good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. "
( Jn.10:11 )
+ " I am the good Shepherd ; and I know My sheep , and am known by My own "
( Jn.10:14 )
+ " My sheep hear hear My voice , and I know them , and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life , and they shall never perish , neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand
" ( Jn.10:27 )
+ In ( Lk.15 ) The Lord gives the parable of of the lost sheep , and speaks about Himself as the Good Shepherd who went after it and when He has found it , He laid it on His shoulders, rejoicing , and He calls the friends and neighbours to rejoice with Him.
+ As ( Jn.10 ) is known as the Gospel of the Shepherd ,
( Ps.22,23 ) is known as the Psalm of the Shepherd , besides many other psalms speaking about God the Shepherd.
David chants , saying ,
" The Lord is My Shepherd , I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures , He leads me besides the still waters .He restores my soul ,He leads me in the path of righteousness........
Your rod and Your staff , they comfort me "
The Song of Songs , likewise , presents God as the Shepherd .
The human soul talks to Him , saying ,
" Tell me , O You whom I love , where You feed your flock, where You make it rest at noon "
" My beloved is Mine , and I am His , He feeds His flock among the lilies "
" My beloved has gone .....to feed His flock in the garden "
( Song 1 ; 2:16 ; 6:2,3 )
Also in the Old Testament God spoke about Himself as the Shepherd.
That was in the very impressive and evelasting phrase in the chapter of the Shepherd ( Ezek.34:15,16 )
" I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down .....I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away , build up the broken and strengthen what was sick "
And also ,
" I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out .....and deliver them in good pasture... they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture.....I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep......I will save My flock , and they shall no longer be a prey "
( Ezek.34 )
I recommend all our beloved members of the group to read the chapter.
Now , since God is the Shepherd , How could be human shepherd ?
And If God is the Shepherd, how were some called , even by God Himself , shepherds ?
Any Comment ? Reply ?
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What can we deduce from this ?!
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Sep 5, 2009 10:40 am
232 Views
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Who is the Savior and Redeemer ?
a) God is the Savior and the Redeemer.He alone redeems and saves .
The Bible confirms this explicity :
" Thus says the Lord , the King of Israel , and His Redeemer , the Lord of hosts ; ' I am the First and I am the the Last , besides Me there is no God "
( Isa.44:6 )
" As for our Redeemer , the Lord of hosts is His name , the Holy One of Israel "
( Isa.47:4 )
" I , the Lord , am your Savior , and Your Redeemer , the Mighty One of Jacob "
( Isa.60:16 )
b) Christ Jesus is the Savior and the Redeemer of the World :
The angel at the Annunciation said that He would be called Jesus ,
" for He will save His people from their sins "
( Mt.1:21 )
His salvation is not confined to His people , for He said ,
" For I did not come to judge the world but to save the world " ( Jn.12:47 )
It is also said of Him ,
" this is indeed the Christ , the Savior of the world "
( Jn.4:42 )
And He said about Himself that He
" has come to save that which was lost "
( Mt.18:11 ) ; ( Lk.19:10 )
" Christ has come to save us from the curse of the Law "
( Gal.3:13 )
Christ has offered Perfect eternal salvation :
The apostle said that Christ as High Priest ,
" is also able to save to the uttermost "
( Heb.7:25 )
He also says ,
" How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation .....? "
( Heb.2:3 )
Christ alone is the Savior :
St. Peter said in this regard ,
" Nor is there salvation in any other "
( Acts 4:12 )
What can we deduce from all this ?
Any answer from our beloved ADA members !
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His authority over the Law .
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Sep 3, 2009 1:36 pm
205 Views
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Christ's authority over the Law .
a) The Law is God's Law , and the commandments are God's commandments :
God gave the Law from the beginning and hand it to Moses the prophet
( Ex.20)
b) However , the Lord Christ gave us the Law of perfection of the New Testament :
He gave us the Law in the Serom on the Mount , in the Commandment to His disciples
" A new commandment I give to you.... "
( Jn.13:34)
and in all His spiritual teaching He left about which it was said ,
" He taught them as one having authority , and not as the scribes "
( Mt.7:29)
The Lord Christ had His own view regarding the Law of the Old Testament:
That appears clearly in His wonderful strong words which He repeated many times in the Sermon on the Mount ,
" You have heared that it was said to those of old...... But I say to you ...."
( Mt.5:22,28,32,34,44)
No one can ever have such authority over God's Law except God alone.
The Lord Christ has also the power of legislation :
- With regard to the Sabbath :
He declared that doing good is allowed on that day.
- with regard to the tithes :
He taught us that the tithes are the least offering and should be observed with the commandment ,
" Give to him who asks you "
( Mt.5:42)
- with regard to monogamy and divorce  Mt.5:32)
The time is lacking to mention all the other laws of Christianity laid down by the Lord Jesus Christ representing perfection.
- Perhaps the most powerful expression about Christ's authority over legislation is that said by the Lord Himself regarding the Sabbath :
" For the Son of Man is Lord even of Sabbath "
( Mt.12:
Since Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath , and the Sabbath is the Lord's Day , then Christ is God.
No man has ever dared to speak in such a way about the Law , saying , " But I say to you."
Even Moses and the prophets used the words ,
" says the Lord ".......
Jesus Christ could not have spoken with such authority " But I say to you " unless He is God
Blessings
Sicowin2
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He who has ears.
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Sep 1, 2009 4:55 pm
172 Views
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He who has ears
The Lord Christ said ,
" He who has ears to hear , let him hear "
( Mt.13:34 )
..................that is because some have ears , yet they do not hear.
About those the Lord said ,
" because seeing they do not see , and hearing they do not hear , nor do they understand "
( Mt.13:13 )
For in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled , which says ,
" For the hearts of this people have grown dull.Their ears are hard of hearing "
(Is.6:10 ; Mt.13:15 )
How beautiful are the Lord's words to His chaste and holy disciples ,
" But blessed are your ears for they hear "
( Mt.13:16 )
It is the ear that hears through a heart full of faith , love and humbleness , that does not oppose or resist , and does not stick to human wisdom or private opinion.
Whereas the opposite kind of heart rejects any advice or word , that is to say , has ears but not for hearing.
Sicowin2
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The best way of gathering the tares .....!
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Aug 25, 2009 9:46 am
260 Views
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The Wheat and the Tares.
Your job is not to pull up the tares , but to grow as wheat.
When the wheat harvester comes , He will find the ears of you wheat full, and will gather thirty and sixty and a hundred till his barnes are filled with wheat.
The Lord Jesus Christ never wasted His time in resisting faults.......
He did not spend the period of His incarnation on earth struggling with those at fault or with problems of society and church.
He took care of building , laying new principles and preparing people to believe in them and spread them everywhere.
Brother , It is waste of energy to be absorbed in gathering up the tares !!
The devil is ready to occupy you all the time with various problems and offers you endless mistakes about changing mind !
The devil main aim is to distract you from building yourself and building the kingdom of heaven , by fighting these mistakes .
By pulling the tares , you may lose your inner peace and probably your peace with people too, as you are going to live in struggle.
Therefore you will lose your quietness and serenity and perhaps your meekness as well. This may lead you to cruelty of the heart...............
You will always judge those who are wrong , revolting against their mistakes and changing their minds ! , taking the excuse of pulling up the tares from them.
So while you are gathering up the tares from others , you will probably pull the wheat that in you.
People will look and see you like the tares in everything... !!
Few are those who could pick the tares and , at the same time keep their wheat.
Therefore , it is good that God prevented His children from pulling up the tares for fear of picking the wheat too.
The best way of gathering the tares is by setting a good example to overcome them.
And as the wiseman said ,
" Instead of cursing the darkness , light a candle."
Sicowin2
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The Son.
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Aug 2, 2009 5:15 am
305 Views
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The Lord Christ proclaims Himself .
The Lord mentions the word "Son" to signify His divinity , as in the following examples :
1. In His argument with the Jews the Lord said about Himself ,
" Therefore , if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed "
( Jn.8:36 )
This freedom no doubt , means salvation or deliverance from the bondage of sin and Satan , which is confined to the Son.
2. The Lord says ,
" He who believes in the Son has everlasting life , and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life , but the wrath of God abides on him "
( Jn.3:36 )
Here the Lord requires us to believe in Him. But let us handle this subject in detail :
+ In many passages the Lord repeated the words
" Believe in Me "
which is a proof of His divinity.
Suffice that He connects between believing in Him and eternal life , making the former a condition for attaining the Latter .
The same is repeated in ( Jn.6:40 ) ,
" Everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life , and I will raise him up at the last day "
St. John quotes these words in his first epistle saying ,
" And this is the testimony : that God has given us eternal life , he who does not have the Son of God does not have life "
( 1 Jn.5:11,12 )
Have a blessed Sunday
God bless you
Sicowin2
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Peace of the heart.
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Jul 31, 2009 2:31 pm
296 Views
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Peace of the heart .
Peace of the heart is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit dwells in one's heart , it gives peace to this heart , as the Apostle sys ,
" and the Peace of God that surpasses all understanding.... "
( Phil.4 )
Peace was a gift from the Lord Jesus to the people , as He said , " Peace I leave you , peace I give you "
( Jn.14:27 )
The one who is full of peace does not get troubled , or worried or disturbed , no matter how much pressure is on him from the outside.
His peace does not depend on the outer circumstances but on the confidence in God's protection and care and his faith in God's promises.
As long as the Lord exists , works and protects , there is no need to fear .
For this reason the prophet David said , " Yea, though I walk through the shadow of death , I will fear no evil , for You are with me . Your rod and and Your staff they comfort me " (Ps.23:4 )
His source of peace is his feeling that God is with him.
The disciples were troubled when they were in the boat and they thought that the Lord was asleep , while the sea was high.
They lost their peace.
This prevailing factor was the outer circumistances and the feeling that God's work was not there.
Therefore , the Lord arose and rebuked the wind and restored their peace to them.
Be firm inside , steadfast in your faith , then nothing from outside will shake you.
The one who is full of peace could flow over to others granting them comfort ..........
Live in peace , you will be comforted and live in confidence and calm , in good health , both spiritually and physically.
We do pray for the world peace and tolerance.
Wish you have had a peaceful and blessed week-end.
May His Peace and grace be with you all.
Sicowin
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Peace of the heart.
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Jul 31, 2009 2:28 pm
250 Views
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Peace of the heart .
Peace of the heart is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit dwells in one's heart , it gives peace to this heart , as the Apostle sys ,
" and the Peace of God that surpasses all understanding.... "
( Phil.4 )
Peace was a gift from the Lord Jesus to the people , as He said , " Peace I leave you , peace I give you "
( Jn.14:27 )
The one who is full of peace does not get troubled , or worried or disturbed , no matter how much pressure is on him from the outside.
His peace does not depend on the outer circumstances but on the confidence in God's protection and care and his faith in God's promises.
As long as the Lord exists , works and protects , there is no need to fear . For this reason the prophet David said , " Yea, though I walk through the shadow of death , I will fear no evil , for You are with me . Your rod and and Your staff they comfort me " (Ps.23:4 )
His source of peace is his feeling that God is with him.
The disciples were troubled when they were in the boat and they thought that the Lord was asleep , while the sea was high. They lost their peace.
This prevailing factor was the outer circumistances and the feeling that God's work was not there.
Therefore , the Lord arose and rebuked the wind and restored their peace to them.
Be firm inside , steadfast in your faith , then nothing from outside will shake you.
The one who is full of peace could flow over to others granting them comfort ..........
Live in peace , you will be comforted and live in confidence and calm , in good health , both spiritually and physically.
We do pray for the world peace and tolerance.
Wish you have had a peaceful New Year eve.
May His Peace and grace be with you all.
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Could it be contradicting the the teaching of the Bible ?!
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Jul 30, 2009 12:22 pm
332 Views
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Could it be contradicting the teaching of the Gospel ?
If the church got involved in the field of social service , will this be interfering in the State's scope of work , and thus it will lose its spiritual function ?
Could it by this be contradicting what the Lord Jesus Christ said " My kingdom is not of this world ?
Or contradicting the teaching of the Bible ?
Any comment ? Opinion ?
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