February 26, 2023: Bible Prophecy Update -- The Only Way Any of This Makes Any Sense

Bible Prophecy Updates & Bible Sermons Bible Prophecy Updates
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@Stephmerm
That is a good article Steph.
Exerpts:
The Eucharist is the supreme means of theosis , since it is the sacrament through which people become the body of Christ, actualising their union with the Head of the church.
Thus through the Eucharist we undergo union with Christ or deification.In addition to the sacraments, the other means by which the Holy Spirit deifies people is human effort.
n life is the reception of the Holy Spirit, which divinizes people. Prayer, fasting, and other works are not the purpose of life, but they are the ‘necessary means for the achievement of the purpose’.
It should be clear that in the Eastern understanding of salvation, the emphasis lies on the process of becoming united to God through deification.
To the Orthodox, the process of sanctification or deification is the means to the ultimate goal of union with God.
Orthodox theology affirms the continuation of progress in deification after a person’s death.

That is mysticism and the same as all the other mystic religions
and New Age.
They use a lot of “explanation” to try and repaint the actual mystic, gnostic, occult
thing that it actually is.

Mystery religion teaches an empying of the mind, steps and practices such as
Contemplative Prayer, Meditation, experiencesetc. to achieve Union with God
within them. They become deified as God is.
This is also Awakening to the Divine within.

That is the same that Asbury College is doing with their Spiritual
Transformation journey.

I do understand your concern for your husband and I am so happy that
you left that. I know that must have been hard when your loved ones
stay in it.

Thanks I always enjoy learning more about different religions.

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:person_raising_hand: former in person attendee, but now online and annual visitor in person (i’m not sure what i am at this point) :laughing:

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Thanks Susan. tt must be quite a community of believers. On the recent interview Pastor JD did, they were all so relaxed and Pastor JD would talk to some in the congregation on the side. Like a fireside chat vibe. Getting to know a pastor like that up close and personal must be quite a blessing. I was in a mega-church most of my life and did not really have small community interaction. Although I would admit my church knew how to turn big church into a small (even island-like) community…its not exactly the same though. Any special moments you recall while there that might fit within the parameters of the context of this thread?

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Hi Teren - It is exactly what you see online and more. The island vibe is relaxed - Hawaii people are never rushed and therefore we are always late - “we are on island time.” Whenever I am back home at CCK, I am home. You know that sense and I miss it badly. Pastor JD and all the other Pastors at CCK are very welcoming and are always available to chat with you.

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Not in a way that changed the meaning but that made past explanations click and deeper understanding of those verses based on the context.

Exactly. I know that is because the Holy Spirit is responding to my plea for a deeper understanding of His word.

I appreciate you, Stephanie. We have been with this forum from the beginning and have learned so much from the wonderful brothers and sisters who share their knowledge and wisdom. You are a great contributor. Please dont feel that you have to apologize for that dear sis.

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Glad to have a new sister in the Lord, Michelle. Welcome!!

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I couldn’t resist….

Accounting for all our spiritual brothers and sisters, I’d just change the person “ dad” with small d , to Dad, capital D as we are all siblings in HIS family :grin:
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I was of the impression that this forum was believers. I am surprised to have to explain spiritual destiny…my spirit is going somewhere…as a believer in Jesus I believe that destiny is eternal life with Him in eternity. I also believe He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide and council us when we are saved (just in case…saved means accepting Jesus as savior and the only way into heaven) therefore, to me, the vehicle that makes a person aware of their need for salvation is secondary. Surely the Holy Spirit was sent to lead each of us into deeper relationship. Therefore my primary concern to see people come to Jesus and not what prompted them. It seems to me that we are all told to seek and we will find…Isn’t it incumbant on Him what we find if we are seeking Him ?
What can be difficult about " if they aren’t against us " ? If Jesus Himself didn’t see fit to rush over to the ones casting out demons and straighten them out, maybe we need to be more careful about our judgement of things we don’t always readily understand, I believe Paul also said He causes all things to work together for good. I’m just thinking we need to be careful in our over zealousness to correct that we don’t hinder a new Christian with our expert knowledge.

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Please don’t shoot the messenger… just sharing a recent upload by Good Fight Ministries on Lonnie Frisbee

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I believe what @anon74937514 is referring to is: “If a place of worship, while preaching the gospel, is permitting people being slain in the spirit or babbling during a worship service, some people (during that service) might “get saved” in hearing the gospel…but that kind of service might also be sending other signals or sentiments not of God as well.”

In that context, Judith, I believe Stephenie is using the “get saved” at once sense actively. Like "Many people who came to that worship encounter were getting or being saved. Not that at that time they only got saved in part. Rather the focus of the sentence was on a general activity going on. Like “Many people were at the store the other day buying gifts.” Does “buying” infer that they did not buy the gift? Or that they are still at the store buying the gift? Or that they are continually in buying mode? I believe it is just an expression constructed in grammar Stephenie chose to frame an active event with various things going on simultaneously. Blessings.

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Ok i could be wrong here…but just for fun (and likely Casey is genuinely asking) I do find it a bit ironic that she is kind of asking of you Judith the same level of clarity you would of Stephanie in “being saved.” In part perhaps it is irony…if not I guess I’m highlighting it currently.

In general Judith, I understand where you are coming from. I came out the discernment ministries that were picking everything apart. They themselves seemed to have also needed this be done to themselves too.

I am of the garden variety Christian that believes that part of the deception today is how believers can tend to overly stress their senses of discernment. To an extent, there is a potential there to rely on sight, or possible bias, or the flesh. I have certainly seen it in the big discernment ministries…so I know it is a thing. In a way, I reckon, I respect your desire to push back. I actually think that kind of biblical conscience is helpful within the body of Christ this late hour in our journey.

However, I would also like to encourage that even though we have differences (and I have HUGE differences with much of the watcher community), and even though we may perceive others coming to conclusions that don’t seem to line up, I have (very imperfectly) come to appreciate that getting to understand the true heart of where others are coming from that we disagree with is every bit as important as our own convictions. Because those believers are also for whom Christ died, and the least of these in God’s protective holy jealousy.

Sometimes in our zeal, we can tend to (at least I have seen this in the greater polemic world) strawman others placing them into Halloween devil’s costumes. I guess what I do when my perspectives get that clouded is offer them candy as though they came to my door trick or treating, Well of course I mean this metaphorically. I have some significantly different convictions than Stephanie and Casey. But their concerns have value too.

I believe that it is possibly within the striving in Christ’s love to understand each other better, the sanctity of our own convictions fortifies. For in those contexts, our convictions express to and within our hearts their truest dimension and value–because even though we find dispersion about, increasing charity in our conversation also honors existing scripture as well. Such as 2 Peter. Since God has granted to us His magnificent promises, we are provided a list in 2 Peter 1 by which to apply
“all diligence” too.

And even though, as I have seen of late, that the posture on discernment is to be assertively far more diligent now, those thoughts formed within our hearts are not in a vacuum as though the rest of scripture would be suspended. For at the end of the 2 Peter list we find: 2:7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. Interesting that within that list in 2 Peter the flowered maturity climaxes into verse 7. When I ponder that, the following verse 8:

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ

…seems to suggest that as we live and move and have our being in the 2 Peter 1 list, we find our convictions not confused or perverted, but rather preserved in the true knowledge of Christ. Perhaps it would seem counterintuitive but seemingly scriptural nonetheless me thinks.

Blessings.

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Thanks @anon74937514 this is a very in-depth great explanation with research , its very easy to follow and understand Glory to God

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Thanks Teren

I’ll renig on my initial choice to not respond but …
@sojourner2 this forum is absolutely made up of believers. While we differ in many secondary issues, we all believe the Bible when it says we are saved by faith alone and not by works.
Everyone has a spiritual destiny. If one is saved by accepting Christ no matter where they encountered him, their destiny is heaven and if one is not saved having rejected Christ, their spiritual destiny is hell.
If you are saved no matter the circumstances, you remain saved and are secure in your future home with the Faithful Savior.

No one is saying God can not reach people in certain places or because of certain circumstances. He can turn a lost soul to him whenever and wherever because the Holy Spirit is not bound by the physical.

Jesus ate and socialized with sinners, he cast out demons but he first and foremost made sure he pointed out their sin and/ or unbelief. After one is saved, he doesn’t advocate that a person continue in the path they were on.

Discernment is not equivalent to judging nor is sharing with others what are red flags when held up to biblical truth not a lack of understanding.
To the contrary , it is understanding. It’s understanding that there are doctrines , wolves in sheets clothing and as the Bible says damnable heresies to be in the lookout for.

YES, A new Christian is at risk for being overloaded with too much information all at once. It’s the “ give them milk until they’re ready for meat “. However, it is not a misplaced zealousness of so called experts who warn even new converts of all the deception taking place.
In fact, to not mention it to them is doing a great disservice to their thirsty soul as they usually want to learn more about Christ, the Bible and their new walk in Christ.

No one is pushing that we hit babes in Christ over the head with anything but it is necessary for more mature Christians to give some guidance so they DO NOT end up entrapped in teachings such as the NAR , WOF, the New Age / Mystic garbage or even cult type mentalities.

God does work all things out for good but that doesn’t negate that we just “ live and let live”.

If I see a person headed towards a cliff and they’re about to fall over it I’m not going to
think “ oh , I guess God will work that out if they fall off”. I’m going to try to stop them .

The same is true fur a “ spiritual cliff”. If I see a new Christian ( or even one who’s been saved awhile ) headed towards a cliff of wrong doctrines, untruths or sketchy teachings, I’m going to try to explain the danger so they do not end up off a cliff that leads to spiritual damage.

No one on this forum has ever claimed to be experts but it is clear the Holy Spirit gives discernment, more to some than others , and as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it is to be used to help others. Many on this forum have been blessed with this gift. Are any always 100% right? Of course not but that’s where their input is to be filtered through scripture and researched to see if they’re being biblical.

The “ vehicle “ is not the issue, it’s the road the person is subsequently driving down after they get in the vehicle. God didn’t leave us clueless on what is a truth and what is not a truth.

Scripture is a guideline for the Christian life including warnings of what to be on alert for so we are not deceived by false Christs, false ways of salvation, religious brouhaha masquerading as Christian concepts and man made teachings or traditions so we can stay on the correct path.

Not lovingly advising our fellow brothers and sisters, new to the faith or not , opens the possibility for them ( and ourselves) to wander off that path.

Remaining silent rightfully puts some responsibility of guilt onto the person that could’ve said something to protect a fellow Christian but who chose instead to let God handle it. If the person decides to not listen then so be it, but they are then with the full responsibility of consequences.

We are the body of Christ and we are called to help each other out so that the body and all its parts can remain as healthy as possible.

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Amen and perfectly simply stated :pray: :raised_hands:

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In agreement, Stephmerm. You nailed it! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Here is a link I followed from the Update Pastor JD gave. I am amazed and thankful that this is also how I understood what I was seeing being played out.

Even so a but GOD intervention?
God Turning Water Into Wine!!! :heart_on_fire:

It’s concerning, however, that so many of us are seemingly bored by ordinary worship at a local church that produces extraordinary change in one soul.

I say most western people especially youth have been programed to need emotional responses 1st and above all else and we haven’t even seen 6G yet!

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I am finding this to be a very balanced discussion and presentation in this video. Thank you, Stephanie.

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Actually Steph @anon74937514, I’m thinking that The Blood (of Christ) IS what makes us family. Not disagreeing, just adding a different pov.

Really like these memes. The first one cracked me up.
:heart:gr

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Great article!