This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Blog postings occur at 6 P.M. each day following the day they have been written. The Daily Studies are available a full day earlier by signing up on the Daily Bible Study Mailing List (optional of course).
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1 Thessalonians 3:4
4 For [gar] verily, [kai] when [hote] we were [en] with [pros] you, [humas] we told [prolego] you [humin] before [prolego] that [hoti] we should [mello] suffer tribulation; [thlibo] even [kai] as [kathos] it came to pass, [ginomai] and [kai] ye know. [eido] KJV-Interlinear
4 For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.
NASB
When Paul was with the Thessalonians, he no doubt touched on many subjects during his teaching. Persecution was one of them, as he states here.
It should be no surprise that there will be trials and persecutions in everyones life, on this earth. To expect otherwise, would be unreasonable.
This is the devils world, and as such, things will never go perfectly well all of the time.
And though we all hope and pray that the tough times will somehow pass us by, maybe if we close our eyes then suffering will not notice us, but such luck doesn’t happen that way.
And when you think about it, if everything was rosy all of the time, then we might just ignore God and His grace, and certainly we would have no experiences that help us learn of Gods love, of His grace, of his strength and care for us.
Often times, it is the suffering and aggravations of life that help us learn. Suffering is probably one of the best instructors for life. And certainly, suffering to the maximums, is the best way, and perhaps the only way, for growing our faith in Gods care.
When you ignore God, as an unbeliever, the tough times are there in order to get your attention directed toward God and salvation. When you ignore God as a believer, then the tough times are there in order to get your attention directed toward doctrine and your spiritual life.
Unbelief means the Lake of Fire and salvation is your ticket to a life that is infinitely better than the Lake of Fire.
Spiritual immaturity means lack of blessings, and spiritual growth to maturity is your ticket to blessings that are infinitely better than no blessings.
Once you are saved, your life is just beginning. You have a long way to go in your spiritual life, and learning in a classroom environment is much easier than learning doctrine when your life is falling apart.
Have you ever known of someone who rejected their education when they were young, and getting the education was right there for the taking? And then when they got older, had kids, and bills and such, then getting that education was more difficult if not impossible. So they are struck with a lesser paying life, when they might have been prepared for a better paying life. Then throw a tough economic environment in to their life and things just get harder.
So it is with your spiritual life. Learn when it is easy to learn, because the though times will come sooner or later.
God tests the soul and often times that test comes through life’s experiences. Daniel and his friends were thrown into the lion’s den or into the fire. That was an execution attempt on their life. Tests can’t get much tougher than that. Or can they.
How about losing your family, or your job, or your business, or your home? And you still have to continue in life, with no precise opponent to hide from, but surrounded by the economy, or society in general, and the unknown for your future.
God does not lean down as he did with the prophets and tell you what to do. You have only Bible doctrine which you have learned, your patience, and your reasoning thoughts. So you think and think and think, and you make decisions, and some are good ones and some are not. But one decision or thought follows another and sooner or later, God leads you to where you need to be, or God leads circumstances to your needs.
Everyone is different. No two of us are alike. But God has solutions for your life, no matter what your situation.
You just have to keep your wits, keep your doctrine, and wait. That is really the toughest part of the spiritual life.
That does not mean doing nothing. Common sense and responsibility are a big part of your spiritual life.
If you are hurt, you go to the doctor. If you are in need of some type of help, you seek out an expert. If you need work, you go looking for a job.
Sitting back and doing nothing, and praying for God to do something for you is usually the wrong thing (the doing nothing part). God has most likely already done what you need, you just have to get off your backside and go find it.
But remember, this life is not going to be a perfect life. Don’t expect perfection. Things are going to go wrong and you are going to get your nose bent out of shape from time to time.
And when persecution comes your way, then thank God for it, knowing that He will never abandon you nor forsake you, and your life will be all the better for it. Just don’t you abandon God and therefore fail in your greatest opportunity (testing). The blessings of passing spiritual tests are well worth the small sacrifices that tests bring.
The sum total of your life is not wrapped up in this world anyway. You started the race when you were saved, don’t quit it. Because when your life finally ends (and it will one day), you will be extremely glad that you stuck it out, realizing that the tests of this life really amount to little more than nothing, when compared to eternity.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
1 Thessalonians 3:1-3
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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Blog postings occur at 6 P.M. each day following the day they have been written. The Daily Studies are available a full day earlier by signing up on the Daily Bible Study Mailing List (optional of course).
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1 Thessalonians 3:1-3
1 Wherefore [dio] when we could [stego] no longer [meketi] forbear, [stego] we thought it good [eudokeo] to be left [kataleipo] at [en] Athens [Athenai] alone; [monos]
2 And [kai] sent [pempo] Timotheus, [Timotheos] our [hemon] brother, [adelphos] and [kai] minister [diakonos] of God, [theos] and [kai] our [hemon] fellowlabourer [sunergos] in [en] the gospel [euaggelion] of Christ, [Christos] to [eis] establish [sterizo] you, [humas] and [kai] to comfort [parakaleo] you [humas] concerning [peri] your [humon] faith: [pistis]
3 That no man [medeis] should be moved [saino] by [en] these [tautais] afflictions: [thlipsis] for [gar] yourselves [autos] know [eido] that [hoti] we are appointed [keimai] thereunto [eis]. [touto] KJV-Interlinear
1 Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone; 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, 3 so that no man may be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. NASB
The history of Pauls travels and experiences in Thessalonica, Athens and Corinth are found in Acts 17-18.
When driven out of Thessalonica, he made his way to Athens and then to Corinth. But while in Athens, Paul deeply desired to return to the Thessalonians, but was prevented because of apparent threats on his life. Which threats are not detailed, but the persecutions had to have been of a major magnitude that would prevent Paul from returning.
And, even though we do not know the details of his persecutions, they were not apparently intended for Timothy or Silas or others as they seemed to travel back and forth reasonably freely and without threat.
In Acts 18 we know that Paul received a communication from God, reassuring him about his life, and to keep on speaking the gospel and doctrine, as he was.
So from these events, we can reasonably assume that the threats were very real, and very dangerous, and that they concerned Paul greatly. And, that everyone back then, was aware of them and other folks in general had great concerns for Pauls welfare. Paul herein reassures folks to not worry about him, but that his life was destined for these things.
These things obviously being the teaching of the gospel, of doctrine, of writing doctrine, which we are enjoying today, and that the threats against him were also a part of his destiny, and included in Gods plan in detail, for his life.
And with that I would like to make an observation for you.
Your life is not by accident, but was preplanned by God. There is nothing in life that will occur, regarding you, that is by accident or unexpected, but by design.
And even though you will make your own decisions (good ones and bad ones) from day to day, and others in this world will make decisions, which will affect you directly or indirectly, they are all a part of Gods detailed plan for you and all of us.
There are three very important people in your life.
Jesus Christ who died to save your soul, the soldier who died to save your freedom, and the believer who died to this world to preserve Gods blessing for your life.
Believers who are advancing in their spiritual life will encounter many persecutions. They will encounter pressures from their own wants and needs, pressures from other people, pressures from the bureaucracies of the world, and pressures from the many environmental or physical or nature related events and circumstances.
They will be unknown, unheralded, and easily forgotten.
But their purpose in this world is to glorify God, through their pursuit of, and obedience to, Bible doctrine, and through their endurance of the many unfair circumstances that exist in the world.
No matter who you are, or what you know, or what you have accomplished in your life, none of it would have been possible were it not for these three individuals (Christ, soldiers, and positive believers), who have gone before you and paved the way through Gods grace, for your life.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Blog postings occur at 6 P.M. each day following the day they have been written. The Daily Studies are available a full day earlier by signing up on the Daily Bible Study Mailing List (optional of course).
To allow the Daily Bible Study to come to you via e-mail every day, and also offer your support for the study, then please consider signing up on the:
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1 Thessalonians 3:1-3
1 Wherefore [dio] when we could [stego] no longer [meketi] forbear, [stego] we thought it good [eudokeo] to be left [kataleipo] at [en] Athens [Athenai] alone; [monos]
2 And [kai] sent [pempo] Timotheus, [Timotheos] our [hemon] brother, [adelphos] and [kai] minister [diakonos] of God, [theos] and [kai] our [hemon] fellowlabourer [sunergos] in [en] the gospel [euaggelion] of Christ, [Christos] to [eis] establish [sterizo] you, [humas] and [kai] to comfort [parakaleo] you [humas] concerning [peri] your [humon] faith: [pistis]
3 That no man [medeis] should be moved [saino] by [en] these [tautais] afflictions: [thlipsis] for [gar] yourselves [autos] know [eido] that [hoti] we are appointed [keimai] thereunto [eis]. [touto] KJV-Interlinear
1 Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone; 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, 3 so that no man may be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. NASB
The history of Pauls travels and experiences in Thessalonica, Athens and Corinth are found in Acts 17-18.
When driven out of Thessalonica, he made his way to Athens and then to Corinth. But while in Athens, Paul deeply desired to return to the Thessalonians, but was prevented because of apparent threats on his life. Which threats are not detailed, but the persecutions had to have been of a major magnitude that would prevent Paul from returning.
And, even though we do not know the details of his persecutions, they were not apparently intended for Timothy or Silas or others as they seemed to travel back and forth reasonably freely and without threat.
In Acts 18 we know that Paul received a communication from God, reassuring him about his life, and to keep on speaking the gospel and doctrine, as he was.
So from these events, we can reasonably assume that the threats were very real, and very dangerous, and that they concerned Paul greatly. And, that everyone back then, was aware of them and other folks in general had great concerns for Pauls welfare. Paul herein reassures folks to not worry about him, but that his life was destined for these things.
These things obviously being the teaching of the gospel, of doctrine, of writing doctrine, which we are enjoying today, and that the threats against him were also a part of his destiny, and included in Gods plan in detail, for his life.
And with that I would like to make an observation for you.
Your life is not by accident, but was preplanned by God. There is nothing in life that will occur, regarding you, that is by accident or unexpected, but by design.
And even though you will make your own decisions (good ones and bad ones) from day to day, and others in this world will make decisions, which will affect you directly or indirectly, they are all a part of Gods detailed plan for you and all of us.
There are three very important people in your life.
Jesus Christ who died to save your soul, the soldier who died to save your freedom, and the believer who died to this world to preserve Gods blessing for your life.
Believers who are advancing in their spiritual life will encounter many persecutions. They will encounter pressures from their own wants and needs, pressures from other people, pressures from the bureaucracies of the world, and pressures from the many environmental or physical or nature related events and circumstances.
They will be unknown, unheralded, and easily forgotten.
But their purpose in this world is to glorify God, through their pursuit of, and obedience to, Bible doctrine, and through their endurance of the many unfair circumstances that exist in the world.
No matter who you are, or what you know, or what you have accomplished in your life, none of it would have been possible were it not for these three individuals (Christ, soldiers, and positive believers), who have gone before you and paved the way through Gods grace, for your life.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Blog postings occur at 6 P.M. each day following the day they have been written. The Daily Studies are available a full day earlier by signing up on the Daily Bible Study Mailing List (optional of course).
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1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
19 For [gar] what [tis] is our [hemon] hope, [elpis] or [e] joy, [chara] or [e] crown [stephanos] of rejoicing [kauchesis]? [e] Are not [ouchi] even [kai] ye [humeis] in the presence [emprosthen] of our [hemon] Lord [kurios] Jesus [Iesous] Christ [Christos] at [en] his [autos] coming [parousia]?
20 For [gar] ye [humeis] are [este] our [hemon] glory [doxa] and [kai] joy. [chara] KJV-Interlinear
19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy. NASB
There are two types of glory and fulfillment in life with respect to helping others. There is the self satisfaction you get from your temporal life activities, and there is the self satisfaction you get from your spiritual activities.
In the world most everyone dreams of having an impact on history or on society in some fashion. You can write the greatest book ever, you can act in the greatest movie or stage play ever, or you can be the greatest entertainer ever, or you can be the greatest political or social leader ever, and so forth.
But how many of us will actually have that opportunity? Very few. Probably less than one percent of one percent of one percent (a really small number), will ever attain any notoriety in life. And as many (or as few) will ever have the opportunity to affect the lives of other people, in this temporal world.
In other words, unless you have great talent or great intellect, or something that makes you standout, your chances are next to if not below, nothing.
But then, the great books, the great plays, the great movies, only last for a generation or two and then they fade into some kind of obscurity. What were the great books of the seventh century, or the great plays of the tenth century? Surely there must have been some.
Our memories reach back only a few decades, and perhaps into the last century for great orchestra arrangements, but not much beyond that.
You can have phenomenal talent and become the focus of media attention in this life, but it will not last long. A few decades maybe, but then what will be the long term benefit of your effort? Virtually none.
Paul here points out to us that his ministry has brought him great joy and great hope, not because he has had the opportunity to write letters, but that the people who read them, will benefit spiritually and that benefit will last them forever, and with great blessing.
And that is the impact that is available to everyone, though most do not recognize it.
You do not have the be physically or artistically or mentally talented to have an impact on others, you only have to be positive toward God, Christ, doctrine, and your spiritual life and therefore obedient to Gods mandates for pursuing and functioning in your spiritual life.
One simply spoken word can impact a persons life forever. One simple act of support can impact the lives of many thousands, forever.
You can write books that will entertain, but doctrine gives everyone an opportunity to possess a complete life forever. And that impact goes beyond the infinite.
You do not have to write studies. You do not have to lead studies. You do not have to lecture to crowds. You need only participate in the spiritual functions of life as God has made provision for you.
Your first objective is to advance and grow in your spiritual life. Your second objective, simultaneous with your growth, is your function in life for helping others, for supporting doctrine, for maintaining a positive attitude in doctrine when someone challenges, or questions, or comments about God or life.
To help one person, results in a potentially infinite consequence.
And, just as a famous author will never know the readers of his or her book, so too, any help you do in doctrine, will more than likely benefit others of whom you will never meet or even know about.
But one day, we will all be in heaven, and there, we will be able to meet those of whom we have had an impact on their life, and when you realize that your effect in their life (or lives) has brought them from the Lake of Fire, or brought them to blessings of maturity, of which are infinite blessings whose value is beyond calculation, then your sense of fulfillment and joy will overwhelm you.
That is something that you will only experience then. As for now, you can have only faith in that whatever you do toward helping others, will be directed by God for the greatest benefit and impact on the their lives.
That then is a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment that no book, no movie, no song, no achievement in this life, can match.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Blog postings occur at 6 P.M. each day following the day they have been written. The Daily Studies are available a full day earlier by signing up on the Daily Bible Study Mailing List (optional of course).
To allow the Daily Bible Study to come to you via e-mail every day, and also offer your support for the study, then please consider signing up on the:
Bible Study Mailing List
1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
19 For [gar] what [tis] is our [hemon] hope, [elpis] or [e] joy, [chara] or [e] crown [stephanos] of rejoicing [kauchesis]? [e] Are not [ouchi] even [kai] ye [humeis] in the presence [emprosthen] of our [hemon] Lord [kurios] Jesus [Iesous] Christ [Christos] at [en] his [autos] coming [parousia]?
20 For [gar] ye [humeis] are [este] our [hemon] glory [doxa] and [kai] joy. [chara] KJV-Interlinear
19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy. NASB
There are two types of glory and fulfillment in life with respect to helping others. There is the self satisfaction you get from your temporal life activities, and there is the self satisfaction you get from your spiritual activities.
In the world most everyone dreams of having an impact on history or on society in some fashion. You can write the greatest book ever, you can act in the greatest movie or stage play ever, or you can be the greatest entertainer ever, or you can be the greatest political or social leader ever, and so forth.
But how many of us will actually have that opportunity? Very few. Probably less than one percent of one percent of one percent (a really small number), will ever attain any notoriety in life. And as many (or as few) will ever have the opportunity to affect the lives of other people, in this temporal world.
In other words, unless you have great talent or great intellect, or something that makes you standout, your chances are next to if not below, nothing.
But then, the great books, the great plays, the great movies, only last for a generation or two and then they fade into some kind of obscurity. What were the great books of the seventh century, or the great plays of the tenth century? Surely there must have been some.
Our memories reach back only a few decades, and perhaps into the last century for great orchestra arrangements, but not much beyond that.
You can have phenomenal talent and become the focus of media attention in this life, but it will not last long. A few decades maybe, but then what will be the long term benefit of your effort? Virtually none.
Paul here points out to us that his ministry has brought him great joy and great hope, not because he has had the opportunity to write letters, but that the people who read them, will benefit spiritually and that benefit will last them forever, and with great blessing.
And that is the impact that is available to everyone, though most do not recognize it.
You do not have the be physically or artistically or mentally talented to have an impact on others, you only have to be positive toward God, Christ, doctrine, and your spiritual life and therefore obedient to Gods mandates for pursuing and functioning in your spiritual life.
One simply spoken word can impact a persons life forever. One simple act of support can impact the lives of many thousands, forever.
You can write books that will entertain, but doctrine gives everyone an opportunity to possess a complete life forever. And that impact goes beyond the infinite.
You do not have to write studies. You do not have to lead studies. You do not have to lecture to crowds. You need only participate in the spiritual functions of life as God has made provision for you.
Your first objective is to advance and grow in your spiritual life. Your second objective, simultaneous with your growth, is your function in life for helping others, for supporting doctrine, for maintaining a positive attitude in doctrine when someone challenges, or questions, or comments about God or life.
To help one person, results in a potentially infinite consequence.
And, just as a famous author will never know the readers of his or her book, so too, any help you do in doctrine, will more than likely benefit others of whom you will never meet or even know about.
But one day, we will all be in heaven, and there, we will be able to meet those of whom we have had an impact on their life, and when you realize that your effect in their life (or lives) has brought them from the Lake of Fire, or brought them to blessings of maturity, of which are infinite blessings whose value is beyond calculation, then your sense of fulfillment and joy will overwhelm you.
That is something that you will only experience then. As for now, you can have only faith in that whatever you do toward helping others, will be directed by God for the greatest benefit and impact on the their lives.
That then is a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment that no book, no movie, no song, no achievement in this life, can match.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
1 Thessalonians 2:17-18
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Blog postings occur at 6 P.M. each day following the day they have been written. The Daily Studies are available a full day earlier by signing up on the Daily Bible Study Mailing List (optional of course).
To allow the Daily Bible Study to come to you via e-mail every day, and also offer your support for the study, then please consider signing up on the:
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1 Thessalonians 2:17-18
17 But [de] we, [hemeis] brethren, [adelphos] being taken [aporphanizo] from [apo] you [humon] for [pros] a short [hora] time [kairos] in presence, [prosopon] not [ou] in heart, [kardia] endeavoured [spoudazo] the more abundantly [perissoteros] to see [eido] your [humon] face [prosopon] with [en] great [polus] desire. [epithumia]
18 Wherefore [dio] we would [thelo] have come [erchomai] unto [pros] you, [humas] even [men] I [ego] Paul, [Paulos] once [kai] [hapax] and [kai] again; [dis] but [kai] Satan [Satanas] hindered [egkopto] us. [hemas] KJV-Interlinear
17 But we, brethren, having been bereft of you for a short while — in person, not in spirit — were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. 18 For we wanted to come to you — I, Paul, more than once — and yet Satan thwarted us. NASB
Acts 17 holds the story of the persecution against Paul and his friends, at the hands of the Jews who instigated hate and violence against the Christians. Paul had to leave the area because of the threats against him.
This verse indicates that Paul had been there long enough to establish some very close and meaningful friendships with the folks in Thessalonica. Such that he was bereaved because of their separation from each other when he was forced to leave.
This bereavement, ‘aporphanizo,’ indicates the severe stress that a child feels when he loses a parent. It is an intense and indescribable emotion because of the loss, which is never expected to be restored.
This also indicates the separation that people, who have a relationship with each other by means of doctrine, even though they do not know each other, places a stress in their lives, not because of their acquaintance with each other, but because of the stresses that are common to believers living in this world.
Paul indicates that he could not return, though he deeply desired to return, and the distance between them was not that great as you can see from looking at any map. However, Satan was the primary instigator of prevention.
Paul does not describe Satan’s role, except in general terms.
To that end, all of us live in difficult times as a result of Satan’s actions. And though Satan most probably does not know any of us, we being rather insignificant in this world, our difficulties come into the picture as a result of Satan’s role in interfering in world affairs. Government abuses, economic difficulties, and such are the typical things that cause people hardships.
It is unlikely that any of us will ever have a direct adversarial confrontation with Satan. We are the little fish and the governments of the world, and their leaders, are the big ones.
In eternity we will all be able to meet one another and share our stories. Our relationships will blossom as they never could in this life, and probably only then, we will realize the extent of the huge differences that exist between eternity and this life.
Doctrine is the basis for successful relationships. If ever, doctrine suddenly became unavailable, then if you are in fact advancing in your spiritual life, then your emotions of bereavement at that loss, would soar off the charts, as a very dependent child losing a parent.
Never concern yourself with what this world can potentially do to you, but fear more, what God can withhold from you. God is your life and the very basis of your existence. God is your completion, your happiness, your success, your destiny, your all that you are. Never, never, never lose that.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Blog postings occur at 6 P.M. each day following the day they have been written. The Daily Studies are available a full day earlier by signing up on the Daily Bible Study Mailing List (optional of course).
To allow the Daily Bible Study to come to you via e-mail every day, and also offer your support for the study, then please consider signing up on the:
Bible Study Mailing List
1 Thessalonians 2:17-18
17 But [de] we, [hemeis] brethren, [adelphos] being taken [aporphanizo] from [apo] you [humon] for [pros] a short [hora] time [kairos] in presence, [prosopon] not [ou] in heart, [kardia] endeavoured [spoudazo] the more abundantly [perissoteros] to see [eido] your [humon] face [prosopon] with [en] great [polus] desire. [epithumia]
18 Wherefore [dio] we would [thelo] have come [erchomai] unto [pros] you, [humas] even [men] I [ego] Paul, [Paulos] once [kai] [hapax] and [kai] again; [dis] but [kai] Satan [Satanas] hindered [egkopto] us. [hemas] KJV-Interlinear
17 But we, brethren, having been bereft of you for a short while — in person, not in spirit — were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. 18 For we wanted to come to you — I, Paul, more than once — and yet Satan thwarted us. NASB
Acts 17 holds the story of the persecution against Paul and his friends, at the hands of the Jews who instigated hate and violence against the Christians. Paul had to leave the area because of the threats against him.
This verse indicates that Paul had been there long enough to establish some very close and meaningful friendships with the folks in Thessalonica. Such that he was bereaved because of their separation from each other when he was forced to leave.
This bereavement, ‘aporphanizo,’ indicates the severe stress that a child feels when he loses a parent. It is an intense and indescribable emotion because of the loss, which is never expected to be restored.
This also indicates the separation that people, who have a relationship with each other by means of doctrine, even though they do not know each other, places a stress in their lives, not because of their acquaintance with each other, but because of the stresses that are common to believers living in this world.
Paul indicates that he could not return, though he deeply desired to return, and the distance between them was not that great as you can see from looking at any map. However, Satan was the primary instigator of prevention.
Paul does not describe Satan’s role, except in general terms.
To that end, all of us live in difficult times as a result of Satan’s actions. And though Satan most probably does not know any of us, we being rather insignificant in this world, our difficulties come into the picture as a result of Satan’s role in interfering in world affairs. Government abuses, economic difficulties, and such are the typical things that cause people hardships.
It is unlikely that any of us will ever have a direct adversarial confrontation with Satan. We are the little fish and the governments of the world, and their leaders, are the big ones.
In eternity we will all be able to meet one another and share our stories. Our relationships will blossom as they never could in this life, and probably only then, we will realize the extent of the huge differences that exist between eternity and this life.
Doctrine is the basis for successful relationships. If ever, doctrine suddenly became unavailable, then if you are in fact advancing in your spiritual life, then your emotions of bereavement at that loss, would soar off the charts, as a very dependent child losing a parent.
Never concern yourself with what this world can potentially do to you, but fear more, what God can withhold from you. God is your life and the very basis of your existence. God is your completion, your happiness, your success, your destiny, your all that you are. Never, never, never lose that.
Friday, August 7, 2009
1 Thessalonians 2:16
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Blog postings occur at 6 P.M. each day following the day they have been written. The Daily Studies are available a full day earlier by signing up on the Daily Bible Study Mailing List (optional of course).
To allow the Daily Bible Study to come to you via e-mail every day, and also offer your support for the study, then please consider signing up on the:
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1 Thessalonians 2:16
16 Forbidding [koluo] us [hemas] to speak [laleo] to the Gentiles [ethnos] that [hina] they might be saved, [sozo] to [eis] fill up [anapleroo] their [autos] sins [hamartia] alway: [pantote] for [de] the wrath [orge] is come [phthano] upon [epi] them [autos] to [eis] the uttermost. [telos] KJV-Interlinear
16 hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost. NASB
‘To the uttermost,’ ‘telos,’ means to continue through each succeeding generation until the end of time, and until all wrath actions of God have been completed in history such that there will never be any need for Gods wrath ever again.
When looking at history, you need to back away from its details, and observe the entire timeline of history, from the beginning until the end. There is a dispensation chart or timeline, on the web site, which shows the overall picture of history. And then you can get down into each component of history to see what impact that particular portion has on history.
But why is history continuing? Because mans iniquity has not yet been completed.
God is allowing humanity to perpetuate from generation to generation, giving everyone the opportunity to turn to truth and live their life to the absolute fullest and beyond. However, humanity continues to ignore and reject truth and God, and therefore humanity turns to ideas and beliefs that are not truth, but lies.
Do the tyrants of history know of Gods plan, and know what they are doing with respect to that plan, and willfully and consciously pursuing things that oppose God? Well no, not exactly.
The present government is doing what they are doing in order to maintain their control and power, their wealth and popularity, as they see it.
For some, the actions they are doing are intended to help people. For some, the actions they are doing are intended to suppress people, such that they can stay in power and control the activities of the masses.
For some, the actions they are doing are intended to create two classes, the lower and the elite. They of course are the elite and we are the lower. Government is the medium of power and control and wealth.
So, what people are doing in life are not conscious decisions for fulfilling Gods plan pointing toward mans self destruction, but their decisions are in fact made as God has foreseen them, and thus ‘are’ fulfilling the many prophecies that God has made. People see their actions as self fulfilling for their own agendas and desires, not as a part of Gods plan.
Evil people simply want their wealth and power and control, now. They are absorbed in their own self importance, in their own plans for success, and see this mechanism (government), as their path to their own contribution to history as well as their own personal wealth empire. They are ego driven, lust driven, and everyone in the world is merely a pawn, or an inventory of resources, to accomplish their objectives.
Evil people do not do what they are doing in order to destroy humanity, but only to fulfill their own greed and lusts.
But of course all of their plans will fail, and all they are doing will lead eventually, to mans destruction.
Satan is the only person who has an agenda for destroying humanity, and he is using the elite of humanity as his pawns, just as the elite minded folks are using the masses, in order to fulfill his plans. So you see, even the elite of history are dumber than dumb.
So, from Pauls day until our day, and until the end of our dispensation, through the Tribulation, and the Millennium, God is allowing humanity to have their way, in order to prove that people cannot rule or lead or set a proper course for history, without it all falling apart.
Only with doctrine can humanity have any semblance of wisdom, and even then, it is God who does the driving, not us. Unbelieving humanity, and back then Paul refers to them as the unbelieving Jews and the gentiles, who have no truth in them, will try to prevent truth from entering into anyone else.
In pursuing their own way, and demanding that they have the freedom to chart their own course through life, they will deny anyone else that right. Hypocrisy, insincerity, duplicity, pretense, violence, double standards are all common elements of the person who lacks a spiritual life. They will accuse others of that which they themselves are guilty, and they will deny rights to others that they demand for themselves.
Paul was persecuted. Paul was prevented from preaching truth. Paul was resented especially for even suggesting that the gentiles had the right of salvation by faith alone, and not by circumcision, not by conversion to Judaism, not by becoming a proselyte of the Jews or of the Laws of Moses, Acts 17.
And today, we see these attacks all around us. Some are obvious and most are subtle, but the biggest attack against truth is the attack against the Laws of Divine Establishment – volition and the right to makes ones own decisions, marriage alternatives, family fracturing, free enterprise being replaced by alternative philosophies, government control expansions, internationalism verses nationalism, setting aside sound economic principles for expediency, and so forth.
Until mans iniquities are fulfilled, all of these things will continue to occur as God allows the ingredients of history to come together. You might want to review the study of first few chapters of Revelation. Jesus Christs’ arm and hand are on the lever of history. He has his arm flexed tight with a tremendous grip with flexed and bulging muscles on that lever in order to throw it immediately when the order comes from God the Father.
And when all of the components of history have been completed, then the Rapture will occur, and not a moment sooner or later than the precise moment of its schedule.
Then humanity not realizing what they have done by fulfilling Satan’s purpose and not their own, will be taken over by Satan, having fulfilled his purpose, and the real horrors of history will begin to unfold. In the first six years of the Tribulation, over half of the worlds population will be dead. People will be buried in disasters, with no one to rescue them. Public roads and bridges and power lines will be damaged with no one to repair them. Famines, food shortages, inflation, crime and violence, and disease will be running rampant and out of control.
And all of this, simply because people have rejected truth.
The choices of alternative lifestyles, of using illegal drugs, of pursuing do-gooder agendas, all may seem harmless, but they are a pattern or mold out from which there is no path, except drifting further and further away from truth. And that is the decline that disorients and detaches people from reality, that will lead them cluelessly to fulfilling Gods plan, and sealing up their own doom.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Blog postings occur at 6 P.M. each day following the day they have been written. The Daily Studies are available a full day earlier by signing up on the Daily Bible Study Mailing List (optional of course).
To allow the Daily Bible Study to come to you via e-mail every day, and also offer your support for the study, then please consider signing up on the:
Bible Study Mailing List
1 Thessalonians 2:16
16 Forbidding [koluo] us [hemas] to speak [laleo] to the Gentiles [ethnos] that [hina] they might be saved, [sozo] to [eis] fill up [anapleroo] their [autos] sins [hamartia] alway: [pantote] for [de] the wrath [orge] is come [phthano] upon [epi] them [autos] to [eis] the uttermost. [telos] KJV-Interlinear
16 hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost. NASB
‘To the uttermost,’ ‘telos,’ means to continue through each succeeding generation until the end of time, and until all wrath actions of God have been completed in history such that there will never be any need for Gods wrath ever again.
When looking at history, you need to back away from its details, and observe the entire timeline of history, from the beginning until the end. There is a dispensation chart or timeline, on the web site, which shows the overall picture of history. And then you can get down into each component of history to see what impact that particular portion has on history.
But why is history continuing? Because mans iniquity has not yet been completed.
God is allowing humanity to perpetuate from generation to generation, giving everyone the opportunity to turn to truth and live their life to the absolute fullest and beyond. However, humanity continues to ignore and reject truth and God, and therefore humanity turns to ideas and beliefs that are not truth, but lies.
Do the tyrants of history know of Gods plan, and know what they are doing with respect to that plan, and willfully and consciously pursuing things that oppose God? Well no, not exactly.
The present government is doing what they are doing in order to maintain their control and power, their wealth and popularity, as they see it.
For some, the actions they are doing are intended to help people. For some, the actions they are doing are intended to suppress people, such that they can stay in power and control the activities of the masses.
For some, the actions they are doing are intended to create two classes, the lower and the elite. They of course are the elite and we are the lower. Government is the medium of power and control and wealth.
So, what people are doing in life are not conscious decisions for fulfilling Gods plan pointing toward mans self destruction, but their decisions are in fact made as God has foreseen them, and thus ‘are’ fulfilling the many prophecies that God has made. People see their actions as self fulfilling for their own agendas and desires, not as a part of Gods plan.
Evil people simply want their wealth and power and control, now. They are absorbed in their own self importance, in their own plans for success, and see this mechanism (government), as their path to their own contribution to history as well as their own personal wealth empire. They are ego driven, lust driven, and everyone in the world is merely a pawn, or an inventory of resources, to accomplish their objectives.
Evil people do not do what they are doing in order to destroy humanity, but only to fulfill their own greed and lusts.
But of course all of their plans will fail, and all they are doing will lead eventually, to mans destruction.
Satan is the only person who has an agenda for destroying humanity, and he is using the elite of humanity as his pawns, just as the elite minded folks are using the masses, in order to fulfill his plans. So you see, even the elite of history are dumber than dumb.
So, from Pauls day until our day, and until the end of our dispensation, through the Tribulation, and the Millennium, God is allowing humanity to have their way, in order to prove that people cannot rule or lead or set a proper course for history, without it all falling apart.
Only with doctrine can humanity have any semblance of wisdom, and even then, it is God who does the driving, not us. Unbelieving humanity, and back then Paul refers to them as the unbelieving Jews and the gentiles, who have no truth in them, will try to prevent truth from entering into anyone else.
In pursuing their own way, and demanding that they have the freedom to chart their own course through life, they will deny anyone else that right. Hypocrisy, insincerity, duplicity, pretense, violence, double standards are all common elements of the person who lacks a spiritual life. They will accuse others of that which they themselves are guilty, and they will deny rights to others that they demand for themselves.
Paul was persecuted. Paul was prevented from preaching truth. Paul was resented especially for even suggesting that the gentiles had the right of salvation by faith alone, and not by circumcision, not by conversion to Judaism, not by becoming a proselyte of the Jews or of the Laws of Moses, Acts 17.
And today, we see these attacks all around us. Some are obvious and most are subtle, but the biggest attack against truth is the attack against the Laws of Divine Establishment – volition and the right to makes ones own decisions, marriage alternatives, family fracturing, free enterprise being replaced by alternative philosophies, government control expansions, internationalism verses nationalism, setting aside sound economic principles for expediency, and so forth.
Until mans iniquities are fulfilled, all of these things will continue to occur as God allows the ingredients of history to come together. You might want to review the study of first few chapters of Revelation. Jesus Christs’ arm and hand are on the lever of history. He has his arm flexed tight with a tremendous grip with flexed and bulging muscles on that lever in order to throw it immediately when the order comes from God the Father.
And when all of the components of history have been completed, then the Rapture will occur, and not a moment sooner or later than the precise moment of its schedule.
Then humanity not realizing what they have done by fulfilling Satan’s purpose and not their own, will be taken over by Satan, having fulfilled his purpose, and the real horrors of history will begin to unfold. In the first six years of the Tribulation, over half of the worlds population will be dead. People will be buried in disasters, with no one to rescue them. Public roads and bridges and power lines will be damaged with no one to repair them. Famines, food shortages, inflation, crime and violence, and disease will be running rampant and out of control.
And all of this, simply because people have rejected truth.
The choices of alternative lifestyles, of using illegal drugs, of pursuing do-gooder agendas, all may seem harmless, but they are a pattern or mold out from which there is no path, except drifting further and further away from truth. And that is the decline that disorients and detaches people from reality, that will lead them cluelessly to fulfilling Gods plan, and sealing up their own doom.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
1 Thessalonians 2:15
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Blog postings occur at 6 P.M. each day following the day they have been written. The Daily Studies are available a full day earlier by signing up on the Daily Bible Study Mailing List (optional of course).
To allow the Daily Bible Study to come to you via e-mail every day, and also offer your support for the study, then please consider signing up on the:
Bible Study Mailing List
1 Thessalonians 2:15
15 Who both [kai] killed [apokteino] the Lord [kurios] Jesus, [Iesous] and [kai] their own [idios] prophets, [prophetes] and [kai] have persecuted [ekdioko] us; [hemas] and [kai] they please [aresko] not [me] God, [theos] and [kai] are contrary [enantios] to all [pas] men: [anthropos] KJV-Interlinear
15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, NASB
As to who killed Jesus Christ, there is a simple answer and a complex answer. First, no one killed Christ. Christ is God, and as God, He cannot be killed. Jesus as humanity was formed with a physical body, and human soul, and a human spirit, combined together with deity. Jesus Christ is both man and God, united together in one single person, the unique person in all of creation and heaven included.
The physical body can be killed, but the soul and spirit cannot.
So the obvious answer is that the Jewish people back in Jesus time, convicted Jesus by means of six different and extraordinary trials, then they turned Him over to the Romans to be crucified.
But Paul states here that they killed both Jesus and the prophets, and that is a complex reference to the Jewish history of constant and repetitive rejection of God and those who He sent as his representatives.
When the prophets came along, they were rejected and even killed.
The Jewish history is one of a chosen people, of whom they presumed they were, however their conduct demonstrates that they in fact were not Gods chosen people, but rather represent the rejection of God, that exists in all of humanity.
Gods chosen are those who are chosen by spiritual birth (faith in the Savior, faith in the plan of God, faith in the promised Messiah, faith in Christ), not by physical birth. Just being born through some genetic descendant does not qualify one for salvation. In fact, of the races since the time of Noah, there have been so many mixed marriages, and breeding because of inter-family, inter-tribal, inter-cultural, inter-whatever relationships, that a single pure race simply does not exist.
Even Abraham was not called an Israelite, but a Hebrew. The term Israel did not exist until Jacob was renamed by that term. His sons were then called Israelites, and thus the nation was formed in concept. It would not be for another four-hundred years or so, and until after the Exodus that the nation would be recognized. And even then, there were many recorded inter-marriages with the local gentile nations in the promised land.
These inter-marriages were in violation with Gods command against such marriages. However this command was instructional in so far as it taught the differences between Gods chosen, and Gods un-chosen, the spiritual life versus the carnal life.
Those who believe in Christ must live a spiritual life in fellowship, in maturity as they advance within their spiritual lives. Living out of fellowship, living in the carnal sphere rather than living inside of Gods chosen spiritual sphere, is the same symbolically as inter marriages with the gentiles. So symbolism was the point here.
As a parable, the purity of the Israelite race was comparable to the purity of a person living in their spiritual life. And living out of fellowship and thus in the carnal world, was symbolized by choosing from the gentile realm.
I hope this makes sense.
So, the Jews of Jesus day, thought of themselves as Gods chosen, but in fact they rejected the very person of whom was represented within the scriptures, that they held custody of. And by their behavior, the Jewish peoples of Jesus Day, represent all of humanity in their rejection of truth. Thus the need for mans rescue through salvation.
Just because they put Jesus up on the Cross, does not make them any worse than you when you ignore your spiritual life.
God planed the crucifixion of Christ in eternity past in the Divine Decrees. If it were not for Satan’s rebellion, then man probably would never have come into existence. If it were not for Adam and Eve’s failure, then the Cross would not have been required.
But of course those things did occur, and thus Christ presented Himself for the work of salvation, which was His plan all along, even though man believed that he, man, was controlling his own environment and destiny.
You see, humanity does not have much control over anything. He just participates in a divine plan which God put into place long ago.
The events happening in our current day, are not events that mean that the Rapture will occur at any given moment. Our entire 1900 plus year history of the Church Age, has been one long and continuous sequence of alignment of things, which God is putting into place piece by piece.
It took many centuries to form the nations that currently exist. It took many centuries to form the technologies that currently exist. It has taken many centuries to position the continents where they are, ready for the great earthquakes yet to come. Even the current nation of Israel, did not come into existence until 1948, and yet that was not the last ingredient before the Rapture and Tribulation are to occur.
God is still forming or allowing to form, the many things that need to be in place before the Rapture can occur.
People have to be born, people have to die, people have to believe in Christ, people have to reject Christ, nations have to be formed, political views have to come into existence, technologies, laws, regulations, patterns for future legislation and so forth all have to be arranged.
But at some point in time, all will be ready, and then the Rapture will occur.
God does nothing haphazardly. Everything that God does in contained within His plan. There is a schedule, there is a timetable, there is a date certain already set, for the Rapture. You and I just do not know when that is.
All we can do is sit back and observe human history unfolding right before our eyes. And because we are so far along within our dispensation, we have the opportunity to see many things unfold at a somewhat quicker pace, and compare them to the things that have already been revealed as existing in the Tribulation.
For example, the anti-Christ of the Tribulation will promote universal identification and registration, for all economic activities. When the Social Security system was put into place back in the 1930’s, folks said that the end was then. Then World War Two, then the nation of Israel was formed, the United Nations followed the pattern of the League of Nations from the 1920’s. The world powers were formed with China, Russia, the Arab States, and the US and Europe, representing the four world powers.
But as you can see, these things were only the placement of a few pieces of a puzzle which God is assembling, and keeps assembling.
The current Health Care legislation, though totally objectionable, is giving us a peek into where our future is heading. And whether it occurs now or not, it will occur sooner or later, because that is the course of human history. A history not forced by God, but chosen and orchestrated by man. And one day, it will all be in place for the Rapture, and then man will have his last attempt at controlling his own destiny, which will fail miserably.
And so what does all of this have to do with our verse? Rejection of God, means rejection of truth. And that leads to ideas that will not work. When mans ideas do not work, then persecution and violence always follow.
Hitler murdered millions. Stalin could not support his population so he murdered millions. Mao, had weird ideas and took millions from the farms to build cities, and that led to no crops, no food, and mass starvation because of a man-made famine.
When the few try to control the many, then disaster always results, and suffering is horrendous.
So read the last few words in our verse, ‘hostile to all men.’
When truth is rejected, then your fellow countrymen will turn on you. They will turn on each other. They will become snitches and spies. An evil government cannot exist unless it knows who is for them and who is against them, and then they get rid of their opponents. That is always inevitable. Sooner or later everyone becomes the enemy.
It all begins with arrogance and then rejection of Christ, something that seemingly causes no harm to anyone, but ends up causing great harm to all.
The subject of 1 Thessalonians is ‘waiting.’ Paul is developing several concepts, so you and I can see the history which has already been, and the history which is yet to come. And through our observations, we can know that all we need do is be patient, and stick with our daily studies. God will take care of us and God will take care of all of the details of history, on His timetable.
Mans plans will be many, and they will be sophisticated, and they will all lead to suffering, but Jesus Christ controls history, and your life is safe in His hands, not mans.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Blog postings occur at 6 P.M. each day following the day they have been written. The Daily Studies are available a full day earlier by signing up on the Daily Bible Study Mailing List (optional of course).
To allow the Daily Bible Study to come to you via e-mail every day, and also offer your support for the study, then please consider signing up on the:
Bible Study Mailing List
1 Thessalonians 2:15
15 Who both [kai] killed [apokteino] the Lord [kurios] Jesus, [Iesous] and [kai] their own [idios] prophets, [prophetes] and [kai] have persecuted [ekdioko] us; [hemas] and [kai] they please [aresko] not [me] God, [theos] and [kai] are contrary [enantios] to all [pas] men: [anthropos] KJV-Interlinear
15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, NASB
As to who killed Jesus Christ, there is a simple answer and a complex answer. First, no one killed Christ. Christ is God, and as God, He cannot be killed. Jesus as humanity was formed with a physical body, and human soul, and a human spirit, combined together with deity. Jesus Christ is both man and God, united together in one single person, the unique person in all of creation and heaven included.
The physical body can be killed, but the soul and spirit cannot.
So the obvious answer is that the Jewish people back in Jesus time, convicted Jesus by means of six different and extraordinary trials, then they turned Him over to the Romans to be crucified.
But Paul states here that they killed both Jesus and the prophets, and that is a complex reference to the Jewish history of constant and repetitive rejection of God and those who He sent as his representatives.
When the prophets came along, they were rejected and even killed.
The Jewish history is one of a chosen people, of whom they presumed they were, however their conduct demonstrates that they in fact were not Gods chosen people, but rather represent the rejection of God, that exists in all of humanity.
Gods chosen are those who are chosen by spiritual birth (faith in the Savior, faith in the plan of God, faith in the promised Messiah, faith in Christ), not by physical birth. Just being born through some genetic descendant does not qualify one for salvation. In fact, of the races since the time of Noah, there have been so many mixed marriages, and breeding because of inter-family, inter-tribal, inter-cultural, inter-whatever relationships, that a single pure race simply does not exist.
Even Abraham was not called an Israelite, but a Hebrew. The term Israel did not exist until Jacob was renamed by that term. His sons were then called Israelites, and thus the nation was formed in concept. It would not be for another four-hundred years or so, and until after the Exodus that the nation would be recognized. And even then, there were many recorded inter-marriages with the local gentile nations in the promised land.
These inter-marriages were in violation with Gods command against such marriages. However this command was instructional in so far as it taught the differences between Gods chosen, and Gods un-chosen, the spiritual life versus the carnal life.
Those who believe in Christ must live a spiritual life in fellowship, in maturity as they advance within their spiritual lives. Living out of fellowship, living in the carnal sphere rather than living inside of Gods chosen spiritual sphere, is the same symbolically as inter marriages with the gentiles. So symbolism was the point here.
As a parable, the purity of the Israelite race was comparable to the purity of a person living in their spiritual life. And living out of fellowship and thus in the carnal world, was symbolized by choosing from the gentile realm.
I hope this makes sense.
So, the Jews of Jesus day, thought of themselves as Gods chosen, but in fact they rejected the very person of whom was represented within the scriptures, that they held custody of. And by their behavior, the Jewish peoples of Jesus Day, represent all of humanity in their rejection of truth. Thus the need for mans rescue through salvation.
Just because they put Jesus up on the Cross, does not make them any worse than you when you ignore your spiritual life.
God planed the crucifixion of Christ in eternity past in the Divine Decrees. If it were not for Satan’s rebellion, then man probably would never have come into existence. If it were not for Adam and Eve’s failure, then the Cross would not have been required.
But of course those things did occur, and thus Christ presented Himself for the work of salvation, which was His plan all along, even though man believed that he, man, was controlling his own environment and destiny.
You see, humanity does not have much control over anything. He just participates in a divine plan which God put into place long ago.
The events happening in our current day, are not events that mean that the Rapture will occur at any given moment. Our entire 1900 plus year history of the Church Age, has been one long and continuous sequence of alignment of things, which God is putting into place piece by piece.
It took many centuries to form the nations that currently exist. It took many centuries to form the technologies that currently exist. It has taken many centuries to position the continents where they are, ready for the great earthquakes yet to come. Even the current nation of Israel, did not come into existence until 1948, and yet that was not the last ingredient before the Rapture and Tribulation are to occur.
God is still forming or allowing to form, the many things that need to be in place before the Rapture can occur.
People have to be born, people have to die, people have to believe in Christ, people have to reject Christ, nations have to be formed, political views have to come into existence, technologies, laws, regulations, patterns for future legislation and so forth all have to be arranged.
But at some point in time, all will be ready, and then the Rapture will occur.
God does nothing haphazardly. Everything that God does in contained within His plan. There is a schedule, there is a timetable, there is a date certain already set, for the Rapture. You and I just do not know when that is.
All we can do is sit back and observe human history unfolding right before our eyes. And because we are so far along within our dispensation, we have the opportunity to see many things unfold at a somewhat quicker pace, and compare them to the things that have already been revealed as existing in the Tribulation.
For example, the anti-Christ of the Tribulation will promote universal identification and registration, for all economic activities. When the Social Security system was put into place back in the 1930’s, folks said that the end was then. Then World War Two, then the nation of Israel was formed, the United Nations followed the pattern of the League of Nations from the 1920’s. The world powers were formed with China, Russia, the Arab States, and the US and Europe, representing the four world powers.
But as you can see, these things were only the placement of a few pieces of a puzzle which God is assembling, and keeps assembling.
The current Health Care legislation, though totally objectionable, is giving us a peek into where our future is heading. And whether it occurs now or not, it will occur sooner or later, because that is the course of human history. A history not forced by God, but chosen and orchestrated by man. And one day, it will all be in place for the Rapture, and then man will have his last attempt at controlling his own destiny, which will fail miserably.
And so what does all of this have to do with our verse? Rejection of God, means rejection of truth. And that leads to ideas that will not work. When mans ideas do not work, then persecution and violence always follow.
Hitler murdered millions. Stalin could not support his population so he murdered millions. Mao, had weird ideas and took millions from the farms to build cities, and that led to no crops, no food, and mass starvation because of a man-made famine.
When the few try to control the many, then disaster always results, and suffering is horrendous.
So read the last few words in our verse, ‘hostile to all men.’
When truth is rejected, then your fellow countrymen will turn on you. They will turn on each other. They will become snitches and spies. An evil government cannot exist unless it knows who is for them and who is against them, and then they get rid of their opponents. That is always inevitable. Sooner or later everyone becomes the enemy.
It all begins with arrogance and then rejection of Christ, something that seemingly causes no harm to anyone, but ends up causing great harm to all.
The subject of 1 Thessalonians is ‘waiting.’ Paul is developing several concepts, so you and I can see the history which has already been, and the history which is yet to come. And through our observations, we can know that all we need do is be patient, and stick with our daily studies. God will take care of us and God will take care of all of the details of history, on His timetable.
Mans plans will be many, and they will be sophisticated, and they will all lead to suffering, but Jesus Christ controls history, and your life is safe in His hands, not mans.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
1 Thessalonians 2:14
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Blog postings occur at 6 P.M. each day following the day they have been written. The Daily Studies are available a full day earlier by signing up on the Daily Bible Study Mailing List (optional of course).
To allow the Daily Bible Study to come to you via e-mail every day, and also offer your support for the study, then please consider signing up on the:
Bible Study Mailing List
1 Thessalonians 2:14
14 For [gar] ye, [humeis] brethren, [adelphos] became [ginomai] followers [mimetes] of the churches [ekklesia] of God [theos] which [ho] in [en] Judaea [Ioudaia] are [on] in [en] Christ [Christos] Jesus: [Iesous] for [hoti] ye [humeis] also [kai] have suffered [pascho] like things [tauta] of [hupo] your own [idios] countrymen, [sumphuletes] even [kai] as [kathos] they have [autos] of [hupo] the Jews: [Ioudaios] KJV-Interlinear
14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, NASB
Suffering by the hands of ones own countrymen, means simply that. And this is not a new concept. Described in Acts 17, the Christians were persecuted by the Jews within the country of Judea, and outside of the country, the Christians were persecuted by the locals (the pagans) who were pushed by the Jews. The Jews usually used the Law to win their argument in Judea and outside of Judea, they would use anti-Rome accusations, to create disruptions for the Christians.
Of course, knowing human history, you know that it is Satan who is behind all of these accusations. From the time of Adam, Satan has been anti-truth, continually.
And after the destruction of Jerusalem and most of Judea in 70 A.D., then the accusations transferred from the Jews as the instigators, to the unbelieving gentles. But that is not our subject here.
Ones own countrymen, is the point here. And the word for countrymen means from ones own tribe or family, or group. People, of whom you think you have something in common, and of whom you would never suspect anything seditious against you, are the very ones who will turn against you, when truth and anti-truth is involved.
This means those of your own immediate family, those of your community, those of your own country. And if we expand that, then we can know that even elected officials and hired public servants will turn against the citizenry. This has been true many times in history – in Hitlers Germany, in Mao’s China, in Stalin’s Russia just to name a few.
So, within the nation of Judea, there were countrymen (all Jewish folks of course), some adhering to the Judaism faith and some adhering to the Christian faith. And a schism arose not because of their common heritage, but because of the differences between truth (Christianity) and non-truth (Judaism).
The nation was split along family lines, neighborhoods, towns and cities and across the nation, even into the other nations of the world, as Paul herein states. Christians were persecuted because of Christ, and Christ is truth, therefore Christians become the target of persecution because of their beliefs. Actually it is God, Christ, doctrine and overall truth, who are the targets of persecution. We as believers who hold onto these truths, just happen to be in the line of fire, so we get stepped on as well. We might be thought of as collateral damage in the war between good and evil.
In ancient times, God invented the concept of ‘sanctuary.’ We have studied this before, but it has been many years probably since we have studied this concept. When a people fall into persecution, wrongly, then they had a place of sanctuary to go to, where they would be safe and until some impartial judge could hear their case.
There is also the concept of the ‘frontier,’ which also serves as a place of escape as well as a place of expansion to promote prosperity, and opportunity. In the world, the frontiers have been geographical. People have left their local regions from the Middle East into Asia and Africa, and Europe, and nearer to our time, people left their persecutions to cross the oceans to the New World, as the Americas were called.
In our country, the frontier was to the west until the lands between the oceans have become populated.
These places, these frontiers, are geographical and have their obvious limits. In order for a destination to be a valid frontier, it has to be accessible by virtually everyone, and so under the oceans and outer-space regions have severe limitations as far as being viable frontiers. The vast majority of peoples cannot simply get up and walk there and make a home for themselves. But when the frontiers, the places of refuge and sanctuary run out, then people have nowhere to go to escape the persecutions that are sure to come.
The ultimate frontier is the spiritual life and more specifically the fellowship sphere. That place is accessible by everyone who chooses to believe in Christ. It is our ultimate place of sanctuary from the unfair persecutions that have and certainly will come from this world. Christ is the sovereign judge and He will decide all cases in due course.
The Thessalonians became imitators of the Christian churches in Judea. That is to say, they followed the same pattern of spiritual learning, spiritual growth and spiritual persecution as others have. This concept applies to you and me. Our spiritual life pattern is the same as that which those folks followed, way back then.
And even though out environment is much different, the spiritual life has never changed. And likewise, the pattern of persecution of Christians will never change either.
In this dispensation, if Satan could eliminate Christians, then there would be none to Rapture. In the Tribulation, if Satan could eliminate Christian Jews, then there would be none to rescue at the Second Advent. In either case, Gods plan, the whole concept of Gods plan, is under attack.
But remember one important thing, Jesus Christ controls history, not man. So Christ’s plans will be successful, and mans plans will not.
Today I heard some of the details of this health plan being promoted by the government, and who would have guessed the things that are included in that proposed law. Mandatory health ID registration cards for everyone, mandatory government run health coverage, mandatory change to a government plan if anything in your present plan changes, mandatory access allowance by the government into your personal bank accounts to pay them what you owe, rationed health care, old age end of life review for coverage, mandatory government access to your health records, mandatory oversight of what care you will or will not be granted, penalties against you if you do not sign up for their health coverage.
And with all of these things clearly written in the proposed bill, the elected officials lie without blinking, about what is in the bill. And finally the thing that takes it all, an email address ‘flag @ whitehouse.gov’ to which anyone is requested to send messages regarding folks that oppose the government health law.
Does this sound sinister or what? And it is said by many, that this type of thing could never happen here. If you live in another country, don’t feel safe. Your turn will come sooner or later, if not already. And the world places of sanctuary and refuge, and protection from persecution, are seemingly disappearing.
Life is not man pursuing mans own destiny. Life is Satan attempting to defeat God, using man as His evil tool. Unfortunately most folks just won’t see this side of life.
Paul tells us clearly here in this verse, that persecution is not limited to the Christian Jews, or the Greek Jews, or only to their ancient time in history.
Persecution applies to all of humanity throughout history, and our only true place of refuge is through Bible doctrine and the spiritual life. The spiritual life is our sanctuary, where Satan cannot go, and it is our frontier, where opportunity knows no limitations.
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1 Thessalonians 2:14
14 For [gar] ye, [humeis] brethren, [adelphos] became [ginomai] followers [mimetes] of the churches [ekklesia] of God [theos] which [ho] in [en] Judaea [Ioudaia] are [on] in [en] Christ [Christos] Jesus: [Iesous] for [hoti] ye [humeis] also [kai] have suffered [pascho] like things [tauta] of [hupo] your own [idios] countrymen, [sumphuletes] even [kai] as [kathos] they have [autos] of [hupo] the Jews: [Ioudaios] KJV-Interlinear
14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, NASB
Suffering by the hands of ones own countrymen, means simply that. And this is not a new concept. Described in Acts 17, the Christians were persecuted by the Jews within the country of Judea, and outside of the country, the Christians were persecuted by the locals (the pagans) who were pushed by the Jews. The Jews usually used the Law to win their argument in Judea and outside of Judea, they would use anti-Rome accusations, to create disruptions for the Christians.
Of course, knowing human history, you know that it is Satan who is behind all of these accusations. From the time of Adam, Satan has been anti-truth, continually.
And after the destruction of Jerusalem and most of Judea in 70 A.D., then the accusations transferred from the Jews as the instigators, to the unbelieving gentles. But that is not our subject here.
Ones own countrymen, is the point here. And the word for countrymen means from ones own tribe or family, or group. People, of whom you think you have something in common, and of whom you would never suspect anything seditious against you, are the very ones who will turn against you, when truth and anti-truth is involved.
This means those of your own immediate family, those of your community, those of your own country. And if we expand that, then we can know that even elected officials and hired public servants will turn against the citizenry. This has been true many times in history – in Hitlers Germany, in Mao’s China, in Stalin’s Russia just to name a few.
So, within the nation of Judea, there were countrymen (all Jewish folks of course), some adhering to the Judaism faith and some adhering to the Christian faith. And a schism arose not because of their common heritage, but because of the differences between truth (Christianity) and non-truth (Judaism).
The nation was split along family lines, neighborhoods, towns and cities and across the nation, even into the other nations of the world, as Paul herein states. Christians were persecuted because of Christ, and Christ is truth, therefore Christians become the target of persecution because of their beliefs. Actually it is God, Christ, doctrine and overall truth, who are the targets of persecution. We as believers who hold onto these truths, just happen to be in the line of fire, so we get stepped on as well. We might be thought of as collateral damage in the war between good and evil.
In ancient times, God invented the concept of ‘sanctuary.’ We have studied this before, but it has been many years probably since we have studied this concept. When a people fall into persecution, wrongly, then they had a place of sanctuary to go to, where they would be safe and until some impartial judge could hear their case.
There is also the concept of the ‘frontier,’ which also serves as a place of escape as well as a place of expansion to promote prosperity, and opportunity. In the world, the frontiers have been geographical. People have left their local regions from the Middle East into Asia and Africa, and Europe, and nearer to our time, people left their persecutions to cross the oceans to the New World, as the Americas were called.
In our country, the frontier was to the west until the lands between the oceans have become populated.
These places, these frontiers, are geographical and have their obvious limits. In order for a destination to be a valid frontier, it has to be accessible by virtually everyone, and so under the oceans and outer-space regions have severe limitations as far as being viable frontiers. The vast majority of peoples cannot simply get up and walk there and make a home for themselves. But when the frontiers, the places of refuge and sanctuary run out, then people have nowhere to go to escape the persecutions that are sure to come.
The ultimate frontier is the spiritual life and more specifically the fellowship sphere. That place is accessible by everyone who chooses to believe in Christ. It is our ultimate place of sanctuary from the unfair persecutions that have and certainly will come from this world. Christ is the sovereign judge and He will decide all cases in due course.
The Thessalonians became imitators of the Christian churches in Judea. That is to say, they followed the same pattern of spiritual learning, spiritual growth and spiritual persecution as others have. This concept applies to you and me. Our spiritual life pattern is the same as that which those folks followed, way back then.
And even though out environment is much different, the spiritual life has never changed. And likewise, the pattern of persecution of Christians will never change either.
In this dispensation, if Satan could eliminate Christians, then there would be none to Rapture. In the Tribulation, if Satan could eliminate Christian Jews, then there would be none to rescue at the Second Advent. In either case, Gods plan, the whole concept of Gods plan, is under attack.
But remember one important thing, Jesus Christ controls history, not man. So Christ’s plans will be successful, and mans plans will not.
Today I heard some of the details of this health plan being promoted by the government, and who would have guessed the things that are included in that proposed law. Mandatory health ID registration cards for everyone, mandatory government run health coverage, mandatory change to a government plan if anything in your present plan changes, mandatory access allowance by the government into your personal bank accounts to pay them what you owe, rationed health care, old age end of life review for coverage, mandatory government access to your health records, mandatory oversight of what care you will or will not be granted, penalties against you if you do not sign up for their health coverage.
And with all of these things clearly written in the proposed bill, the elected officials lie without blinking, about what is in the bill. And finally the thing that takes it all, an email address ‘flag @ whitehouse.gov’ to which anyone is requested to send messages regarding folks that oppose the government health law.
Does this sound sinister or what? And it is said by many, that this type of thing could never happen here. If you live in another country, don’t feel safe. Your turn will come sooner or later, if not already. And the world places of sanctuary and refuge, and protection from persecution, are seemingly disappearing.
Life is not man pursuing mans own destiny. Life is Satan attempting to defeat God, using man as His evil tool. Unfortunately most folks just won’t see this side of life.
Paul tells us clearly here in this verse, that persecution is not limited to the Christian Jews, or the Greek Jews, or only to their ancient time in history.
Persecution applies to all of humanity throughout history, and our only true place of refuge is through Bible doctrine and the spiritual life. The spiritual life is our sanctuary, where Satan cannot go, and it is our frontier, where opportunity knows no limitations.
Monday, August 3, 2009
1 Thessalonians 2:13
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
1 Thessalonians 2:13
13 For this [touto] cause [dia] also [kai] thank [eucharisteo] we [hemeis] God [theos] without ceasing, [adialeiptos] because, [hoti] when ye received [paralambano] the word [logos] of God [theos] which ye heard [akoe] of [para] us, [hemon] ye received [dechomai] it not [ou] as the word [logos] of men, [anthropos] but [alla] as [kathos] it is [esti] in truth, [alethos] the word [logos] of God, [theos] which [hos] effectually worketh [energeo] also [kai] in [en] you [humin] that believe. [pisteuo] KJV-Interlinear
13 And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God's message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. NASB
Now, here is what Pauls message is leading up to and this is a difficult concept to understand for most.
In life there are two spheres of existence. There is the temporal sphere, and there is the spiritual sphere.
The spiritual sphere can see into the temporal, but the temporal cannot see into the spiritual sphere.
Divine revelation operates within the spiritual sphere and cannot be accessed from the temporal sphere.
The temporal sphere has its limitations, obviously, and is dependent on empiricism, the five senses, logic, trial and error, testing and comparing and so forth. The hunt for knowledge is difficult at best, because all of the details of life are not always readily available, and certainly the spiritual side of existence cannot be accessed by this human search process.
When we read the Bible, we read the many stories it contains. We read of Adam and Moses and baby Jesus and so forth. This is academic material which can be read by anyone (believer or unbeliever).
From the temporal side of life, people will demand proof, credentials, verification and that is among their biggest stumbling blocks to seeing the truth in life.
There is a great big temporal (physical) world out there and vast amounts of knowledge to be learned. In history, humanity has not even begun to scratch the surface of all there is to learn, and that means only the physical universe. Of the spiritual universe, there is far, far more knowledge. However, the spiritual side is not accessible by means of the usual physical methods of discovery.
So, when you read of Adam, and Moses and baby Jesus, you see very little of the truth contained within their stories.
Academic knowledge funnels into the soul and is called ‘gnosis,’ which is simply the details of knowledge. It requires a great deal of information support in order to comprehend it all.
However, when the individual has believed in Christ, and is a believer, is in fellowship, and therefore the Holy Spirit is actively functioning within his soul, then another layer of information (the spiritual side) is conveyed into the soul, sorted through the human spirit, and redirected into the soul as ‘epignosis,’ or complete knowledge.
This concept is spelled out in more detail in Ephesians.
The point here is that there is a supernatural system of learning that is available only through the spiritual apparatus that operates only while the believer is in fellowship.
Within that system, the Holy Spirit makes all things discernable, clear, conspicuous, and therefore efficacious.
And while all knowledge is built word upon word, precept upon precept and so forth, eventually the believer who is advancing in their spiritual life, begins to see the truths of life more and more clearly.
The objective of the spiritual life is to make the believer free and independent and autonomous from this world, with no need for counselors, with no need for consultants, with no need for crutches of any kind. Doctrine is the foundation upon which life is constructed, and when the believer begins to see this, and advances as far as is humanly possible in this life, then in the next life, in eternity, your life will be beyond phenomenal.
The temporal crowd, will continue to demand and demand, proof, and evidence, and they will scoff at that which they have no inkling about, because they simply cannot grasp it, and therefore refuse to grasp it.
If you were to travel back in time several centuries, and found a blind man from birth, and tried to describe the technology of today, he would probably think you were mad. But then isn’t that how most of society sees the Christian philosophy?
The blind will come up with all sorts of theories and beliefs and they will invent sciences and evidences to prove their beliefs. This is true with abortion, with global warming, with socialism, and so forth. There have been many world leaders who have gotten themselves caught up in the occult and zodiac ideas, and such, and they have all led to great suffering for the masses.
Anyone who relies on the temporal only, will always go in the wrong direction and fail. Anyone who relies on the spiritual, will always come to the knowledge and wisdom of truth and see life clearly.
So, as Paul states here, these words, though spoken or written, or typed by man, are God inspired, God directed. And that does not mean that God is sitting on my shoulder telling me what to type, but that God, through my words, is able to communicate the truth, regardless of my typing or vocabulary, or content, or writing skills.
This simply means that God does not depend on human ability or human resources, to get His word to those who want it. But through His grace, God has graciously used Paul and others throughout history, to accomplish His will, not mans.
A PhD, credentials, fancy robes, extensive accomplishments, formidable talents and more, are not necessary in order to communicate the Word of God. Actually those things tend to lead the person astray.
When you embrace the Word by means of your pursuit of a legitimate and genuine study, then all of this becomes very simple and obvious.
Those who do not pursue their spiritual lives, will be no different than those who lived during Jesus’ day, demanding to see miracle after miracle, proof after proof, hustling and hustling after knowledge, and getting nowhere.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
1 Thessalonians 2:13
13 For this [touto] cause [dia] also [kai] thank [eucharisteo] we [hemeis] God [theos] without ceasing, [adialeiptos] because, [hoti] when ye received [paralambano] the word [logos] of God [theos] which ye heard [akoe] of [para] us, [hemon] ye received [dechomai] it not [ou] as the word [logos] of men, [anthropos] but [alla] as [kathos] it is [esti] in truth, [alethos] the word [logos] of God, [theos] which [hos] effectually worketh [energeo] also [kai] in [en] you [humin] that believe. [pisteuo] KJV-Interlinear
13 And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God's message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. NASB
Now, here is what Pauls message is leading up to and this is a difficult concept to understand for most.
In life there are two spheres of existence. There is the temporal sphere, and there is the spiritual sphere.
The spiritual sphere can see into the temporal, but the temporal cannot see into the spiritual sphere.
Divine revelation operates within the spiritual sphere and cannot be accessed from the temporal sphere.
The temporal sphere has its limitations, obviously, and is dependent on empiricism, the five senses, logic, trial and error, testing and comparing and so forth. The hunt for knowledge is difficult at best, because all of the details of life are not always readily available, and certainly the spiritual side of existence cannot be accessed by this human search process.
When we read the Bible, we read the many stories it contains. We read of Adam and Moses and baby Jesus and so forth. This is academic material which can be read by anyone (believer or unbeliever).
From the temporal side of life, people will demand proof, credentials, verification and that is among their biggest stumbling blocks to seeing the truth in life.
There is a great big temporal (physical) world out there and vast amounts of knowledge to be learned. In history, humanity has not even begun to scratch the surface of all there is to learn, and that means only the physical universe. Of the spiritual universe, there is far, far more knowledge. However, the spiritual side is not accessible by means of the usual physical methods of discovery.
So, when you read of Adam, and Moses and baby Jesus, you see very little of the truth contained within their stories.
Academic knowledge funnels into the soul and is called ‘gnosis,’ which is simply the details of knowledge. It requires a great deal of information support in order to comprehend it all.
However, when the individual has believed in Christ, and is a believer, is in fellowship, and therefore the Holy Spirit is actively functioning within his soul, then another layer of information (the spiritual side) is conveyed into the soul, sorted through the human spirit, and redirected into the soul as ‘epignosis,’ or complete knowledge.
This concept is spelled out in more detail in Ephesians.
The point here is that there is a supernatural system of learning that is available only through the spiritual apparatus that operates only while the believer is in fellowship.
Within that system, the Holy Spirit makes all things discernable, clear, conspicuous, and therefore efficacious.
And while all knowledge is built word upon word, precept upon precept and so forth, eventually the believer who is advancing in their spiritual life, begins to see the truths of life more and more clearly.
The objective of the spiritual life is to make the believer free and independent and autonomous from this world, with no need for counselors, with no need for consultants, with no need for crutches of any kind. Doctrine is the foundation upon which life is constructed, and when the believer begins to see this, and advances as far as is humanly possible in this life, then in the next life, in eternity, your life will be beyond phenomenal.
The temporal crowd, will continue to demand and demand, proof, and evidence, and they will scoff at that which they have no inkling about, because they simply cannot grasp it, and therefore refuse to grasp it.
If you were to travel back in time several centuries, and found a blind man from birth, and tried to describe the technology of today, he would probably think you were mad. But then isn’t that how most of society sees the Christian philosophy?
The blind will come up with all sorts of theories and beliefs and they will invent sciences and evidences to prove their beliefs. This is true with abortion, with global warming, with socialism, and so forth. There have been many world leaders who have gotten themselves caught up in the occult and zodiac ideas, and such, and they have all led to great suffering for the masses.
Anyone who relies on the temporal only, will always go in the wrong direction and fail. Anyone who relies on the spiritual, will always come to the knowledge and wisdom of truth and see life clearly.
So, as Paul states here, these words, though spoken or written, or typed by man, are God inspired, God directed. And that does not mean that God is sitting on my shoulder telling me what to type, but that God, through my words, is able to communicate the truth, regardless of my typing or vocabulary, or content, or writing skills.
This simply means that God does not depend on human ability or human resources, to get His word to those who want it. But through His grace, God has graciously used Paul and others throughout history, to accomplish His will, not mans.
A PhD, credentials, fancy robes, extensive accomplishments, formidable talents and more, are not necessary in order to communicate the Word of God. Actually those things tend to lead the person astray.
When you embrace the Word by means of your pursuit of a legitimate and genuine study, then all of this becomes very simple and obvious.
Those who do not pursue their spiritual lives, will be no different than those who lived during Jesus’ day, demanding to see miracle after miracle, proof after proof, hustling and hustling after knowledge, and getting nowhere.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
1 Thessalonians 2:10-12
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
1 Thessalonians 2:10-12
10 Ye [humeis] are witnesses, [martus] and [kai] God [theos] also, how [hos] holily [hosios] and [kai] justly [dikaios] and [kai] unblameably [amemptos] we behaved ourselves [ginomai] among you [humin] that believe: [pisteuo]
11 As [kathaper] ye know [eido] how [hos] we exhorted [parakaleo] and [kai] comforted [paramutheomai] and charged [martureo] every [hekastos] one [heis] of you [humas], [humon] as [hos] a father [pater] doth his [heautou] children, [teknon]
12 [kai] That [eis] ye [humas] would walk [peripateo] worthy [axios] of God, [theos] who hath called [kaleo] you [humas] unto [eis] his [heautou] kingdom [basileia] and [kai] glory. [doxa] KJV-Interlinear
10 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; 11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, 12 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. NASB
As Paul is speaking of himself and those who were with him, in that he approached life and the teaching of Bible doctrine, without any ulterior motives, without any attempt for taking advantage of anyone, without any deceit of luring folks into a following, for his own benefit.
And that is the way in which not only instructors of the Word should approach their teaching, but that is the way in which all people should approach life.
If you have been on the internet for any length of time, then you have noticed that that there are many folks out there who are scammers. They send emails begging for help in getting their fortunes out of some foreign country. They respond to your classified ads, and want to pay you ten times the amount, so you can have a bonus and refund them the difference. They send you enticing offers in order to get your bank card information. They forge coupons from legitimate companies in order to get you to respond and thus add your email address to a list of valid addresses, so they can sell the lists.
One wonders if the entire world is corrupt, and if they would only put in this much effort into legitimate efforts, just how much good could they accomplish in legitimate activities?
From scams to cults, to philosophies, to dishonest scientific studies, to power lust driven politicians, the deceit and fraudulent efforts of the world seem to have no end.
And in the one area where people should be able to look, in order to find truth, honesty, and sanity, Bible doctrine, there is no end to those who would use religion, faith, and even charity to take advantage of those who just want to know the truth and just want to do some good for others.
Therefore, you now have several tests to help you decipher the honest Bible study, from the dishonest one.
First, we have studied that God demands no payment in exchange for His Word.
Second, continued study will allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you, that which is legitimate and that which is not. Time and repetition reveals all. You just have to be patient.
Third, your study efforts must be open minded. If you want to learn the truth, then you have to approach Bible doctrine without preconceived ideas, and without bias. If you only want God to legitimize what you think or do, then your approach is a false one.
Fourth, beware of charities that have emotional appeals wanting payments for helping the children, single moms, disabled this or that. Do your homework. Most of these outfits have huge administrative costs that benefit the promoters and very little goes to the advertised purpose of the charity.
Fifth, beware of any appeal that is emotional only and lacks substance.
The spiritual life consists of a daily study of substantive doctrine, and the consistent application of that which you learn. God needs none of these organizations to help His purpose. But through doctrine, and your legitimate learning and maturing process, you will learn what you must do and discover the means of doing it.
Jesus Christ controls history. Man does not. Jesus Christ drives the events of history. Man does not.
Some time ago, we studied the winds of history. The winds of the sea have long been symbolic of mans efforts to drive history. The winds of heaven are Gods efforts.
The sea has boundaries and cannot leave them, even with raging storms. Gods efforts have no boundaries.
God calls on you, through doctrine, to live your life openly, honestly, and true to Him, such that your life will be defined as worthy, and productive, and vindicated through doctrine. Not a life of evil and corruption, of selfishness and deceit, of games and schemes.
During your life you are writing your very own story, drafting your very own song. As others may go in pursuit of their life’s quest, so you are involved in your life’s quest on a daily and even moment by moment basis. One day, Jesus is going to ask you what your story is.
The vast majority of humanity will not have a good one, and all of the human efforts of history will fade from existence and forgotten. Other than a few dates and events of history, do you know anything about any of the hundreds of billions of people who have lived in the many past centuries? No, and that is the sum total of the human contribution to life.
But if you pursue your spiritual life, legitimately, on a daily basis, then your story, your song, will a great one, a complete one, a divinely recognized one, and will be sung forever.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
1 Thessalonians 2:10-12
10 Ye [humeis] are witnesses, [martus] and [kai] God [theos] also, how [hos] holily [hosios] and [kai] justly [dikaios] and [kai] unblameably [amemptos] we behaved ourselves [ginomai] among you [humin] that believe: [pisteuo]
11 As [kathaper] ye know [eido] how [hos] we exhorted [parakaleo] and [kai] comforted [paramutheomai] and charged [martureo] every [hekastos] one [heis] of you [humas], [humon] as [hos] a father [pater] doth his [heautou] children, [teknon]
12 [kai] That [eis] ye [humas] would walk [peripateo] worthy [axios] of God, [theos] who hath called [kaleo] you [humas] unto [eis] his [heautou] kingdom [basileia] and [kai] glory. [doxa] KJV-Interlinear
10 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; 11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, 12 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. NASB
As Paul is speaking of himself and those who were with him, in that he approached life and the teaching of Bible doctrine, without any ulterior motives, without any attempt for taking advantage of anyone, without any deceit of luring folks into a following, for his own benefit.
And that is the way in which not only instructors of the Word should approach their teaching, but that is the way in which all people should approach life.
If you have been on the internet for any length of time, then you have noticed that that there are many folks out there who are scammers. They send emails begging for help in getting their fortunes out of some foreign country. They respond to your classified ads, and want to pay you ten times the amount, so you can have a bonus and refund them the difference. They send you enticing offers in order to get your bank card information. They forge coupons from legitimate companies in order to get you to respond and thus add your email address to a list of valid addresses, so they can sell the lists.
One wonders if the entire world is corrupt, and if they would only put in this much effort into legitimate efforts, just how much good could they accomplish in legitimate activities?
From scams to cults, to philosophies, to dishonest scientific studies, to power lust driven politicians, the deceit and fraudulent efforts of the world seem to have no end.
And in the one area where people should be able to look, in order to find truth, honesty, and sanity, Bible doctrine, there is no end to those who would use religion, faith, and even charity to take advantage of those who just want to know the truth and just want to do some good for others.
Therefore, you now have several tests to help you decipher the honest Bible study, from the dishonest one.
First, we have studied that God demands no payment in exchange for His Word.
Second, continued study will allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you, that which is legitimate and that which is not. Time and repetition reveals all. You just have to be patient.
Third, your study efforts must be open minded. If you want to learn the truth, then you have to approach Bible doctrine without preconceived ideas, and without bias. If you only want God to legitimize what you think or do, then your approach is a false one.
Fourth, beware of charities that have emotional appeals wanting payments for helping the children, single moms, disabled this or that. Do your homework. Most of these outfits have huge administrative costs that benefit the promoters and very little goes to the advertised purpose of the charity.
Fifth, beware of any appeal that is emotional only and lacks substance.
The spiritual life consists of a daily study of substantive doctrine, and the consistent application of that which you learn. God needs none of these organizations to help His purpose. But through doctrine, and your legitimate learning and maturing process, you will learn what you must do and discover the means of doing it.
Jesus Christ controls history. Man does not. Jesus Christ drives the events of history. Man does not.
Some time ago, we studied the winds of history. The winds of the sea have long been symbolic of mans efforts to drive history. The winds of heaven are Gods efforts.
The sea has boundaries and cannot leave them, even with raging storms. Gods efforts have no boundaries.
God calls on you, through doctrine, to live your life openly, honestly, and true to Him, such that your life will be defined as worthy, and productive, and vindicated through doctrine. Not a life of evil and corruption, of selfishness and deceit, of games and schemes.
During your life you are writing your very own story, drafting your very own song. As others may go in pursuit of their life’s quest, so you are involved in your life’s quest on a daily and even moment by moment basis. One day, Jesus is going to ask you what your story is.
The vast majority of humanity will not have a good one, and all of the human efforts of history will fade from existence and forgotten. Other than a few dates and events of history, do you know anything about any of the hundreds of billions of people who have lived in the many past centuries? No, and that is the sum total of the human contribution to life.
But if you pursue your spiritual life, legitimately, on a daily basis, then your story, your song, will a great one, a complete one, a divinely recognized one, and will be sung forever.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
1 Thessalonians 2:9
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
1 Thessalonians 2:9
9 For [gar] ye remember, [mnemoneuo] brethren, [adelphos] our [hemon] labour [kopos] and [kai] travail: [mochthos] for [gar] labouring [ergazomai] night [nux] and [kai] day, [hemera] because [pros] we would [epibareo] not [me] be chargeable [epibareo] unto any [tis] of you, [humon] we preached [kerusso] unto [eis] you [humas] the gospel [euaggelion] of God. [theos] KJV-Interlinear
9 For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. NASB
God has provided Bible doctrine to every human being, throughout history, and not as an added burden on anyones life, but as a benefit.
There are many schemers out there who will try with all their might, to squeeze every penny out of you, in order to help themselves, at your expense, while giving you empty promises. They presume that the masses will be foolish enough to believe their words and more than happy to make them (the schemers) rich in the process.
This is not limited to wandering tent promoters, but actually in more prevalent in the large organized religions. To them, God is a business, their business, and you are their revenue.
This only places a burden on those who seek spiritual support for their miseries, but gain only more burdens from unfaithful and misleading religious leaders.
Nearly everyone seeking God, does so out of need. To be taken advantage of by con artists, even con artists in fancy robes with fancy titles, and fancy words, is true cruelty by those would be authorities of the Word.
The priests of ancient times took advantage of this process, making life miserable for people, because of the burdens placed on them by the volumes of religious rules and regulations.
But Paul lets everyone know that his ministry is not intended to become a burden on anyone. There is no obligation demanded of people to support Paul or anyone teaching doctrine. Actually most folks do not have the means of support. Life is tough enough just surviving from one day to the next.
However, do not be misled in thinking that you are without responsibility. The desire to help the promotion of Bible teaching comes from within your soul. And when that desire truly manifests itself within your beliefs and desires, then that motivation, which is voluntary, will be met by God with some means presented to you, for fulfilling your desire to help.
Your obligation is first to spiritual growth, and through growth you will learn your mature responsibilities, and you will want to fulfill them not through coercion, not through guilt, but through love of the Word, and your being granted at small opportunity to participate in Gods vast plan.
Those who give because they have the means, generally have ulterior motives (guilt, tax write-off, some financial benefit) for their giving, and giving nothing would be far better for them, than giving through false pretenses.
If a Bible study is worth its salt, then God will provide the means to support it. If a Bible study is not worth its salt, or there are simply no or few hearers, then God may very well remove it.
In Noah’s day, God removed the few hearers through the Ark. At the Rapture, God will remove the few believers by means of the Rapture. In both cases, all of the others were or will be, left behind with nothing to look to for help.
In Elijah’s day, Elijah complained that there were none left but himself, however, God reminded him that there were indeed more believers. Just because Elijah did not know of them did not mean that they did not exist.
To those who are positive, God will provide truth, and without any burden being placed on anyone. Bible doctrine is free. Whether you advance enough in your spiritual life and desire to participate, for the right reasons, is left between you and your daily commitment.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
1 Thessalonians 2:9
9 For [gar] ye remember, [mnemoneuo] brethren, [adelphos] our [hemon] labour [kopos] and [kai] travail: [mochthos] for [gar] labouring [ergazomai] night [nux] and [kai] day, [hemera] because [pros] we would [epibareo] not [me] be chargeable [epibareo] unto any [tis] of you, [humon] we preached [kerusso] unto [eis] you [humas] the gospel [euaggelion] of God. [theos] KJV-Interlinear
9 For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. NASB
God has provided Bible doctrine to every human being, throughout history, and not as an added burden on anyones life, but as a benefit.
There are many schemers out there who will try with all their might, to squeeze every penny out of you, in order to help themselves, at your expense, while giving you empty promises. They presume that the masses will be foolish enough to believe their words and more than happy to make them (the schemers) rich in the process.
This is not limited to wandering tent promoters, but actually in more prevalent in the large organized religions. To them, God is a business, their business, and you are their revenue.
This only places a burden on those who seek spiritual support for their miseries, but gain only more burdens from unfaithful and misleading religious leaders.
Nearly everyone seeking God, does so out of need. To be taken advantage of by con artists, even con artists in fancy robes with fancy titles, and fancy words, is true cruelty by those would be authorities of the Word.
The priests of ancient times took advantage of this process, making life miserable for people, because of the burdens placed on them by the volumes of religious rules and regulations.
But Paul lets everyone know that his ministry is not intended to become a burden on anyone. There is no obligation demanded of people to support Paul or anyone teaching doctrine. Actually most folks do not have the means of support. Life is tough enough just surviving from one day to the next.
However, do not be misled in thinking that you are without responsibility. The desire to help the promotion of Bible teaching comes from within your soul. And when that desire truly manifests itself within your beliefs and desires, then that motivation, which is voluntary, will be met by God with some means presented to you, for fulfilling your desire to help.
Your obligation is first to spiritual growth, and through growth you will learn your mature responsibilities, and you will want to fulfill them not through coercion, not through guilt, but through love of the Word, and your being granted at small opportunity to participate in Gods vast plan.
Those who give because they have the means, generally have ulterior motives (guilt, tax write-off, some financial benefit) for their giving, and giving nothing would be far better for them, than giving through false pretenses.
If a Bible study is worth its salt, then God will provide the means to support it. If a Bible study is not worth its salt, or there are simply no or few hearers, then God may very well remove it.
In Noah’s day, God removed the few hearers through the Ark. At the Rapture, God will remove the few believers by means of the Rapture. In both cases, all of the others were or will be, left behind with nothing to look to for help.
In Elijah’s day, Elijah complained that there were none left but himself, however, God reminded him that there were indeed more believers. Just because Elijah did not know of them did not mean that they did not exist.
To those who are positive, God will provide truth, and without any burden being placed on anyone. Bible doctrine is free. Whether you advance enough in your spiritual life and desire to participate, for the right reasons, is left between you and your daily commitment.
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