Thread: Spiritual Wrestling In the Last Days Conflict
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Spiritual Wrestling In the Last Days Conflict
Posted : 14 Sep, 2012 04:30 PM
Spiritual Wrestling In the Last Days Conflict
"Spiritual Wrestling In the Last Days Conflict" does not fit the end time or tribulation period scenario of the most popular cult which came out of several 19th century cults, such as the Mormons, the Christian Science movement and Jehovah's Witnesses.
Dispensationalism does spin Revelation 7: 1-8 to fit its postulate - not from scripture - that "All Israel" or All Physical Israel including the majority who rejected Christ remain the chosen people. For dispensationalism, the 144,000 are all male virgin Jews, as Hal Lindsey taught, 144,000 Billy Grahams.
But the concept of a heightened conflict in the very end times between a majority of Christians who uphold the chosen people teaching and the Remnant of Israel - the seed of God - is certainly not mainstream church doctrine and is not a part of dispensationalist end time prophecy.
In the New Testament what is the falling away of II Thessalonians 2: 3-4?
What is the strong delusion Paul mentions in II Thessalonians 2: 11?
What could the "snare" be in Luke 21: 35?
What is the abomination of desolation in the very end times that Christ talks about in Matthew 24: 15? In the time of the fall of Jerusalem in about 70 A.D. the abomination of desolation was the desecration of the temple in Jerusalem by the Romans and perhaps also by the Jewish defenders. But in our timeline, the Christians themselves are the temple of God (I Corinthians 3: 16-17, I Corinthians 6: 19, Acts 7: 48, 17:24).
So, in the very end times the abomination of desolation would be some kind of desecration of the believers themselves, in their minds and hearts, where the false prophets and the spirit of anti-Christ dwell (II Thessalonians 2: 4). It is likely to involve blasphemy of some sort.
Revelation 2: 8-9 says "And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
9. I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." John, who wrote Revelation, was once part of the Jerusalem Christian Community which did not thoroughly purge out the leaven of the Pharisees (Matthew 16: 6, Luke 12: 1, I Corinthians 5: 6-7) as shown in Acts 15 and Acts 21: 17-31. But Revelation 2:9 shows that John, like Peter, at some point in time came to accept the teachings of Paul. Peter in II Peter 3: 14-15 speaks of the epistles of "our beloved brother Paul" and says some thngs in them are hard to understand.
Paul says in Romans 2: 28-29 that "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." Revelation 2: 9 is in agreement with Romans 2: 28-29, and so scripture as inspired by the Holy Spirit does not contradict itself.
What kind of conflict within Christianity could lie behind the martyrdom of Christians taught in John 16: 2 ("the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think he doth God service)? The conflict is likely to be about who is the chosen people of God.
The reference to synagogues is not limited to Jewish synagogues. Synagogues is Strong's number 4864, meaning "an assemblage of persons, a Jewish synagogue, by analogy, a Christian church, assembly, congregation, synagogue." Sunagoge in the Greek, or synagogue, can mean a Christian church.
Luke 21: 16 says: "And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and
brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they
cause to be put to death." "Some" has been added to the King James
English in Luke 21: 16, because the Greek word "tis", or "men",
meaning some is not in the Greek Textus Receptus, from which the KJV
is translated.
"And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates,
and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or
what ye shall say:" Luke 12: 11
And Matthew 24: 9 also mentions martyrdom of Christians. "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake."
It is interesting that the Greek word witness, for example, the two witnesses of Revelation 12: 3 is Strong's number 3144, "martus, mar-toos, a witness, by analogy, a martyr."
The Noahide Laws combined with the Patriot Act could be made more explicit to prosecute Christians who are not followers of the end time movement to bring back the leaven of the Pharisees.
While end time Bible prophecy gives us broad outlines, it does not easily give us prophecy for the exact timing of end time events such as when the sealing of Revelation 7: 3 is completed, and then metaphorically the angels holding back the four winds of the earth will release these winds to blow upon the earth. While the four winds may bring natural disasters, they will also bring man-made problems (like World War III) and greater spiritual conflict. Both may not be too far ahead.
Satan has two factions called Death and Hell (Revelation 6: 8, Isaiah 28:15, Revelation 20: 14), or the Serpents (Matthew 23: 33) and Scorpions (Ezekiel 2: 3-6, Revelation 9: 1-3). They oppose the seed of God, and bring on the end time conflict. Satan's two factions are also the spirit of anti-Christ (I John 4: 3) and the false prophet (Revelation 13: 11-18) who represents many false prophets (Matthew 24: 11, Luke 6: 26, II Peter 2: 1, I John 4: 1).
But what is the snare?
In Jeremiah 50: 24 snare is Strong's number 3369, yaqosh, "to ensnare, literally or figuratively, fowler, lay a snare."
Then in Luke 21: 35 snare is Strong's number 3803, pagis, "a trap, as fastened by a noose or notch, figuratively, a trick or stratagem, snare."
In II Timothy 2: 26, pagis, or snare, is used. "And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."
The same Greek word translated as snare is in I Timothy 6: 9 " But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition."
And in I Timothy 3: 7 "Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."
Figuratively a snare is a trap laid by Satan to catch Christians who have been enticed to fall into the trap. They have been deceived by false prophets or the spirit of anti-Christ to move in a direction where Satan has laid a trap for them.
Matthew 24:3,9-13: The disciples asked Jesus, �What will be the sign of your Coming and the *END OF THE AGE*?? Jesus answered�.. {During the 1260-day Great Tribulation} �Then *YOU* will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and *YOU will be hated by all nations because of Me. At that time many will turn away from the Faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of *MOST* will grow cold,{THE GREAT APOSTASY} but he {The Called, Chosen & Faithful-Rev 17:14b} who stands firm to the *END will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to *ALL NATIONS*, and then the *END will come!�
Matthew 24:29-31:
Jesus says, �Immediately after the distress of those {1260} days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from the sky.� {Luke 21:28 adds �When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.�} Then the nations will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud {7TH & LAST} *TRUMPET* CALL and they will gather *His elect* from the 4 winds {Mark 13:27b adds:} �from the ends of the earth {Saints on earth} to the ends of the Heavens {Saints in Heaven}!!� JESUS WILL COME AGAIN WHEN THE *7TH* ANGEL SOUNDS THE LOUD *7th* AND *LAST* TRUMPET CALL OF GOD. Rev 11:15a, 18: �The *7TH* angel sounded his trumpet� and the time has come for judging the dead and for rewarding your servants the prophets and saints.� {See Rev 22:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Matt 25:31-46 & Rev 20:11-15}
Are you Ready for the 1260-Day Great Tribulation??
Revelation 13:5-10:
The Beast {666} will be given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for 42 {30-day}months {Or 1260 Days}{See also Daniel 7:25 and 12:1,2,7b} ... He will be given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he {666} will be given authority over every tribe, people and language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast {See Rev 13:11-18 and Rev 19:20}--all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's Book of Life ... He who has an ear, let him hear: If anyone is to go into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints."
Now are those who believe that the clear teachings in the book of Revelation is just some symbolic fairy tale such as John Calvin.
Rev 22:16,18,19: Jesus says, �I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give *YOU* {The Greek for YOU is plural} this testimony {ALL OF REVELATION} *FOR* the CHURCHES.�
This contradicts the ridiculous pre-trib idea that Revelation, chapters 4-19, was not written *FOR* the CHURCHES! The word �CHURCH�is also not mentioned in 9 books of the NT: John, Mark, Luke, 2 Tim, 1 John, 2 John, 1 Peter, 2 Peter and Jude; and is not mentioned in the first 15 chapters of Romans and yet every word in all these NT books are �FOR THE CHURCHES�.....
�I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book.� If anyone *ADDS anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.� And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city which are described in this book.�
John Calvin and many of his followers do not believe that the Book of Revelation is part of the inspired Word of God???
"Now are those who believe that the clear teachings in the book of Revelation is just some symbolic fairy tale such as John Calvin."
"John Calvin and many of his followers do not believe that the Book of Revelation is part of the inspired Word of God??"
Thank God Revelation is NOT symbolic, eh Prophet? No symbolism there for sure....... :laugh:
Not really sure what any of the chaos and confusion that you post had to do with Calvin at all really. Just a chance for you to randomly voice your opinion, I guess.
