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Hidden In Him

March 15, 2024, 06:01:31 PM
Attention: To anyone viewing this site, I will be moving to another forum. I will leave this one up until the end of the year so viewers can still view the material here, but after that this site will be shut down.

If you have any questions, you can contact me privately by becoming a member.

 

Hidden In Him

March 15, 2024, 06:01:15 PM
Attention: To anyone viewing this site, I will be moving to another forum. I will leave this one up until the end of the year so viewers can still view the material here, but after that this site will be shut down.

If you have any questions, you can contact me privately by becoming a member.

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February 24, 2024, 12:37:18 PM
awe-inspiring first encounter girls
 
 
 
 
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ytmp3music

September 23, 2023, 12:39:24 PM
Titanic post! I couldn't coincide more with your points. It's happy to give some thought to such mindful insights shared here.
Youtube to mp3 converter
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Hidden In Him

March 02, 2022, 01:44:01 PM
What a beautiful Spring day! Glory to God!
 

Hidden In Him

January 07, 2022, 06:49:10 PM
Alive and well!  :)

Happy 2022! This is gonna be a good one. I can feel it, Lol.
 

MoreBloodWine

December 30, 2021, 05:29:20 PM
You alive Chris ?
 

MoreBloodWine

October 14, 2020, 06:17:44 PM
But ya, any PM's sent they should be made aware of via email, if they have notifications set for receipt of a PM.

But even if so, my newsletter blast can ignore such settings so anyone registered will at least get my message. But I can name them specifically in it for *** & giggles.
 

MoreBloodWine

October 14, 2020, 06:15:17 PM
Still need to check some things but that will be easy enough to do via PM.

When the site is re-opened. It is now, but tech locked down... but when it's "back". I can send out a newsletter, anyone who has an email attached that they still use will be made aware / be able to come back if that's what they choose to do.
 

Hidden In Him

October 14, 2020, 05:56:59 PM
You're kidding... That would be something. Any way to contact ShadowKen and Indybones? And maybe Pineapple, LoL. I suppose if it's all intact I could just message and it would go thru to email.
 

MoreBloodWine

October 14, 2020, 01:53:33 AM
@HIM: The MP is back, but it will need to remain in maintenance mode until I can re skin it / fix some of the underlying addons, But it is loading again... all data should still be intact.

I've already alerted spddmn's wife to let him know ;-)
 

Hidden In Him

April 27, 2020, 06:37:28 PM
And after checking, it wasn't done yet, LoL. Looks like it is now (hopefully).
 

Hidden In Him

April 08, 2020, 10:37:46 AM
This one's pretty good, LoL. Should be fun to put on video some day.  :)
http://www.spiritualwarbiblestudies.com/index.php?topic=181.msg207#msg207
 

Hidden In Him

March 10, 2020, 12:43:23 PM
 :) :) :)
 

MoreBloodWine

March 10, 2020, 07:02:44 AM
Everything happens for a reason, even if it's rewriting old works ;-)
 

Hidden In Him

March 07, 2020, 07:12:18 PM
My wife dislikes the idea that I'm rewriting studies rather than writing new ones, but the Lord is now opening up Colossians to me like never before, and some work needs to be redone. Very excited about the new insight!  :)
 

Hidden In Him

February 29, 2020, 02:19:44 PM
...get back to making sure studies were ready to put on camera when the time comes.  :)

So how's life with you?  
 

Hidden In Him

February 29, 2020, 02:18:44 PM
I noticed you were still lurking around, LoL. Glad to see I'm not the only one happy about it.  :) Hard at work converting the garage into a recording studio & music room. Gonna be nice! The soundproofing is going to be work and money, but a lot of it is already purchased. In the meantime, I had to
 

MoreBloodWine

February 29, 2020, 01:59:43 AM
 :) :) :)
 

Hidden In Him

February 28, 2020, 05:43:50 PM
I'm officially going back to writing! Glory to God Almighty!! Having fun again already, and going to be going to work improving and the adding to the set on Colossians.

Blessings in Christ to all who visit,
Hidden
 

MoreBloodWine

November 02, 2019, 02:37:56 AM
I rarely ever used Tapatalk to log in to the site. Not sure if anyone ever actually did as the issue of it not working was never reported.

But for our mobile uses, certain things like this chat box will not be available through the app as this chat box is an addon itself. But all boards within the forum are available and currently confirmed working.

Ty & my apologies !
 

Hidden In Him

August 05, 2019, 03:21:06 PM
An excellent passage I am now writing a study on in the Book of Colossians.

"And I am now rejoicing in [my] sufferings over you, and filling up in my flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ for His body's sake, which is the church, of which I became a servant
 

Hidden In Him

August 05, 2019, 03:20:49 PM
... of which I became a servant according to the administration of God having been given unto me, for you to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations but which has now been made manifest to His saints, to whom God wished to make known what

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Author Topic: 2 Thessalonians 1:6-12  (Read 8414 times)

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Hidden In Him

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2 Thessalonians 1:6-12
« on: January 23, 2012, 05:26:14 PM »
In Flaming Fire: Christ's Return As Avenger Of The Afflicted

     Who do you fear more, God or those who can kill the flesh? Satan is now raising up increasing numbers of servants who truly believe they are doing "God" a service by taking a knife and cutting the heads off of those they consider to be religious heretics and "infidels." Satan's desire in these things is for Christians to fear the power of evil, and fear affliction and death. But our Lord has clearly commanded that we fear only Him, for He alone has the power to cast the soul into Hell after death.
     As He explained to His disciples:

     Therefore, you should not fear them. For there is nothing having been concealed which shall not be revealed, and hidden which shall not be made known. And what I tell you in the darkness speak in the light... And you should not be made fearful because of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But rather, you should fear the One who is able to destroy both the body and soul in Hell. (Matthew 10:26-28)

     When it comes to what we should fear, nothing is to be compared to the True and Living God. Both Old and New Testament scriptures declare Him to be enveloped in flaming Fire. None can withstand the intensity of His Heat, for He is a Consuming Fire, burning away everything that is not of Him. Those who love Him will allow Him to burn away everything that He is not pleased with, including all malice, sin and self-centeredness. But for those who refuse to allow Him to become Lord over their lives, another type of fire is coming. On the Day of His wrath, He will execute judgment upon the ungodly, and they shall be ashes under the soles of His feet.

     Behold, the Lord is coming as fire, and His chariots as a whirlwind; He will bring down His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with His sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord. (Isaiah 66:15-16, LXX)

     This appears to be the verse Paul had in mind now as he began reminding the Thessalonians about the return of Christ Jesus from Heaven in power. Knowing that they were suffering affliction at the hands of oppressors, Paul encouraged the believers at Thessaloniki that a day was coming when God would grant them rest. But on this same day, He would also be returning affliction upon their afflicters. As Paul now explained, their judgement would be just because they had proven themselves enemies of both the True God and His people:     

     It is a just thing with God to repay affliction to those afflicting you, and to you who are being afflicted rest together with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from Heaven together with the angels of His power, who in flaming fire will inflict vengeance upon those who do not know God, and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These will pay the penalty, everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His strength, when He comes to be glorified among His saints, and admired amongst all those who have believed, in that our testimony unto you was believed in that Day. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10a)

     The affliction of the saints will last only a moment. The affliction of oppressors will last forever. As we shall see, God was already preparing a place for them, the Lake of Fire, and it will be the eternal resting place of all who rejected Him. Thus, this passage is a warning, one that God's enemies would do well to heed. Just as with the persecutors of Christians during New Testament times, Jihadists and Islamic militants regularly carry out brutal executions against God's people today. They assume there will be no consequences for their actions. What they don't realize, however, is that the Living God is going to return with myriads of His angels to execute judgment upon them, in even greater power than when He manifested on Mt. Sinai.

     But Enoch, the seventh-generation descendant from Adam, also prophesied unto these men, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy angels to execute judgment against all, and to reprove all the ungodly concerning all their ungodly works which they committed in ungodliness, and concerning all the hard words ungodly sinners spoke against Him."  (Jude 1:14-15)

     The truth that He will repay eternal affliction to the ungodly for the affliction they put His people through will be an important one for end-time believers to keep in mind. As we shall see, terrible sufferings are coming to believers at the hands of their spiritual enemy in the end-times. But they can rest assured that a Day of vengeance is coming upon their afflicters, and the sufferings they are allowed to experience will only pave the way for them to receive far greater glory and reward in eternity.


Self-Sacrifice: A Proof Of Our Love For God And Men
 
     That the saints would have to endure affliction and in fact were called to it was an important part of the teachings Paul had been giving the Thessalonians from the beginning. As he told them in his first letter:

     For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus, in that you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out, and are not acceptable to God but contrary to all men… none of you should be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed unto this, for even when we were with you we were telling you beforehand that we were about to suffer affliction. (1 Thessalonians 2:14-15, 2:3-4)

     Yet some would ask, "Why would God willingly allow His people to suffer?" The problem is that few today are taught what the scriptures actually teach on this subject. For New Testament believers, suffering for the Lord and His people was actually viewed as an opportunity to prove the depths of their love for them. It was an opportunity they would have only in this life, since there would be no such thing as suffering in Heaven.
     Jesus Himself had previously taught His disciples:

     My command is this: Love each other as I loved you. Greater love has no one than this: That one should lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command. (John 15:12-14)
 
     The apostles were very well aware of this teaching, and thus rejoiced when they were counted worthy to suffer affliction and dishonor for the gospel's sake:

     [The Sanhedrin] called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy to be dishonored for the Name. (Acts 5:40b-41)

     Walking worthy of the Lord meant enduring suffering for His name's sake. Those who denied Him to escape suffering, however, were not worthy, and would not inherit eternal life. This is clearly implicit in not only Paul's teachings but in the life he led to back them up. His many years of ministry were continually spent laying down his life for those he loved.
     As he wrote to Timothy:

     Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus... I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him. If we endure, we will also reign with Him. [But] if we disown Him, He will also disown us. (2 Timothy 2:3, 10-12)

     In closing this Chapter in Second Thessalonians, Paul encouraged the Thessalonians that he was praying for them to continue walking worthy of their calling by remaining faithful to God even in the face of persecution, for by doing so they would glorify Him, and He would be glorified in them:

     Therefore, we also always pray for you that our God may count you worthy of the calling, and fulfill every aspiration of goodness and work of faith in power, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

     In a nutshell, then, the saints of God had nothing to fear in suffering for Christ's sake. They had the promises of Christ to encourage them:

     "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness... Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:10-12)
   
     But those who afflicted God's people had everything to fear. They were proving themselves worthy of suffering affliction for all eternity for what they had put His people through. In the end, they would have proven themselves to be the most foolish of men for electing to afflict God's people rather than help them.


The Affliction Of The New Testament Saints 

     Whether at the hands of pagan Gentiles or unbelieving Jews, i.e. "those who know not God" and "those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" respectively, early Christians were suffering persecution and affliction at almost every turn, regardless of where the gospel was being preached.
      As Paul told the Thessalonians in his first letter:

     ...you became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus which are in Judea; for you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen just as they have of the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out, and are not acceptable to God and contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved. (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16a)

    The afflictions many of these early Christians suffered, particularly where the apostles were concerned, often took the form of being dragged before the authorities and scourged with whips or beaten with rods.
     As Paul testified:

     Five times from the Jews I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned... (2 Corinthians 11:24-25a)

     Stephen and James, meanwhile, are named in Acts as among those who were put to death for proclaiming Jesus to be the Messiah. Yet according to John Foxe, these were not the only ones whom the Jews subjected to torture and death:

    "The hate generated against Stephen apparently brought a great persecution upon all those who professed faith in Christ as the Jewish Messiah. Luke writes, 'At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.' (Acts 8:1). During that persecution, about two thousand Christians were martyred, including Nicanor, who was one of the seven deacons appointed by the church (Acts 6:5)." (Foxe, Foxe's Book of Martyrs, P.5, emphasis his)

    Nearly all the apostles would eventually lose their lives. James the son of Zebedee was beheaded with a sword in Jerusalem (Acts 12:2). Matthew was pinned to the ground and beheaded with a halberd in Ethiopia. Matthias was beheaded in Jerusalem after being stoned. James the Less had his head smashed in with a fuller's club after being thrown from a tower in Jerusalem. Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross in Edessa. Mark was dragged to pieces in Alexandria. The apostle Peter was crucified upside down in Rome, and Paul was taken to the execution block and beheaded in the same city a few years later.
     As for the Christian rank and file, all sorts of atrocities were carried out against them during Nero's reign. "Some Christians were sown inside skins of wild animals and torn at by fierce dogs. Shirts stiff with wax were put on others, and they were then tied to poles in Nero's garden and set on fire to provide light for his parties." (Foxe, P.12)                                                   

The Rise Of Christian Affliction In The End-Times 

     Though rarely reported in the media, incidences of atrocities being committed against Christians are happening every day, most of them in Muslim-controlled regions of the world.
     To cite just one as an example, the following incident was reported back in August of 2014:

Raping and Beheading the Faithful

Muslim Persecution of Christians, August 2014
by Raymond Ibrahim
December 10, 2014 at 5:00 am

     In Nigeria, the Islamic group Boko Haram, which seeks to enforce Islamic law over the whole African nation, beheaded a six-year-old boy because he was Christian. During Sunday church services, over 100 Islamic militants descended upon Attagara, a Christian-majority village. With machetes and machine guns, they slaughtered men, women, and children. According to Christian Today, "One villager, Sawaltha Wandala, was arriving at church for the second service when he saw children being massacred. One six-year-old boy had been slashed and thrown into a ditch, but he was alive. Wandala picked him up and was carrying him to a hospital in Cameroon, when he was stopped by five of the militants. The men reportedly took the child from Wandala's arms and beheaded him, then began beating the 55-year-old with tree branches. After striking him in the head with a rock, they left him for dead."

                                         

     Prophecies both ancient and modern declare that beheading is a tool Satan will use in the end-times to get Christians to renounce their faith. This cruel and barbaric custom used against the saints in New Testament times is once again being practiced today. It is commonly utilized by Jihadists as the more traditional, i.e. "devout" means of murdering infidels, and radical Islam is now growing in popularity across the planet, including in many Western countries. This is the first and most obvious of the many signs that indicate the forces of the Antichrist will come out of Islam.
     But wil they increase? The scriptures seem to suggest so. Regarding the beheading of Christians in the end-times, the following was prophesied to God's people through Kathryn Baxter several years ago: 

     "The beast and his followers will persecute those who refuse the mark and will kill many of them ... If you do not obey the beast and refuse to take his mark, I will take care of you. I do not say that many will not have to die for their faith in these times, for many will be beheaded for trusting in the Lord. But blessed are those who die in the Lord, for great will be their reward." (Baxter, A Divine Revelation Of Hell, P.196-197)

     Scripture itself confirms this, for as is clearly stated in the Book of Revelations:

    And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast nor his image, neither had received his mark on their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelations 20:4b)

                                                     
     
     Revelations declares that many who are beheaded for Christ's sake in the end-times will eventually begin crying out to God to execute vengeance on their behalf:

    And when he had opened the fifth seal I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for their testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will you wait to judge and avenge our blood upon them that dwell on the earth?" And white robes were given to each one of them, and it was said to them that they should rest a while longer until their fellow servants also and their brothers that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled. (Revelation 6:9-11)

     From this verse, it is clear that the beheading and martyrdom of the faithful will be an ongoing practice, not just for a brief period but for an extended period of time, given the fact that this vast multitude who have already been martyred will be told that they must wait a while longer until the rest of their brothers and sisters should be killed as they were. But this passage also illustrates the following: Despite how horrifying and brutal the practice of beheading is and will be, it will not deter the faithful from continuing to profess their faith in Christ. Many will prefer death and/or witnessing the death of their loved ones to denying the Lord Jesus Christ. And what will give them this determination? They will know beyond doubt that a time is coming when the Lord will finally avenge them upon their enemies.
     Again, herein lies great danger for the wicked. As this passage suggests, God is going to be slow in executing vengeance on His people's behalf, leading the wicked to assume all the more that retribution will never be coming. But this is all the more reason why they should heed the warnings of God. As will be covered in much greater detail in later studies, it is prophesied that Muslims will be given more and more power over Christians and Jews in the end-times, until eventually the entire nation of Israel is given into their hands. God will eventually grant them the power to attempt their long-cherished dream of exterminating the Jewish race completely. But they will have been warned: They will only be paving the way for their own eternal damnation.


But Jesus Was Now Seated At The Right Of God

     Martyrdom and defeat were not the way things would end in the minds of first century Christians. Mankind was about to receive a revelation of Christ's true identity, one they were already well aware of. Peter, James and John knew beyond doubt He was indeed the Son of God. They had personally witnessed Him manifest Himself in His Divine state while together with Him on the mountain in Judea:

     And after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and brought them up to a high mountain set apart. And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone as the sun, and His clothes became white as the light. And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with Him. (Matthew 17:1-3)

     Even before His crucifixion, Jesus was declaring that He would soon be seated at the right hand of God in Heaven:

     Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus answered, “I Am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the Right Hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tore his clothes, and asked, “What need do we have of any more witnesses?” (Mark 14:61-63)

     Then, after the resurrection, Jesus manifested Himself to the disciples to inform them that all power had indeed now been given into His hands:

     When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority has been given unto Me both in Heaven and on Earth. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:17-20)
 
     Immediately after this, the disciples witnessed Jesus ascend into Heaven right before their eyes, and some time later Stephen also received a vision of Jesus seated at the right hand of God, just as He said He would be:

     When He had led them out as far as Bethany, He lifted up his hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He departed from them and was carried up into Heaven. Then they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. (Luke 24:50-53)

     But [Stephen], being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into Heaven, and he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at His right hand. And said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7:55-56)

     With all these experiences, the New Testament saints had little trouble believing Jesus would soon be returning to fulfill all the promises He made to them years before when He said:

    As lightning comes out of the east and shines even unto the the west, so shall the coming of the Son of man be... immediately after the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth shall wail, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send forth His angels with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:27-31)


Revelations Of Christ's Supremacy Are Returning

     As in New Testament times, it is prophesied that the Lord Jesus Christ will once again begin revealing Himself to the faithful through personal manifestations and vision and dreams. These will occur with increasing frequency to encourage the end-time saints that He is indeed alive from the dead, indeed All-powerful, and will eventually be returning as destroyer of the Antichrist and Avenger of the afflicted.
     Rick Joyner, writing in The Harvest back in 1980, prophesied as follows:

     The pillar of fire that led Israel will not even compare to the intense presence of the Lord in these days. The appearances of angels will be so common that they will cease to be related as significant events. The Lord Himself will appear to councils of apostles and elders to give them directives. This will impart a courage and peace which will astonish and gain the respect of even the most vehement opposers. Never has the Lord been as personal and intimate with His people as He will be in these days. Believers will be in awe continually, wondering each day what great new things they will see. (Joyner, The Harvest, P.33-34) 

     Already the Spirit is again granting visions to reveal the true power of the Lord Jesus Christ. The strongest of these has been that of evangelist Jesse Duplantis, who in 1988 was taken up in spirit into Heaven, and eventually escorted to Throne room of Almighty God Himself by an assigned to him:     

     When the light from the Throne hit me I couldn't stand up; I fell down, and the angel gave me some more of the fruit saying, "Eat this so you can withstand the glory of God" … Although I couldn't look up for very long at a time, I looked up from the floor in the direction of the overwhelming Light, and I saw Him!  I saw Elohim, Jehovah God, Yahwey sitting on the Throne!  But I saw His feet - only His feet…  I now know why scripture says we can't see Jehovah's face and live - at least I knew I couldn't! I had to keep looking down, the Light was so intense…
      I heard this sound, Whoooooosh!  There was a massive amount of energy in that place. That's the only way I can explain it. You hear that noise, then the energy goes back into Him. There is smoke and power and noise… angels with wings were circling the Throne, singing and shouting, "The Great God Jehovah!"… I was still lying on my face and getting weaker. In that mass of energy and power I could see God, Jehovah - His feet - sitting… then out of that massive energy of Light and love and power I saw Jesus come in human form. There He was like I had seen Him in Paradise. What seemed to be millions of people at the Throne of God fell down before Him…
     He was full of power and preached with authority… He said, "I am going to get My Body, and My Body shall reside in this place that My Father has created for us all." There was a stirring among the people and they began shouting and praising God. He began to shout: "I'm going to get your brothers! I'm going to get your sisters! I'm going to get your family! I'm bringing them back to this place to live with Me forever and ever!" He was a preacher full of victory, shouting and hollering! … even though they were in new celestial bodies, people fell under the power of God. Even in heavenly bodies they fell under God's power… It was the most amazing, powerful experience I have ever gone through.  (Duplantis, Close Encounters Of The God Kind, P.113-117)

     Through the vision, Jesse also came to understand precisely what "at the right hand of God" actually means:

     For the first time in my life I could understand the Trinity in physical terms. Jesus came out of the cloud and the power of the Father. Jesus literally came out of the very existence of Jehovah God, and when He did, the people shouted. Jesus and the Father were One, yet They were Two. He was in the Father and the Father was in Him. He was like at the right hand of God. Only when He came out of that power, He was in human form - something we could touch. (Duplantis, Close Encounters Of The God Kind, P.116)

     Unlike even the redeemed, the Lord Jesus Christ is able to abide within the Fullness of the Father Himself, and enter into Him at will. True to the doctrine of the Trinity, then, the Son possesses ALL the power of His Heavenly Father, for He and the Father are One.
   
         
The Real Mt. Sinai: Evidence Of His Descent In Flaming Fire

     There has already been one occasion when the Lord manifested Himself on this earth in flaming fire: His descent upon Mt. Sinai with His holy angels during the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. God's presence on the mountain is described in scripture as being so terrifying that it left the entire camp of the Israelites, some two million strong, trembling in fear:

     On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, and a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled... Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. (Exodus 19:16,18)

     In the 90s, researchers discovered in Saudi Arabia what is likely the real Mt. Sinai of scripture. Critics have used different arguments to discount findings at Jabal al-Lawz as inconsistent with the Biblical account, but their problem is the sheer amount of evidence in favor of this location. Is it pure coincidence that, unlike at the traditional site said to be Mt. Sinai, there exists at and/or near this site physical evidence to corroborate nearly every single detail of the biblical account, including an altar for the worship of the golden calf, boundary markers surrounding the mountain, the altar built by Moses, the remains of pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel, plus numerous other finds along the journey to the mountain that match up perfectly with the Exodus account (the Red Sea crossing, an underwater land bridge stretching across the Red Sea and visible by air, the Bitter Springs of Marah, the 70 palms and 12 springs of Elim, the potential caves of Moses and Elijah, etc. 
     What they found at the top of the mountain itself is most relevant to this study. When they reached the top of the mountain, they found the entire surface of it to have been left charred and burnt by an exterior heat source. As explorer Bob Cornuke recalled:

     Continuing to Jabal al Lawz, and after a great deal of maneuvering to gain access to the mountain, we found the top of the mountain to be thoroughly blackened, as if the rocks had been severely scorched from without. When we broke open the rocks, we found that they were actually granite rocks with a blackened “rind” that contained an untouched core of pure granite inside. We had already read in Exodus 19:18, “Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire.”

                     

     Whether or not this mountain in Saudi Arabia provides physical evidence that Our God is a Consuming Fire, it is certain that He will be returning again some day in flaming fire to inflict vengeance upon the wicked, just as the apostle Paul promised to the Thessalonians: 

     "[And He shall grant] rest together with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from Heaven together with the angels of His power, who in flaming fire will inflict vengeance upon those who know not God, and those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8a)

     The prophet Isaiah promised the same thing, so we can know that the day is coming coming when the wicked will receive a revelation of the real Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, if they have not repented before this day comes, they will receive a revelation of His true identity too late:
     
     Behold, the Lord is coming as fire, and His chariots as a whirlwind; He will bring down His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with His sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord. (Isaiah 66:15-16, LXX)

     "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:40-42)

     "For as the new Heaven and the new Earth which I make remain before Me, says the Lord, ... they shall go forth, and see the carcases of the men who have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be a spectacle unto all flesh." (Isaiah 66:22, 24 LXX)





 







« Last Edit: March 13, 2023, 05:10:24 PM by Hidden In Him »