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Bob10

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Several years ago I came to realize that most of the arguments about whether Christians should observe the biblical festivals or not were largely irrelevant. They
depended on interlaced proof texts, and both sides had enough proof texts to defend themselves against the other. What I came to see was that the issue would never be settled by this kind of argument.

One year at the Feast of Tabernacles, I came to realize that there was a strong Christian connection here. Not merely in what Christians do, but in what Christ did. I did the necessary work to follow through the chronological implications of Jesus’ birth and realized that Jesus was most likely born on or near the first day of the Feast. And I realized then that I had closed a circle.

In the beginning of his Gospel, John introduced us to the concept of the Word of God. It is a familiar passage: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made†(John 1:1-3).

Then, John plainly identifies the Word as Jesus Christ: “And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us†(verse 14). The word, “dwelt,†in Greek is
the verb form of the word “tabernacle.â€Â

John said that “the Word was made flesh, and tabernacled among us.†I realized that I now saw the life, work, and ministry of Jesus in every single one of the holydays.

Once you understand that the festivals of the Bible are all about Christ and His work, the idea that they might be abolished becomes absurd. And all the typical proof texts have to be looked at in a new light.

When you understand that Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles all picture the work of Jesus Christ, you have made a major step forward in understanding.

http://www.cemnetwork.com/church/ --- click on beach picture
 
Hi there!

One may teach that there is a relationship between the Jewish holidays and Christ, but it certainly isn't a requirement of Christianity to live by the law, but instead, it is a requirement of "faith" in Jesus Christ as one's personal Savior.


~serapha~
 
Faith establishes the law

Thank you for commenting.

I guess I disagree here slightly.

God's people have often times provoked the Lord by not keeping His commandments, statutes and judgements. The Lord says of these people, "....they are a very froward [stubborn, disobedient] generation, children in whom is no faith" (Deut. 32:20).

Being disobedient to the LORD is having no faith. It is called "forgetting the LORD" (Deut. 8:11).

Paul reiterates what the LORD says, "Do we make void the law through faith? God forbid: yes, we establish the law" (Rom. 3:31).

Through FAITH, Moses kept the Passover (Heb. 11:28), which Paul also reiterates for Christians (1 Cor. 5:7-8).


The way which they call hersey, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets (Acts 24:14).
 
HI there!


And I thought that being disobedient to the Lord was "sin"... yet you call it "having no faith".



~serapha~
 
And I thought that being disobedient to the Lord was "sin"... yet you call it "having no faith".


Don't forget the Lord, by not keeping His commandments, statutes and judgements -- Deut 8:11.

Here sinning is equated with forgetting the Lord.

"....if you do at all forget the LORD your God.....you shall surely perish....because you would not be OBEDIENT to the voice of the LORD your God" -- Deut. 8: 19-20

*************************************

The ancient House of Israel did not keep the Lord's commandments and statutes. They were stiff-necked like their fathers who did not believe in the LORD (vs 14) -- 2 Kings 17: 12-17, kjv.

Here sinning is termed as not believing in the LORD.

"Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of His sight" - 2 Kgs. 17: 18.
 
Mike01075

The link you provided sounds like the old WCG all over again...

I never found their teachings to be biblically wrong in the first place.

1) the soul -- or as the Hebrew word nephesh is also translated, creature -- is a mortal living being.

2) therefore, people thrown into gehenna fire will be utterly destroyed, not burning forever and ever.


http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/nephesh.html
 
Hi there!


The Hebrew term for "soul" is a concept and not a direct translation of a word. It is the inner man which is in contrast to the outer man, the physical body. Being a concept, the word soul covers a large territory...thus, the broad range of translation that you have described.

That does not altar that the term is still a concept with the entirity of the concept being the entirity of the inner man.

Please, don't limit the word to a part of the concept.


~serapha~
 
The Hebrew term for "soul" is a concept and not a direct translation of a word. It is the inner man which is in contrast to the outer man, the physical body. Being a concept, the word soul covers a large territory.....

serapha, thanks for your comments.

But I couldn't disagree more whole-heartedly.

The Hebrew word, nephesh, only means a mortal flesh and blood creature.

Before it is ever used for a human being (Gen. 2:7), it is used for the creatures that God created (Gen. 1:20, kjv - margin).

Gen. 1:30, kjv - margin - animals are a living soul like man - Gen. 2:7.

http://www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/view.cgi?number=T5974

http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/nephesh.html
 
Bob10 said:
The Hebrew word, nephesh, only means a mortal flesh and blood creature....

Of course, you are entitied to your opinion, however, most scholars disagree with your statement that "nephesh" refers only to mortal flesh and blood.

http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/5/1092278502-5678.html
nephesh

1) soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion

a) that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man

b) living being

c) living being (with life in the blood)

d) the man himself, self, person or individual

e) seat of the appetites

f) seat of emotions and passions

g) activity of mind

1) dubious

h) activity of the will

1) dubious

i) activity of the character

1) dubious


http://www.menfak.no/bibelprog/vines?word=¯t0002707


"The language of Heb. 4:12 suggests the extreme difficulty of distinguishing between the soul and the spirit, alike in their nature and in their activities. Generally speaking the spirit is the higher, the soul the lower element. The spirit may be recognized as the life principle bestowed on man by God, the soul as the resulting life constituted in the individual, the body being the material organism animated by soul and spirit.


From Vine's Hebrew text...


(Hebrew)

The Hebrew system of thought does not include the combination or opposition of the terms "body" and "soul" , which are really Greek and Latin in origin. The Hebrew contrasts two other concepts which are not found in the Greek and Latin tradition: "the inner self" and "the outer appearance" or, as viewed in a different context, "what one is to oneself" as opposed to "what one appears to be to one's observers." The inner person is nepes, while the outer person, or reputation, is sem, most commonly translated "name"

The soul then is "the inner self"



~serapha~
 
Hi there!


"eternal life" give my soul eternal life. As the Bible states, this physical body dies... to be resurrected in the first resurrection, and at time reunited with the soul which has never died.




a[fqartoß from
(1) (as a negative particle) and a derivative of (5351)

Transliterated Word TDNT Entry
Aphthartos 9:93,1259
Phonetic Spelling Parts of Speech
af'-thar-tos Adjective

Definition
uncorrupted, not liable to corruption or decay, imperishable
of things


immortal
of the risen dead



1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever


that word used for "not of corruptible" is the same word used as "immortal"

~serapha~
 
OFF TOPIC

Bob10 said:
Mike01075
The link you provided sounds like the old WCG all over again...
I never found their teachings to be biblically wrong in the first place....
I noticed that too Mike.

Bob, my first 'real' exposure to the Bible was through the WCG in 1988. It was a couple of years after Armstrong died and right about the time they were going through some doctrinal changes. Under close examination, you have to admit that some of Armstrong's teachings were 'fringe'. Some would even go as far as saying 'cultic'.

I have a whole bunch of info on him if you or anyone care to discuss him in the future.
 
Re: OFF TOPIC

Vic said:
Bob10 said:
Mike01075
The link you provided sounds like the old WCG all over again...
I never found their teachings to be biblically wrong in the first place....
I noticed that too Mike.

Bob, my first 'real' exposure to the Bible was through the WCG in 1988. It was a couple of years after Armstrong died and right about the time they were going through some doctrinal changes. Under close examination, you have to admit that some of Armstrong's teachings were 'fringe'. Some would even go as far as saying 'cultic'.

I have a whole bunch of info on him if you or anyone care to discuss him in the future.

You and I both Vic!

I still have some of my old Plain Truth magazines and some of my "United States / Britian and Prophecy" books too. I grew up with them since I was 5, went through all the doctrinal changes, and now attend a different church.

Not only was Armstrong's teachings on the fringe, but the use of the tithes from church members could have been spent in a more practical way.

I believe they are on the right track now.....IMHO.
 
10% tithe for starters. It wasn't considered an opportunity to give, it was demanded. My parents were scaping to make ends meet and on food stamps at times. My Dad was working all across the North East traveling from job to job, sending my mom the checks in the mail and coming home to see us only for Saturdays. 20 years later my Dad becomes assistant Pastor of the local WCG church and has the opportunity to see the famous Ambasador College Auditorium with Gold leaf wall paper. Gold leaf wallpaper? We were scraping to make ends meet and the tithe was used for Gold Wallpaper?

Where was the heart in giving? WCG taught it was demanded of you, not an option.

(whew....thanks for letting me vent) :roll:
 
Or how about that Herbert W. Armstrong associated the WCG as the only chruch affiliated to the "Phillidelphia Church" (Rev 3:7-1) and all other churches were pagan?
 
for sure, if you need the money to feed your family -- family should come first.


But perhaps the Lord did personally bless you all for tithing - even in some obscure way?
 
To get us back on topic...

Armstrong used to forbid the celebrating of Christian Holidays. Now they (WCG) consider it 'optional'.


Mike, I think we discussed this before...I too have many of my old Plain Truth mags and The World Tomorrow videos. I recently re-subscribed to the Plain Truth again.
 
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