Charismatic Bible Studies - 1 Peter 1:10-12

[Hidden In Him]

Satan's Continued Opposition Until The Second Coming Of Christ



From now until the return of Christ, Satan will seek to destroy as many lives as he can. The greater purpose where the church is concerned will be to make believers afraid of death, hoping they will renounce their faith in Christ, lose their salvation, and bring shame upon the Lord Jesus Christ in the process. But the teaching of the early church was to not consider it a strange thing when one endured fiery trials. Rather, the mindset was to understand that such trials were refining their faith to the place where he could no longer dissuade them. No matter what Satan did he would never get the victory over them, for they would stand firm in the Lord Jesus Christ until His return.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has given us birth again unto a living hope... In which you rejoice, if for a little while it is necessary at present, having been put to grief amid various trials, that the proving of your faith, much more precious than gold that perishes, being proven out by fire, might be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:6-8)

At the present time, those who are drawing closer to Him are going through our own refining process. Yet in the end-times it is promised that the entire church will be purified and refined, in particular as the time of the Antichrist finally draws near. This is promised in two different places in the book of Daniel:

8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?” 9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days." (Daniel 12:8-11)

“[The Antichrist] shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time. 26 ‘But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. 27 Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’" (Daniel 7:23-27)

Peter now referenced these passages in Daniel, but focused on the last verses, and the glory that the saints would inherit for having withstood Satan's attacks and remained faithful to the Lord until the end.

For you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls, regarding which salvation the prophets, having prophesied of the grace predestined for you, undertook research and investigation, searching into the time and circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was disclosing when He testified beforehand of the sufferings until Christ, and the glories [to follow] afterwards, to whom it was revealed that not to themselves but to you they were ministering these prophesies, which have now been conveyed to you by those having preached the gospel to you through the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven, [prophecies] which angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:9-12)

There is often a common error in the translation here, and it obscures the point Peter was trying to make. He was stressing to his readers the sufferings they would have to endure, but the glory that awaited them in eternity. However, the translation is often rendered as "the sufferings of Christ" even though the expression is not in the genitive. The actual wording on the Greek is simply "the sufferings until Christ" (εἰς Χριστὸν παθήματα), and it refers more specifically to the sufferings the saints would have to endure until Christ's return, just as Daniel mentioned how the saints would be given into the hands of the Antichrist until Messiah came in power.

A similar construction is used in Daniel 9:25, where the Greek Old Testament has Daniel using a virtually identical expression, one almost invariably translated "until Christ the Prince":

And you shall know and understand, that from the going forth of the command for the answer, and for the building of Jerusalem until Christ the Prince (τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ ἕως Χριστοῦ ἡγουμένου), there shall be sixty-nine weeks... (Daniel 9:25, LXX)


What Angels Desired To Know

Who was Peter referring to specifically in mentioning how the prophets "undertook research and investigation, searching into the time and circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was disclosing when He testified" of the coming sufferings? Daniel, first and foremost, because as we have already quoted in the previous section, Daniel specifically asked the angel about this.

But how did he know that even angels were looking into the same question? Because Daniel 12 says they were. The prophet described a scene where he saw two angels standing on opposite sides of a river, and one inquired of the other when all these things would be fulfilled. The rest of the passage (here quoted again) states that Daniel then asked the same question himself:

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people — everyone whose name is found written in the book — will be delivered... Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two [angels], one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the one clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” The one clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by Him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has finally been broken, all these things will be completed.” I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, when will the end of all this be?” He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand." (Daniel 12:1, 5-10)

This then is specifically what Peter was referring to in describing how the Old Testament prophets were searching into things which even the angels of God desired to know about. But by New Testament times the church finally understood these things, and through their preaching even the angels of God were finally coming to a better understanding of the overall plan of God, such as how the Gentiles would be allowed into the kingdom of God, as Paul described to the Ephesians:

8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery... 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church [even] unto principalities and powers in the heavens. (Ephesians 3:8-10)

 

[Hidden In Him]

Rising From Ashes To Glory

So what is the Spirit saying now regarding what is coming, and the opposition Satan will raise up against the church in the end-times? The same messages He was during New Testament times, only in increasing detail. Satan will still gloat over the lives he takes, but the keys of Death and Hell no longer belong to him, which means that his "victories" will be hollow ones. The Gates of Hell can no longer prevail over the faithful, and they won't even descend to Hades now. They will simply ascend directly to the Father forever, and Satan will be left with nothing to show for it.

Before the fresco burned black candles. The flickering lights from the candles seemed to give the fresco a life of its own. The fresco began at its base with recounting after recounting of brutal tortures of some of God’s people. Those being tortured still seemed alive. The fresco was like none I had ever seen. It was similar to a hologram. Light from the candles caused the pictures to have progressive action, so that those suffering suffered again, with Satan supposedly gaining the victory again and again. Barbarous. My eyes traveled up this mountain of slaughter to about one-third of the way to the ceiling. Here the fresco began to depict a mound of skulls. This mound rose to a throne of skulls upon which sat the goat-like legs of a satyr. The enthroned creature had the torso and arms of a human but the head and horns of a goat. In this goat/man's left hand was held a picture of the world. In his other hand was the location for two keys. The outline of the keys was still there, but the keys of Death and of Hades had been removed from his hand. The fresco vaulted up until it covered the first half of the ceiling like a frightful canopy. It was Satan, goat-like, enthroned upon a mountainous pile of human skulls. He was gloating in sinister splendor. As God the Father is enthroned upon the praises of His people, Satan is enthroned upon his murderous savageries and sadistic cruelties. A chill ran through me. Flickering light from the black candles caused Satan’s face to move, seemingly to change before my eyes. His snake-like eyes glared at me. (The Priestly Bride, Rountree)

Nevertheless, in keeping with the above vision, the Spirit is saying the churches need to prepare for severe tests to their faith as the time of the Antichrist approaches. But the threat of such evils will refine and purify their faith just as Daniel prophesied. They will master trusting the Lord for everything, including where their food comes from, and in standing for Christ in the face of Satan's every threat, they will know that great will be their reward in Heaven:

The beast will arise to the acclamation of the world, for he will bring peace and prosperity such as none can remember. When he has gained world dominion, those without his mark in their foreheads or their hands will not be able to buy food, clothes, cars, houses or anything else that is bought. Neither will they be able to sell anything they own to anyone else unless they have the mark. The Lord God expressly declares that those who take the mark have affirmed their allegiance to the beast and will be cut off from the Lord God forever. They will have their place with the unbelievers and workers of iniquity. The mark states simply that those who possess it have rejected God and have turned to the beast for sustenance. The beast and his followers will persecute those who refuse the mark and will kill many of them. Whatever pressures they can bring to bear will be used to force believers of the true God to be marked. Children and infants will be killed before the eyes of the parents who refuse to take the mark. There will be a time of great mourning.... 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 the Lord God. But blessed are those who die in the Lord, for great will be their reward. (Baxter, A Divine Revelation Of Hell).

Part of their reward will involve being remembered throughout eternity for standing for Christ in the darkest time in human history. Their resolute faith in and obedience to Christ despite the dangers will be a marvel for the world to behold, and they will lead many to righteousness as a result. Their wisdom will be in knowing beyond doubt that there is a life far greater than this one waiting for them in eternity, and that those who knuckle under to the enemy just to save their lives in this world will forego a perfect world in eternity for a dark and miserable one down here, and only for a short time anyway:

At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book... 3 Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:1, 3)

As Paul once taught in 2nd Timothy, because they endured sufferings with Christ they will reign with Christ forever. But it will require the faith to withstand being sifted like wheat by the enemy, just as Peter was, and many of the promises Christ spoke to him will become increasingly relevant to us as well:

28 “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. 29 And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” 31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” 33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” 34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.” (Luke 22:28-34)

Hopefully many in the end-times do not have to experience the pain Peter experienced in denying the Lord, but so long as they don't take the mark and hand themselves over entirely to the enemy, there will still be time to correct the wrongs they have committed before Christ. And ultimately Satan will find that many would prefer dying for their faith rather than serve him, an ultimate insult to the "god" who supposedly controls everything. They will arise in victory, having proclaiming the Lord Jesus Christ without fear, knowing that what they will have greater rewards in eternity than anyone down here knew anything about.


Questions & Applications

1. Do you think you will live to see the return of Christ, or the rise of the Antichrist? Why or why not?

2. Do you think you would be ready if Satan were to desire to sift you like wheat? What would it reveal about the quality of your faith, as it did with the apostle Peter and other New Testament saints of God?

3. A demon once told exorcists who were trying to cast him out in the name of the Jesus whom Paul preached, "Jesus I know and Paul I know, but who are you?" Do you think you have raised enough trouble for Satan's kingdom that they know who you are, and take you as a serious threat?

A few additional threads that relate to this last question:

Does The Enemy Know Who You Are? Part 1

Does The Enemy Know Who You Are? Part 1 If the enemy does not know who you are personally, then you are not doing something right, and apparently don't pose a serious enough threat that he even has to pay any attention to you yet. Such was not the case with the apostle Paul, for as scripture...

christianforums.net

Does The Enemy Know Who You Are? Part 2

Does The Enemy Know Who You Are? Part 2 Does the enemy know who you are? I was interacting with a friend of mine who has a history of witchcraft in her family line, and requested that I pray against ancestral spirits. She is of Native American origin, and they do indeed have a long history of...

christianforums.net

_________________________________

Original Thread:

1 Peter 1:10-12

Satan's Continued Opposition Until The Second Coming Of Christ From now until the return of Christ, Satan will seek to destroy as many lives as he can. The greater purpose where the church is concerned will be to make believers afraid of death, hoping they will renounce their faith in...

swf.community.forum

 

[RandyK]

Rising From Ashes To Glory
Questions & Applications

1. Do you think you will live to see the return of Christ, or the rise of the Antichrist? Why or why not?

No, the world is still engaged in successful evangelism.

2. Do you think you would be ready if Satan were to desire to sift you like wheat? What would it reveal about the quality of your faith, as it did with the apostle Peter and other New Testament saints of God?

I'll never say I'm invincible. However, I've been "sifted," and am probably mature enough to trust in the Lord's power to keep me on track.

3. A demon once told exorcists who were trying to cast him out in the name of the Jesus whom Paul preached, "Jesus I know and Paul I know, but who are you?" Do you think you have raised enough trouble for Satan's kingdom that they know who you are, and take you as a serious threat?

Undoubtedly. I'm not a large target, but I've had a target on my back for years.

 

[RandyK]

Satan's Continued Opposition Until The Second Coming Of Christ

For you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls, regarding which salvation the prophets, having prophesied of the grace predestined for you, undertook research and investigation, searching into the time and circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was disclosing when He testified beforehand of the sufferings until Christ, and the glories [to follow] afterwards, to whom it was revealed that not to themselves but to you they were ministering these prophesies, which have now been conveyed to you by those having preached the gospel to you through the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven, [prophecies] which angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:9-12)

There is often a common error in the translation here, and it obscures the point Peter was trying to make. He was stressing to his readers the sufferings they would have to endure, but the glory that awaited them in eternity. However, the translation is often rendered as "the sufferings of Christ" even though the expression is not in the genitive. The actual wording on the Greek is simply "the sufferings until Christ" (εἰς Χριστὸν παθήματα), and it refers more specifically to the sufferings the saints would have to endure until Christ's return, just as Daniel mentioned how the saints would be given into the hands of the Antichrist until Messiah came in power.

I think that the thought has to do both with the sufferings of Christ and our sufferings when we choose to live through him. If we are to rise with him we must 1st live through him. In doing so, we must also suffer for him.

The Prophets knew Christ would be persecuted as the living Word of God. When we embrace his word we also suffer for preaching and for living God's Word.

Satan's whole deal is to oppose God's authority over his will, to hate God's Word and will. He is opposed to God's control over his part of the universe

What Angels Desired To Know

Who was Peter referring to specifically in mentioning how the prophets "undertook research and investigation, searching into the time and circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was disclosing when He testified" of the coming sufferings? Daniel, first and foremost, because as we have already quoted in the previous section, Daniel specifically asked the angel about this.

But how did he know that even angels were looking into the same question? Because Daniel 12 says they were. The prophet described a scene where he saw two angels standing on opposite sides of a river, and one inquired of the other when all these things would be fulfilled. The rest of the passage (here quoted again) states that Daniel then asked the same question himself...

Interesting! Yes, if we take the Scriptures here seriously, the angels are really asking each other things, and not just pretending to help Daniel. They are actually "inquiring into these things!" Thank you!

This then is specifically what Peter was referring to in describing how the Old Testament prophets were searching into things which even the angels of God desired to know about. But by New Testament times the church finally understood these things, and through their preaching even the angels of God were finally coming to a better understanding of the overall plan of God, such as how the Gentiles would be allowed into the kingdom of God, as Paul described to the Ephesians:

8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery... 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church [even] unto principalities and powers in the heavens. (Ephesians 3:8-10)

Well, that puts a whole new light upon this passage. I've always wondered why Paul could speak so confidently of "prinipalities and powers." I'd heard it came from Daniel, but I didn't quite realize how?

 

[Hidden In Him]

Undoubtedly. I'm not a large target, but I've had a target on my back for years.

Glory. I used to have in my signature at some forums, "A target everywhere I go, but His grace is sufficient." Might have been a bit over the top, but then I just stopped posting as much so I kinda forgot how it was. If I were to be posting material elsewhere still, I would be taking all kinds of Hell for it. Even here there would be a serious price to pay, only we have things set up here to where people of various denominational and doctrinal backgrounds are free to post in their own denomination's Autonomous Zone without having to worry about getting hassled. But yes, that would be my answer as well. I'm not sure how LARGE a target I am yet, but I've had one on my back for years, and it wouldn't take me long to be reminded of it if I stepped out into traffic and was instantly becoming a victim of vehicular manslaughter again, LoL.

I think that the thought has to do both with the sufferings of Christ and our sufferings when we choose to live through him. If we are to rise with him we must 1st live through him. In doing so, we must also suffer for him.

This is good theology, and I don't take away from the sufferings of Christ on our behalf for an instant; nor that we live our lives in and through Him. I just noticed that the common translated actually deflected away from Peter's intent, which was directed specifically at discussing the sufferings the saints would encounter.

I think the fact that we naturally ascent to the sufferings of Christ being an integral part of the Christian faith is why so few have noticed there is technically a mistake in translation there.

The Prophets knew Christ would be persecuted as the living Word of God. When we embrace his word we also suffer for preaching and for living God's Word.

Yes. They foresaw both Christ's sufferings and ours.

Interesting! Yes, if we take the Scriptures here seriously, the angels are really asking each other things, and not just pretending to help Daniel. They are actually "inquiring into these things!" Thank you!

That's the real interesting part about the interpretation. And thank you.

Well, that puts a whole new light upon this passage. I've always wondered why Paul could speak so confidently of "prinipalities and powers." I'd heard it came from Daniel, but I didn't quite realize how?

There's actually a whole teaching on that as well, but I'll have to save that for another study : )

Thanks for the responses!

 

[RandyK]

I think the fact that we naturally ascent to the sufferings of Christ being an integral part of the Christian faith is why so few have noticed there is technically a mistake in translation there.

My brother, who is an amateur translator for both Hebrew and Greek, has taught me to respect the translators. Not saying they're as perfect as Jesus Christ, but they represent a lot more than we may see on the surface.

My brother has referred me to the NET Bible for better understanding of the original meaning of various passages. On this particular one, 1 Peter 1.9-13, I read this: tn Grk “the sufferings unto Christ,” i.e., sufferings directed toward him, what he was destined to suffer.
LINK

I've been humbled enough times that I now have to reserve my strong opinions and reduce them to moderate opinions, conditioned upon reference to multiple good resources. ;)

I don't really know, but at this point I can't say that there was a mistranslation here. These things have been chewed on and passed through several stomachs for many generations in all traditions. Fortunately, we still have a pretty reliable Bible!

 

[Hidden In Him]

My brother has referred me to the NET Bible for better understanding of the original meaning of various passages. On this particular one, 1 Peter 1.9-13, I read this: tn Grk “the sufferings unto Christ,” i.e., sufferings directed toward him, what he was destined to suffer.
LINK

Afternoon Randy! and thanks for the thoughtful response.

Here is what happens when you are dealing with a word like εἰς in the expression εἰς Χριστὸν. This is the kind of word that was so widely used that it developed all sorts of meanings, and it is translated as such in our Bibles. The base meaning was "into" or "unto" or "towards," but used of time the meaning became "until." You can see this in additional verses of scripture:

It was just before the festival of Passover, and Jesus, knowing that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father, showed his love to his own who were in the world, loving them until (εἰς) the very end. (John 13:1).

So they laid hands on them and put them in custody until (εἰς) the next day, since it was already evening. (Acts 4:3).

Now before faith came, we were held in custody under the law, imprisoned until (eis) the coming faith would be revealed. (Galatians 3:23)

This use was also very common in Classical Greek, in expressions like "until my time," or "until sunset." (see Liddell-Scott, P.491, "Used of Time"). So the tricky part with words like this is that it becomes a matter of discernment as to what the accurate translation should be. I'm strongly led to believe it is used of time here, just as in the parallel use in Daniel 9:25 (in the sense of "until"), because the subsequent interpretation makes perfect sense of the passage and what Peter was referring to specifically when he was talking about prophets and angels desiring to look into things.

I do hold the translation "of" to be plausible based on NT usage as well, only it doesn't have the same strength of argument regarding what Peter was specifically referring to in the above.

 

[RandyK]

Afternoon Randy! and thanks for the thoughtful response.

Good afternoon to you, as well, sir!

I plead ignorance. My brother has more than once embarrassed me, so I mark as "tentative" on many of my positions. I tried to take a position on the "Greek language" on the matter of what 2 Thes 2.7 meant by εκ μεσου γενηται? It means "out of the midst come to be." But I won't get into this anymore--I'm EMBARRASSED! ;)

Anyway, you may or may not be right--I don't know. I'm not the language person. Thanks for your thoughts.

Regardless, I agree with the basic idea that God has foreseen the suffering of Christians--it doesn't really matter to me what Scriptures we base that on.

We need to face the need to carry a Word from God that we know will be seen by the enemy and attacked mercilessly. But God is in charge, and He will allow only so much before shutting down Satan's malicious operations.

After all, God is the judge of heaven and earth--angels in heaven are not immune from the judgment God brings, not just in the distant future, but even right now, as well. Take care!

 

[Hidden In Him]

I tried to take a position on the "Greek language" on the matter of what 2 Thes 2.7 meant by εκ μεσου γενηται? It means "out of the midst come to be." But I won't get into this anymore--I'm EMBARRASSED! ;)

No, no! That's actually correct! or very close to it depending on how you interpret the meaning. We'll get into that passage somewhere down the road, but I don't think the traditional interpretation is correct there either, so that should make for an interesting discussion : )

 

[SuperKal]

1. Do you think you will live to see the return of Christ, or the rise of the Antichrist? Why or why not?

2. Do you think you would be ready if Satan were to desire to sift you like wheat? What would it reveal about the quality of your faith, as it did with the apostle Peter and other New Testament saints of God?

3. A demon once told exorcists who were trying to cast him out in the name of the Jesus whom Paul preached, "Jesus I know and Paul I know, but who are you?" Do you think you have raised enough trouble for Satan's kingdom that they know who you are, and take you as a serious threat?

A few additional threads that relate to this last question:

Does The Enemy Know Who You Are? Part 1

Does The Enemy Know Who You Are? Part 1 If the enemy does not know who you are personally, then you are not doing something right, and apparently don't pose a serious enough threat that he even has to pay any attention to you yet. Such was not the case with the apostle Paul, for as scripture...

christianforums.net

Does The Enemy Know Who You Are? Part 2

Does The Enemy Know Who You Are? Part 2 Does the enemy know who you are? I was interacting with a friend of mine who has a history of witchcraft in her family line, and requested that I pray against ancestral spirits. She is of Native American origin, and they do indeed have a long history of...

christianforums.net

_________________________________

Original Thread:

1 Peter 1:10-12

Satan's Continued Opposition Until The Second Coming Of Christ From now until the return of Christ, Satan will seek to destroy as many lives as he can. The greater purpose where the church is concerned will be to make believers afraid of death, hoping they will renounce their faith in...

swf.community.forum

1. Do you think you will live to see the return of Christ, or the rise of the Antichrist? Why or why not?

Yes, I do believe we will see both the rise of the Antichrist and the return of Jesus.
I personally believe that we are at the third seal... no, I am not an historicist, I am a futurist, but nothing in the Book of Revelation says that the first 4 seals happen within the7 year tribulation period. Even Irenaeus, who was a student of Polycarp, who in turn was a student of the Apostle John, believed that the rider on the white horse In Revelation 6:2 was Jesus Christ and the spreading of the gospel around the world, So the belief that the horseman are not necessarily take place within those seven years is not a new perspective, it is an extremely ancient perspective

2. Do you think you would be ready if Satan were to desire to sift you like wheat? What would it reveal about the quality of your faith, as it did with the apostle Peter and other New Testament saints of God?

He has already tried to do that... when I moved from Texas to Minnesota in 2014, my wife's parents, her mother and stepfather, for a time where a united front, did not allow me and my wife to practice Christianity and while we were there. It even got to the point where her stepfather threatened my life with a gun, and threatened to kidnap my wife and keep her under house arrest. It was the Lord who told us to flee from that house that night, and I'm glad he did.

3. A demon once told exorcists who were trying to cast him out in the name of the Jesus whom Paul preached, "Jesus I know and Paul I know, but who are you?" Do you think you have raised enough trouble for Satan's kingdom that they know who you are, and take you as a serious threat?

I have had personal first hand experiences with exercising demons from people who I love and care about, and I remember one particular instance particular demon, who was higher ranking than others (the person who was possessed was possessed by more than one demon), Before the demon fled, this demon said to me, I kid you not, "you really are a pain in the neck to us"... as long as I live, I will never forget that moment, and as long as I live and breathe, I won't be as much as a pain in neck to them as I can.

 

[RandyK]

1. Do you think you will live to see the return of Christ, or the rise of the Antichrist? Why or why not?

Yes, I do believe we will see both the rise of the Antichrist and the return of Jesus.
I personally believe that we are at the third seal... no, I am not an historicist, I am a futurist, but nothing in the Book of Revelation says that the first 4 seals happen within the7 year tribulation period. Even Irenaeus, who was a student of Polycarp, who in turn was a student of the Apostle John, believed that the rider on the white horse In Revelation 6:2 was Jesus Christ and the spreading of the gospel around the world, So the belief that the horseman are not necessarily take place within those seven years is not a new perspective, it is an extremely ancient perspective

2. Do you think you would be ready if Satan were to desire to sift you like wheat? What would it reveal about the quality of your faith, as it did with the apostle Peter and other New Testament saints of God?

He has already tried to do that... when I moved from Texas to Minnesota in 2014, my wife's parents, her mother and stepfather, for a time where a united front, did not allow me and my wife to practice Christianity and while we were there. It even got to the point where her stepfather threatened my life with a gun, and threatened to kidnap my wife and keep her under house arrest. It was the Lord who told us to flee from that house that night, and I'm glad he did.

3. A demon once told exorcists who were trying to cast him out in the name of the Jesus whom Paul preached, "Jesus I know and Paul I know, but who are you?" Do you think you have raised enough trouble for Satan's kingdom that they know who you are, and take you as a serious threat?

I have had personal first hand experiences with exercising demons from people who I love and care about, and I remember one particular instance particular demon, who was higher ranking than others (the person who was possessed was possessed by more than one demon), Before the demon fled, this demon said to me, I kid you not, "you really are a pain in the neck to us"... as long as I live, I will never forget that moment, and as long as I live and breathe, I won't be as much as a pain in neck to them as I can.

You "won't be" or you "will be" as much of a pain in the neck to them as you can? Just trying to understand....

You have an interesting perspective on the nearness of Christ. I hold to only a 3.5 year "Tribulation Period." But I do think it's possible that the 4 Horsemen have already been releasing their "seals."

It's certainly possible the Antichrist is alive today. I just don't know how old he is likely to be? But then I'm getting into the "prediction" field, where I'm bound to fail. ;)
Thanks, Randy

 

[SuperKal]

You "won't be" or you "will be" as much of a pain in the neck to them as you can? Just trying to understand....
Thanks, Randy

My apologies, I meant to say "will be", Speech-to-text can be quite irritating at times, thank you for catching that, I will change it.

edit: Never mind, I can't change it

 

[hawkman]

1. Do you think you will live to see the return of Christ, or the rise of the Antichrist? Why or why not?

Yes, I do believe we will see both the rise of the Antichrist and the return of Jesus.
I personally believe that we are at the third seal... no, I am not an historicist, I am a futurist, but nothing in the Book of Revelation says that the first 4 seals happen within the7 year tribulation period. Even Irenaeus, who was a student of Polycarp, who in turn was a student of the Apostle John, believed that the rider on the white horse In Revelation 6:2 was Jesus Christ and the spreading of the gospel around the world, So the belief that the horseman are not necessarily take place within those seven years is not a new perspective, it is an extremely ancient perspective

Yeah , third seal I would agree to that .

 

[Hidden In Him]

Before I respond, SuperKal, I took the liberty to enlarge your font size (so I could read it. )

1. Do you think you will live to see the return of Christ, or the rise of the Antichrist? Why or why not?

Yes, I do believe we will see both the rise of the Antichrist and the return of Jesus.
I personally believe that we are at the third seal... no, I am not an historicist, I am a futurist, but nothing in the Book of Revelation says that the first 4 seals happen within the7 year tribulation period. Even Irenaeus, who was a student of Polycarp, who in turn was a student of the Apostle John, believed that the rider on the white horse In Revelation 6:2 was Jesus Christ and the spreading of the gospel around the world, So the belief that the horseman are not necessarily take place within those seven years is not a new perspective, it is an extremely ancient perspective

That's interesting. I like references to early church as they show how grounded particular interpretations were. I don't believe they were always 100 accurate with everything they taught, but I have always found it fascinating that the Epistle of Barnabas took the position that it would be 6,000 years from the time of creation before the Lord's return would come, for instance. That was a far cry from what the early church appeared to believe prior to that, when it seemed they were expecting His return in their lifetimes. But I think what took place with the Roman conquest of Judea was accompanied by a greater revelation concerning the ultimate fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.

2. Do you think you would be ready if Satan were to desire to sift you like wheat? What would it reveal about the quality of your faith, as it did with the apostle Peter and other New Testament saints of God?

He has already tried to do that... when I moved from Texas to Minnesota in 2014, my wife's parents, her mother and stepfather, for a time where a united front, did not allow me and my wife to practice Christianity and while we were there. It even got to the point where her stepfather threatened my life with a gun, and threatened to kidnap my wife and keep her under house arrest. It was the Lord who told us to flee from that house that night, and I'm glad he did.

Powerful testimony. I had to be exceedingly selective about the wife I chose, and in part because I knew the kind of trouble that could be coming if I wasn't careful.

3. A demon once told exorcists who were trying to cast him out in the name of the Jesus whom Paul preached, "Jesus I know and Paul I know, but who are you?" Do you think you have raised enough trouble for Satan's kingdom that they know who you are, and take you as a serious threat?

I have had personal first hand experiences with exercising demons from people who I love and care about, and I remember one particular instance particular demon, who was higher ranking than others (the person who was possessed was possessed by more than one demon), Before the demon fled, this demon said to me, I kid you not, "you really are a pain in the neck to us"... as long as I live, I will never forget that moment, and as long as I live and breathe, I won't be as much as a pain in neck to them as I can.

I think they always know who you are if you are a genuine exorcists in Christ, LoL. I can't imagine them being more terrified of anything. I remember reading a similar account of an exorcist where they told him something very close to that. They eventually threatened to destroy his church, and within a month had brought the membership down to like 38 people or something. But his response was "Whatever doesn't truly belong to Christ, let it RIP."

 

[SuperKal]

That's okay, I got a little confused in the font size when I was making that post, the font size for this forum is a little bit different than other forms than I have frequented in the past.

That's interesting. I like references to early church as they show how grounded particular interpretations were. I don't believe they were always 100 accurate with everything they taught, but I have always found it fascinating that the Epistle of Barnabas took the position that it would be 6,000 years from the time of creation before the Lord's return would come, for instance. That was a far cry from what the early church appeared to believe prior to that, when it seemed they were expecting His return in their lifetimes. But I think what took place with the Roman conquest of Judea was accompanied by a greater revelation concerning the ultimate fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.

It's actually interesting that you bring that up, because what you're referring to is something called the Six Day Theory. Was held by Justin Martyr, by found in the Epistle of Barnabas, I was also referred to by Irenaeus, and a few others... for those who don't know what that is, it was the belief that the six days of creation were not only literal six days, but there were also figuratively and symbolically the number of years that the Earth would exist for until the return of Christ...

they were chiliasts, so they believed that the day of the Lord was 1000 years, and they took those six days to mean 6000 years, how God created the world in six days, and on the seventh day God rested, so therefore the world would be around for 6000 years, Jesus Christ would return at the end of the 6000 years, and then there would be a sabbath rest, a Sabbath that lasted for 1000 years. It's really an interesting doctrine, and it also proves that the early church was premillennial in their eschatological thinking.

Powerful testimony. I had to be exceedingly selective about the wife I chose, and in part because I knew the kind of trouble that could be coming if I wasn't careful.

This was one of the more difficult situations in my spiritual life. I wanted to be married, but I did not want to spend an untold amount of time going through girlfriends, and dates, and breakups, and heartache, because I saw some of my guy friends going through that... I asked the Lord help me find a Girlfriend who would become my wife tom and at first I had a lot of faith in that, but then my faith started to wane in that, and I tried to find a romantic relationship among my friends, which did not work at all... I finally realized that come I've stopped looking, and I just tried eharmony, and I met this beautiful woman who lived almost 2000 miles away from me, and I said to myself why not? I have never done a long distance relationship, but, why not? Three months later we decided to court one another officially. 6 months later, I proposed to her in a Japanese tea garden in San Antonio TX, and then six months later, almost to the very day, my now wife and I got married.

The reason I bring that up with my wife is because there's honestly more to it... the day before our lives were threatened, and we were kicked out of that house, her stepfather approached me and tried to tell me that he did not want me practicing my faith, he didn't want me talking about it, and I asked him, "why do you hate Christianity so much?"...
I am telling you the truth, when I asked him that, he convulsed, he had an uncontrollable spasm...
And I know I shouldn't swear or make promises our oaths...
but, I kid you not, for a moment, his entire body morphed.
A shake in his body started from his legs and moved upward towards his shoulders, and as that happened, that's when I saw his body and his head physically transformed into something other than human. I know how crazy that sounds, I don't believe in lizard people, I don't believe in body changing people who are now the president, I don't believe in any of that conspiracy theory junk dot dot but I am telling you. Here. Today. When that happened, for a split second, In that moment, he did not resemble a human being.
His head, for a split moment, resembled that of a snake.
I saw it and I said out loud "oh wow did you just see that?" My wife was right next to me and said, "yes I did just see that, what was that!?"...
every day when we were in that house, we were fighting Satan, and we were fighting an untold number of spiritual enemies...
and the next day, that night, all that went down, and he was possessed by a demon, and he passed that into my wife, and I had to deliver my wife from that man and that demon

I think they always know who you are if you are a genuine exorcists in Christ, LoL. I can't imagine them being more terrified of anything. I remember reading a similar account of an exorcist where they told him something very close to that. They eventually threatened to destroy his church, and within a month had brought the membership down to like 38 people or something. But his response was "Whatever doesn't truly belong to Christ, let it RIP."

It's these experiences that I hold on to that remind me who I need to be in Christ, what I need to do more to be in Christ... The Lord even gave me a dream two nights ago about my own faith, and he told me that it needs to grow, so that the spiritual sword of the spirit that I wield can be bigger, and stronger, and that I need to work on my shield, and that's what I'm trying to do right now in my life.

 

[Hidden In Him]

A shake in his body started from his legs and moved upward towards his shoulders, and as that happened, that's when I saw his body and his head physically transformed into something other than human. I know how crazy that sounds, I don't believe in lizard people, I don't believe in body changing people who are now the president, I don't believe in any of that conspiracy theory junk dot dot but I am telling you. Here. Today. When that happened, for a split second, In that moment, he did not resemble a human being.
His head, for a split moment, resembled that of a snake.

Might have been something the Lord simply revealed to you both in the spirit realm, to expose who it was you were actually talking to. Demons hate Christianity and they hate Christ in human beings, so it stands to reason.

It's these experiences that I hold on to that remind me who I need to be in Christ, what I need to do more to be in Christ...

I teach this all the time, and that supernatural encounters with the Lord can be what bolsters our faith in times of trials and distress. I'm the same way and have been for decades now.

 

[RandyK]

My apologies, I meant to say "will be", Speech-to-text can be quite irritating at times, thank you for catching that, I will change it.

edit: Never mind, I can't change it

Yes, you have only so much time to edit. But it doesn't matter. You've followed up with an explanation. I thought that's what you meant, regardless--just wanted to make sure. I appreciate it....

 

[Br4nd0n]

There is often a common error in the translation here, and it obscures the point Peter was trying to make. He was stressing to his readers the sufferings they would have to endure, but the glory that awaited them in eternity. However, the translation is often rendered as "the sufferings of Christ" even though the expression is not in the genitive. The actual wording on the Greek is simply "the sufferings until Christ" (εἰς Χριστὸν παθήματα), and it refers more specifically to the sufferings the saints would have to endure until Christ's return, just as Daniel mentioned how the saints would be given into the hands of the Antichrist until Messiah came in power.

I didnt say it from the first study here. The study about heavenly rewards and mansions. But i felt it was crucial to have that focus.

Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

And now again. It seems crucial to have this focus, on these details that youve now mentioned in the grammer, and on the refining process. I also thought it was Providence that your last study started addressing the refining process and just a day before you posted, a friend was messaging me in another forum about that exact thing and giving me keys to pursue that path.

1. Do you think you will live to see the return of Christ, or the rise of the Antichrist? Why or why not?

The rise of the pseudochrist is definitely happening. Western society is being groomed for it right now and that is a fact.

In my own head and my own heart, i have no idea if i will live to see the pseudochrist come to power. I believe the population needs to be further brainwashed so that there is less resistance when he actually does arrive.

 

[Br4nd0n]

something called the Six Day Theory.

ive heard of it and didnt know the history or name of it, thanks kal

 

[Hidden In Him]

I didnt say it from the first study here. The study about heavenly rewards and mansions. But i felt it was crucial to have that focus.

Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

That's absolutely right, and there are a lot of ways we can make that mistake. We get caught up in marriages, when Paul said "Let those who are married be as though not married." We get caught up in hoarding money and building a savings, when the scriptural teaching was to be content with food and clothing; paranoid about prolonging our lives when the Lord said, "Fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in Hell."

Nothing wrong with wanting to enjoy a good marriage, or save, or take care and prolong our lives wisely. But what is our bigger focus? like you said. If we are too attached to the world, we won't be able to let go of it when the enemy threatens to take it away.

In my own head and my own heart, i have no idea if i will live to see the pseudochrist come to power. I believe the population needs to be further brainwashed so that there is less resistance when he actually does arrive.

That's correct. They are clearly getting there. but erasing all vestiges of Christian influence out of Western society will take some real doing. especially when the power of God is released in the earth once more and the world sees who the Real God is; not the government and the powers that be, but the One who can feed thousands with a few fish and some loaves of bread.