Parousia....not Rapture

[Vic C.]

But a word of caution........ stay on the line of Christ or one could end up like some of those end-time fuddy-duddys you mentioned in your post above.

They were looking for something else out of this book. Just look for Christ and the rest will spontaneouly come into view.

Thanks cj, I needed that. ;-)

fuddy-duddys? LOL Ok, lets get back to the topic at hand. What was it again? 8-)

Oh yeah, the parousia. :angel:

 

[cj]

There is only one reason God keeps us on this earth Vic, to build us up in Him and with Him; which is the same as saying He keeps us on this earth for His building of His church.

The building up of a many single believers issues in the corporate reality of the church.

Many folks think that the more people that are saved is the larger the church becomes, and in a limited sense this is true.

But in a greater sense, the more an individual believer is builded up in God the larger the church becomes.

The church is just Christ, and so the more Christ that gets into believers the larger Christ becomes in His expression.

Since this is the reason that God keeps us on this earth, we can be cinfident that everything He has given us in His word is for the purpose of building His church. Therefore, the most amount of light that a believer can receive as he reads the bible is when he reads it with a view of the building up of the body, the building of the church.

When you are reading His word, always ask Him "How is this related to the building up of the body of Christ?"


Jesus declared.... "I will build my church."


The most precious thing to Him is the person who's heart is one with Jesus in His building of the church.

Its a very fine line Vic, and God gave us only one ministry for the carrying out of this building, Paul's ministry.

Are you one with Paul?


In love,
cj

 

[Jay T]

"I was fascinated with the whole pre trib thing since the late 70's."

When related to this.....

"Look at all this without the preconceived notions you already have. Let God's word speak for itself. That's all I can ask of you. I can't convince you of anything. That's God's job."

And God tells us ...that there is no pre-trib return of Jesus christ....as the post shows.

 

[Vic C.]

"I was fascinated with the whole pre trib thing since the late 70's."

When related to this.....

"Look at all this without the preconceived notions you already have. Let God's word speak for itself. That's all I can ask of you. I can't convince you of anything. That's God's job."

And God tells us ...that there is no pre-trib return of Jesus christ....as the post shows.

Jay, you quoted me but credited cj. I assume you are addressing cj, since I am not Pre Trib.

Vic

 

[Solo]

Where is the Church referred to as Jesus' Bride in scriptures?

The word Bride is found in four places in New Testament scripture. In John, John the Baptist refers to himself as the best man, not the bridegroom. In Revelation 18:23 the fact that the bridegroom and bride will be heard no more in Babylon after it is destroyed. The other three times that the word Bride is use is in Revelation referring to New Jerusalem as the Bride.

John 3:29
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

Revelation 18:23
And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

Revelation 21:2
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:9
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

Revelation 22:17
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

In Revelation 19 the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready. When one reads Revelation 19-22 it is apparant that the marriage takes place after the King destroys iniquity for the final time on the earth, and the earth and heavens are made over. The marriage of the Lamb takes place after the new heaven and new earth is made.

Revelation 19:7-8
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

No where else in the New Testament is the word Bride found nor the word wife outside of this post. Why?

 

[PHIL121]

It should also be noted some preterists would claim the Church is "a holy nation" based upon Matthew 21:43 .

Yet no where elese in the Bible is the Church refered to as "a nation".

 

[Solo]

It should also be noted some preterists would claim the Church is "a holy nation" based upon Matthew 21:43 .

Yet no where elese in the Bible is the Church refered to as "a nation".

Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. Matthew 21:43

The word translated Nation in the New Testament is also translated Gentile 93 times, heathen 5 times, and people 2 times. The Greek word is a neuter noun tranliterated Ethnos and was translated as Nation 64 times.

Ethnos is defined as:

1. a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together

a. a company, troop, swarm

2. a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus

a. the human family

3. a tribe, nation, people group

4. in the OT, foreign nations not worshipping the true God, pagans, Gentiles

5. Paul uses the term for Gentile Christians

 

[cj]

It should also be noted some preterists would claim the Church is "a holy nation" based upon Matthew 21:43 .

Yet no where elese in the Bible is the Church refered to as "a nation".

Tell me, what is the content of a Kingdom?


In love,
cj

 

[PHIL121]

It should also be noted some preterists would claim the Church is "a holy nation" based upon Matthew 21:43 .

Yet no where elese in the Bible is the Church refered to as "a nation".

Tell me, what is the content of a Kingdom?

I would say Solo's definition #2 sums it up well