WHO IS THE RULER OF THE EARTH?

[Jethro Bodine]

Scripture interprets Scripture

I wish more people would learn this.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

What about 2 Corinthians 4:4
4Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.

I just started reading this thread. I'm 'wondering' why it needed to go 100 replies so far considering the question got answered immediately, lol.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Can't remember if she posted 1 John 5:19
We are the children of God, but the world around us in under the control of the evil one.

Recently, I'm seeing just how dark things really are in this world right now. Very, very dark. I'm just so thankful for the light and life that God has given me.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

I like the way that Paul expressed this problem. He wrote:

2 Timothy 2:26 NLT - "Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants."

The way to be released from Satan's captivity is by receiving the Spiritual Circumcision of Christ. Without this Holy Procedure, there is no hope for Eternal Life with the Father, Son, and Spirit in Heaven.

You do realize that in the first part of that chapter he named names of believers who had willfully decided to teach false doctrine on their own. He held those who men responsible for what they were saying. But as I said, I have no idea what you are saying is the "holy procedure" so it would be better to use words that communicate thought and not religious jargon.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I cannot trust myself to interpret.

What you do is you share whatever you think is right at this time in your learning, just like the rest of us do, and we all learn from one another as we glean bits of truth from each other and inspire each other to deeper, sharpened understanding.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I know certain members do not like me posting commentaries. However, there are men 100 times more educated than I am and called by God that write these commentaries. I cannot deny the truth they teach from scripture. If one studies the Bible, they will see they are in line with Biblical doctrines.

Learning from commentaries is fine. I personally don't use them. I prefer reading the Bible for myself and connecting related passages to arrive at the truth about a matter. May I recommend that what you do is share what you have learned in commentaries in your own words. Then post a link to a commentary, or commentaries at the end. People will be more likely to read what you post if you do that. Oh, and keep it short and concise.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

(T)He occult is back big time in pop culture. Maybe it’s part of the 70s retro thing?

Hmm...interesting. This is exactly what I was talking about when I referred to the world being very, very dark at this time. Alcoholism, drug abuse, and pornography are rampant. And I think it is a direct result of the drug and free love culture of the 60's and 70's. That is our culture now.

 

[GodsGrace]

I agree. The Catholic Church teaches that some people with such intense blindness…which I think the church explains in psychological terms…can still go to Heaven.

This made me think of:

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Many mental problems do not allow a person to know what they are doing.
We trust the mercy of a loving God.

 

[Christ_empowered]

Yeah…

One thing that bothers me? Woke everything. It’s like the worst of 70s radicals with the excesses of 90s political correctness. Cannot.handle.woke

 

[GodsGrace]

I just started reading this thread. I'm 'wondering' why it needed to go 100 replies so far considering the question got answered immediately, lol.

Because we have different opinions.
LOL

 

[GodsGrace]

Recently, I'm seeing just how dark things really are in this world right now. Very, very dark. I'm just so thankful for the light and life that God has given me.

I met satan before I met God.
He was real to me before God became very real.
So I've always seen this darkness in the world around us.
It's apparent to me that the evil one has full control, except for those that really follow God.
(and they have their own problems too...we are not protected from the world around us.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

This made me think of:

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Many mental problems do not allow a person to know what they are doing.
We trust the mercy of a loving God.

Yes, this is the attitude of those who suffered under them should have same as Jesus had. But there is the justice of God that is real as well. Jesus taught in many parables that the Jews who convicted him and saw to it that he was crucified were heavily judged and suffered the judgement of God. Those who pierced him saw the judgement of God and it was terrible. So there is also justice with God. In this we also trust Him.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

I met satan before I met God.
He was real to me before God became very real.
So I've always seen this darkness in the world around us.
It's apparent to me that the evil one has full control, except for those that really follow God.
(and they have their own problems too...we are not protected from the world around us.

I do not see that the evil one has full control. What he would do if he had full control is murder all the children of God. He would do a great deal more harm than is being done as well. Man has free will and we are not rats in a maze under the complete control of Satan. Satan actually is said to "deceive" the nations, not control them.

 

[electedbyHim]

Learning from commentaries is fine. I personally don't use them. I prefer reading the Bible for myself and connecting related passages to arrive at the truth about a matter. May I recommend that what you do is share what you have learned in commentaries in your own words. Then post a link to a commentary, or commentaries at the end. People will be more likely to read what you post if you do that. Oh, and keep it short and concise.

Thanks for the advice. For me to express words on paper is a huge challenge mentally. I have been studying both sides of controversial doctrines for many many years. Commentaries assist in what I believe the Bible teaches. Of course, the Bible is my main authority. I have been shunned over the years because I use commentaries, I am not ashamed of it and understand I am not very educated. It works for me just like listening to sermons on a daily.

I look it at the commentaries and sermons like this...


Act 8:30 And Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
Act 8:31 And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

 

[electedbyHim]

Yeah…

The evil one gets blamed for everything especially in charismatic circles.

This is true, they give satan sovereignty and do not even know it.

 

[Christ_empowered]

I second your emotion on commentaries. Especially for believers who are putting Scripture first they can be incredibly helpful.

 

[jasonc]

The five solas,the papists will hiss .

Solo fide
Sola scriptural
Sola Gloria deo
Solo gratia
Soli christus

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Thanks for the advice. For me to express words on paper is a huge challenge mentally. I have been studying both sides of controversial doctrines for many many years. Commentaries assist in what I believe the Bible teaches. Of course, the Bible is my main authority. I have been shunned over the years because I use commentaries, I am not ashamed of it and understand I am not very educated. It works for me just like listening to sermons on a daily.

The problem with commentaries is they have to be studied because they are too wordy and hard to understand. Bring 'em down to our level and aim for three, maybe four, succinct sentences that state your feelings, thoughts, or convictions about the topic at hand. You'll get better at it with practice. I can be rather verbose, but I learned from reading short posts over the years from people in forums that wordiness isn't what grabs me; hit and run, profound snippets do.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I met satan before I met God.
He was real to me before God became very real.
So I've always seen this darkness in the world around us.
It's apparent to me that the evil one has full control, except for those that really follow God.
(and they have their own problems too...we are not protected from the world around us.

Well, it's interesting to note that the reality of evil is where my journey with God began.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Yeah…

One thing that bothers me? Woke everything. It’s like the worst of 70s radicals with the excesses of 90s political correctness. Cannot.handle.woke

What happens is the next generation ramps the sins up of the present generation exponentially. It only multiples in a society, never lessens (unless God intervenes dramatically). The measure of the level of depravity of a society is the measure of what is done in the light without shame in the present generation that it used to blush at and practice in the dark in the previous generation.