Praying all is well with you!
Well, I have to admit, that as I have grown a little fond of ravens over the last couple of years, I am glad to see that the Ravens hung in there and pulled off, what I hear, was a pretty amazing Super Bowl win last week!
Praise the LORD as we complete our first month of a year that many profits were trying to say would never come! Thank God we have a bible to study to protect us from false alarms!
1 Thessalonians 5:4
But ye, brethren, are NOT in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Now if we can just get people to study their bible to see what it says compared to what people are trying to convince them that it says!
I have not been in the church a long time, but, I have been in it long enough to see that the far majority of Christians just take what they hear on the TV from a sermon or wherever they may get their sermon and just accept it as truth, seldomly, comparing what they are hearing to what is written in God's Word. In fact, here is something you can compare to what you might very well be hearing from behind the pulpit at any moment!
Let me also say that this is not written to take away from the position of pastors as the bible is quite clear that God has set up pastors. I feel that the best of pastors would never want you to take their word for anything without comparing it to Gods' Word! Even Luke mentioned in The Book of Acts that the Bereans were of a noble character because they searched the scriptures daily to see if the things that Paul had mentioned were true.
Acts 17:11
These were more noble (fair minded) than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
First and second Thessalonians consists of eight chapters combined or 136 verses. Could anyone, PLEASE, tell me after reading all eight chapters where you can find that the restrainer that is withholding in 2 Thessalonians 2:6 is the Holy Spirit which will be removed from the earth, so, that the anti christ can be revealed? Don't you dare send me a copy of the "Left Behind" series to prove it!
Remember this!, in verse 6, Paul says, "And now ye KNOW what withholdeth" so whatever is withholding, has to be able to be identified by what the reader has just read and NOT just watched!
The only thing I read that has to do with withholding is 3 verses earlier in verse 3, when Paul says that, "That Day shall NOT come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." I think it's safe to say that those two events are withholding "The Day of The LORD" which has been the theme of the previous chapters of Thessalonians.
In fact, although verse 8, is clearly, talking about the anti christ being revealed, I would say that the He in verse 6 is talking about The LORD being revealed and NOT the anti christ at all! After all, it was just mentioned another eight verses earlier that JESUS was going to be revealed.
2 Thessalonians 1:7
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the LORD Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.
Well, I really did not intend to get into the letters to the Thessalonians at all in this letter;
So, let's see where you are going!
I heard a story a long time ago about a man that went to a restaurant and ordered a bowl of soup. When his soup came there was a fly in his soup. When the waiter returned the man asked the waiter "Could you please tell me what this fly is doing in my soup?" The waiter stared into the soup at the fly for a moment and then the waiter replied to the customer "It appears to be doing the back stroke!"
I was reading in The Book of Joshua recently and had a vision of some of us as Christians possibly doing a little back stroking in our little bowl of soup!
Joshua 24:14
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
It seems that some had crossed the waters of the flood into the truth, but, decided to get back into the water and do a little back stroking towards the gods they had previously served. Sometimes now, I think some, may, just be treading the water. Instead of back stroking all the way to the gods of their fathers, they just try to tread the water and meet the gods of their fathers half way with the truth. Maybe it seems too evil to dislike statues and idols after plugging into the Living Presence of God and not needing such meaningless things anymore!
Joshua 24:15
And if it seems evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Interesting that Joshua did NOT say "As for me, I will serve the LORD and the rest of my house can do whatever they want." What better way to give thanks to God than to show Him the respect He deserves by keeping our house clean of idols and things that dishonor Him, even if, the way seems long at times and the neighbors seem to be able to do whatever they
want and get away with it.
Psalm 73:2-3
But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Whens the last time you spanked your neighbors kids? Probably never, because, you don't spank those that are not yours! Don't be surprised if our God is tougher on us than He is on those around us!
2 Peter 2:21
For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
Please don't let any of this get you down because God only disciplines those He loves!
Hebrews 12:6
For whom the LORD loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth, If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be WITHOUT chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and NOT sons.
God is GoOD! All the time!
Have a blessed day!
and be sure to tell someone about JESUS!
Well, I have to admit, that as I have grown a little fond of ravens over the last couple of years, I am glad to see that the Ravens hung in there and pulled off, what I hear, was a pretty amazing Super Bowl win last week!
Praise the LORD as we complete our first month of a year that many profits were trying to say would never come! Thank God we have a bible to study to protect us from false alarms!
1 Thessalonians 5:4
But ye, brethren, are NOT in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Now if we can just get people to study their bible to see what it says compared to what people are trying to convince them that it says!
I have not been in the church a long time, but, I have been in it long enough to see that the far majority of Christians just take what they hear on the TV from a sermon or wherever they may get their sermon and just accept it as truth, seldomly, comparing what they are hearing to what is written in God's Word. In fact, here is something you can compare to what you might very well be hearing from behind the pulpit at any moment!
Let me also say that this is not written to take away from the position of pastors as the bible is quite clear that God has set up pastors. I feel that the best of pastors would never want you to take their word for anything without comparing it to Gods' Word! Even Luke mentioned in The Book of Acts that the Bereans were of a noble character because they searched the scriptures daily to see if the things that Paul had mentioned were true.
Acts 17:11
These were more noble (fair minded) than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
First and second Thessalonians consists of eight chapters combined or 136 verses. Could anyone, PLEASE, tell me after reading all eight chapters where you can find that the restrainer that is withholding in 2 Thessalonians 2:6 is the Holy Spirit which will be removed from the earth, so, that the anti christ can be revealed? Don't you dare send me a copy of the "Left Behind" series to prove it!
Remember this!, in verse 6, Paul says, "And now ye KNOW what withholdeth" so whatever is withholding, has to be able to be identified by what the reader has just read and NOT just watched!
The only thing I read that has to do with withholding is 3 verses earlier in verse 3, when Paul says that, "That Day shall NOT come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." I think it's safe to say that those two events are withholding "The Day of The LORD" which has been the theme of the previous chapters of Thessalonians.
In fact, although verse 8, is clearly, talking about the anti christ being revealed, I would say that the He in verse 6 is talking about The LORD being revealed and NOT the anti christ at all! After all, it was just mentioned another eight verses earlier that JESUS was going to be revealed.
2 Thessalonians 1:7
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the LORD Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.
Well, I really did not intend to get into the letters to the Thessalonians at all in this letter;
So, let's see where you are going!
I heard a story a long time ago about a man that went to a restaurant and ordered a bowl of soup. When his soup came there was a fly in his soup. When the waiter returned the man asked the waiter "Could you please tell me what this fly is doing in my soup?" The waiter stared into the soup at the fly for a moment and then the waiter replied to the customer "It appears to be doing the back stroke!"
I was reading in The Book of Joshua recently and had a vision of some of us as Christians possibly doing a little back stroking in our little bowl of soup!
Joshua 24:14
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
It seems that some had crossed the waters of the flood into the truth, but, decided to get back into the water and do a little back stroking towards the gods they had previously served. Sometimes now, I think some, may, just be treading the water. Instead of back stroking all the way to the gods of their fathers, they just try to tread the water and meet the gods of their fathers half way with the truth. Maybe it seems too evil to dislike statues and idols after plugging into the Living Presence of God and not needing such meaningless things anymore!
Joshua 24:15
And if it seems evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Interesting that Joshua did NOT say "As for me, I will serve the LORD and the rest of my house can do whatever they want." What better way to give thanks to God than to show Him the respect He deserves by keeping our house clean of idols and things that dishonor Him, even if, the way seems long at times and the neighbors seem to be able to do whatever they
want and get away with it.
Psalm 73:2-3
But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Whens the last time you spanked your neighbors kids? Probably never, because, you don't spank those that are not yours! Don't be surprised if our God is tougher on us than He is on those around us!
2 Peter 2:21
For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
Please don't let any of this get you down because God only disciplines those He loves!
Hebrews 12:6
For whom the LORD loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth, If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be WITHOUT chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and NOT sons.
God is GoOD! All the time!
Have a blessed day!
and be sure to tell someone about JESUS!
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