Created for the devil, agreed. It wasn’t created for man and people who go there won’t be welcome there. God wants to save men from it.
Matthew 25:41
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
The text in Luke 17 lends itself to the 2nd coming however like many other end times Israel salvation prophecies, the Church has an early application of those prophecies. Ie: new covenant, pouring out of the Spirit…et al. Therefore I truly believe it relates both to rapture and 2nd coming.
I did read it and don't agree with it.
I must ask, was Jezebel in Thyatira an actual person many years ago circa AD95 or is she going to be an actual person in the tribulation? We do know that Antipas from Pergamos was martyred sometime between 68-92AD. Will there be another Antipas during the tribulation?
Revelation 1:19
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
The Churches are under the ‘things which are’. The hereafter begins after the Churches.
Revelation 4:1
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.
These were current churches at AD95, some of which Paul himself established. Certainly in the body of Christ. Were those current churches supposed to ignore these warnings from Jesus because they somehow knew the warnings were for the future tribulation period.
You really ignore what Jesus said at your peril.
@JDShuttlesworth Very good, Thanks.
First group prayer…
Acts 4:29
29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
John 15:1-6
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit HE taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
‘Every branch in me’ refers to every Christian or the meaning of this lesson is meaningless. The lesson is to continue to abide/remain in Christ.
I do not believe in salvation by works but we are told to remain in Jesus and let His life in us produce fruit.
Our works of our own flesh are meaningless however Jesus said if we abide in Him, the life of the Vine, His wonderful Holy Spirit will yield fruit in our lives. No man can pluck a Christian from Jesus but Jesus says that the Father God can and will do this.
Jesus reiterated this in Matt. 25. The unprofitable servant, who was no less servant than the other two did not even do the least bit of effort toward the master and was cast into darkness.
Matthew 25:30
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Paul reiterates this warning:
Romans 11:20-22
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
I believe in eternal security and the wonderful grace and mercy and patience of the Lord but there are too many warnings to remain in the faith to believe absolute once saved always saved.
1 Corinthians 15:2
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
There is a big ‘if’ given to believers here.
Colossians 1:23
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
Another big ‘if’ telling us to remain in the faith. ‘Continue in the faith’ means believers.
1 John 2:24
24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
Another big ‘if’ to remain in Christ.
Also, they did have faith…. and face damnation because they cast off their first faith
1 Timothy 5:11-12
11 But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;
12 Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.
Jesus was very clear in John 15 the if a believer stops abiding in Christ, he can do nothing and it is impossible for fruit to be produced by the Life of the Vine.
Fortunately the goodness of the Father causes Him at a moments notice to accept the prodigal back with open arms and celebrate.
John 15:1-6
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit HE taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
‘Every branch in me’ refers to every Christian or the meaning of this lesson is meaningless. The lesson is to continue to abide/remain in Christ.
I do not believe in salvation by works but we are told to remain in Jesus and let His life in us produce fruit.
Our works of our own flesh are meaningless however Jesus said if we abide in Him, the life of the Vine, His wonderful Holy Spirit will yield fruit in our lives. No man can pluck a Christian from Jesus but Jesus says that the Father God can and will do this.
Jesus reiterated this in Matt. 25. The unprofitable servant, who was no less servant than the other two did not even do the least bit of effort toward the master and was cast into darkness.
Matthew 25:30
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Paul reiterates this warning:
Romans 11:20-22
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
I believe in eternal security and the wonderful grace and mercy and patience of the Lord but there are too many warnings to remain in the faith to believe absolute once saved always saved.
1 Corinthians 15:2
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
There is a big ‘if’ given to believers here.
Colossians 1:23
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
Another big ‘if’ telling us to remain in the faith. ‘Continue in the faith’ means believers.
1 John 2:24
24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
Another big ‘if’ to remain in Christ.
Also, they did have faith…. and face damnation because they cast off their first faith
1 Timothy 5:11-12
11 But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;
12 Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.
Jesus was very clear in John 15 the if a believer stops abiding in Christ, he can do nothing and it is impossible for fruit to be produced by the Life of the Vine.
Fortunately the goodness of the Father causes Him at a moments notice to accept the prodigal back with open arms and celebrate.
Correct @JDShuttlesworth.
Israel is the treasure left in the field for later redemption. The pearl is the church redeemed right away. Of course the man in the parable is the Lord like He is in all this chapter.
Matthew 13:44-46
A Buried Treasure
44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
The Pearl of Great Price
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Great lesson:
Food for thought:
Apostasia in earlier translations before KJV was simply ‘departure’. It is qualified with ‘Moses’ in Acts 21:21 to mean departure from the Law.
A loose translation of 2 Thess 2:3 due to the context of the removal of the restrainer of the antichrist would be:
The day(age) of the Lord shall not come until the departure (of the church to heaven) that the antichrist is revealed.
This a slam dunk for the pre tribulation rapture.