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A Revelation of Jesus Christ - Revelation 1:1

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Commissioning the Twelve Apostles depicted by Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1481.
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The Apostles Doctrine

Commissioning the Twelve Apostles depicted by Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1481.

The Apostles Doctrine: Commissioning the Twelve Apostles depicted by Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1481.

Easy Believism vs. The Doctrine!

Modern Christianity often attempts to remove the absolutes of the scriptures.  What I call easy believism seems to be the hallmark of many churches in this day.  What do the scriptures reveal regarding this vital subject?  What is doctrine?  And what exactly is the Apostles Doctrine?  Doesn’t doctrine tend to divide people?  Can’t we all just follow the leading of the Holy Spirit?   One fact is certain, and that is the 1st Century Church continued steadfastly in the Apostles Doctrine.

Many Christians tend to shy away from any discussion of doctrine.  First off what exactly is doctrine?  Well, it’s simple!  Doctrine is simply a body of principles presented for acceptance of belief.  In other words, it’s something that is taught; a teaching.  No one can escape doctrine.  Everyone, whether they know it or not, believes and practices some type of doctrine. 

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Who Is Your Momma?

Trial of Apostle Paul – Painting by Nikolai Bodarevski

Early in the book of Galatians, Paul, the Apostle, pointed to a problem for the Galatian believers.  What Paul identified was that some of the Galatian Christians wanted to impose Judaic customs on other believers.  Some Galatians believed that Mosaic (Jewish) customs were essential to salvation while others claimed they were essential for spiritual growth.  In Galatians, we see Paul strongly arguing against these ideas and teachings.

Paul starts his letter to the Galatians by defending the Gospel and his Apostleship.  Paul reminds them that his salvation and growth as a Christian was independent of men and even separate from the Apostles in Jerusalem.  Paul comes out against the teaching that Diaspora believers must become like Judaics to be right with God.

Paul makes it clear to the Galatians that the only true children of Abraham were believers in Jesus Christ whether they be Judeans or Diaspora believers.

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Knowledge Shall Increase and Then the End

Visualization from the Opte Project of the various routes through a portion of the Internet

Visualization from the Opte Project of the various routes through a portion of the Internet

For the last 30 years, I have heard that an increase in technology, knowledge, and travel are sure signs of the “end times.”  All one has to do is look at the tremendous advancements in computing power, and you’d have to conclude that knowledge and technology are rapidly increasing.  The go-to scripture that is cited is found in Daniel 12:4:

 Daniel 12:4 (KJV) But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Seal the Book, Daniel!

Let’s look at this verse, pick it apart to see what the scriptures reveal.  The two signs that are mentioned here are an increase in human knowledge and travel.

Like many, I taught that Daniel was referring to the rapid development of both travel and technology.  Our great-grandfathers traveled by horse-drawn carriages but today we travel by commercial jet. 

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Perilous Times Shall Come!

Worlds End View - Perilous Times?

             Worlds End View

This past August I decided to reward my two youngest children by taking them and their mother on a Caribbean cruise.  It was their first cruise and trip out of this country.  We packed our bags and away we went.  Of course one of the best parts of cruising is the shore excursions.  There were many shore excursions to choose from on our three country stops.  One activity that I wanted to introduce my children to was snorkeling.  So during our stop in Roatan, Honduras we decided to snorkel in the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean.

As Christians, we believe in modest dress.  It is possible to dress modestly even when going for a swim or in our case snorkeling.  I can guarantee that my wife and daughter weren’t wearing bikinis nor were my son and I in Speedos!

Upon arrival at the snorkeling location, we saw a group of young Honduran men waiting at the end of the pier.  These young men would serve as guides for our snorkeling adventure.  One of the guides, however, hurriedly made a beeline for us. 

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Hurricanes – God’s End Time Judgement?

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee – Painting by Rembrandt 1632

Hurricanes – God’s End Time Judgement?

I live in south Louisiana.  Hurricanes are a way of life for us.  Hurricane Katrina put about 5 feet of water in my home.  It would take over a year to rebuild.  I am 65 years old.  There have been many famous hurricanes blow thru my neck of the woods. In my lifetime there have been 26 named hurricanes affecting south Louisiana.  So a hurricane affects Louisiana on average of once every two years.

Recently hurricane Harvey devastated Corpus Christi and Houston, Texas.  This was followed soon after by hurricane Irma plowing through the Caribbean and Florida.  What I have observed is that every time we experience a hurricane, some people will say that it’s proof of God’s End Time judgment.  While Harvey and Irma were mega-storms, there have been many other major hurricanes, in Louisiana and across the world.  Records of storms can be found going back over 400 years.

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False Christs and False Prophets During the Lifetime of Jesus

Peter's Conflict with Simon Magus

False Prophets – Peter’s conflict with Simon Magus by Avanzino Nucci, 1620. (Simon is on the right, dressed in black.)

 

Are there false Christs and prophets today?  Of course, there are!  What about in the first century?  This article will explore that question.  Jesus warned His first-century followers to “take heed.”  The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke serve as warnings to the disciples of Jesus.  Jesus was addressing His disciples in the first century.

Matthew 24:3-5 (KJV)  – And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Mark 13:21-22 (KJV)  – And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.



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The Elders

The Ordination of Elders Painting by John Henry Lorimer (1856–1936)

The Ordination of Elders – Painting by John Henry Lorimer (1856–1936)

According to the Bible, the focal point all church leadership is the elder.  But who, according to the Bible, is an elder?  Well, an elder is one of a number of biblically qualified men who jointly shepherd and oversee a local body of believers.  The word that is translated “elder” is used almost twenty times in the book of Acts and the epistles.

The Office of Elder

There are numerous passages in the New Testament that indicate that the words “elder” (presbyter), “overseer” (episkopos), and “pastor” (poimen) all refer to the same group of men or office.  Some think that overseers and pastors are distinct from elders, but this is not the case.  All of these terms are simply different ways of identifying the same group of men.  There is a parallel between the qualifications for a bishop (episkopos) in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and those for an elder (presbuteros) in Titus 1:6-9. 

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Kingdom of God. Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter by Pietro Perugino (1481-82)
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Which Kingdom Did Jesus Come to Establish?

Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter by Pietro Perugino (1481-82)

Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter by Pietro Perugino (1481-82)

Did Christ come to set up an earthly kingdom? Did Jesus come to establish two kingdoms?  Many of the Hebrews believed that Christ was to come to re-establish the earthly political kingdom of Israel. Many Judaic and Christian Zionists believe the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 is a precursor to the physical, millennial reign of the Judaic Messiah. However, the scriptures declare that the kingdom of God was “at hand” in the first century A.D.

Believers were told to repent and believe in the gospel “for the kingdom of God was at hand.”  So did Christ bring the kingdom of God to his people? Are will there be a future physical millennial kingdom of Israel? Let’s explore what the scriptures reveal.

The Ancient Kingdom of Israel

Abraham’s children left Canaan for Egypt, but God promised Abraham that his seed would be regathered back to the promise land.

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The Nature of the Kingdom of God

Caesar's Coin (1790), painting by Domingos Sequeira - Nature of the Kingdom of God

Caesar’s Coin (1790), painting by Domingos Sequeira

What is the nature of the Kingdom of God?  What do the scriptures reveal about the Kingdom of God?  Are we to expect a physical Kingdom here on earth?  Scripture has a lot to say about this subject.  Jesus Christ manifested Himself to bring this Kingdom into reality.  The phrase “Kingdom of God” appears sixty-nine (69) times in the King James Version Bible.  That fact alone should give us a sense of the importance of the “Kingdom of God.”  The phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” is found thirty-two (32) times in the KJV.  Other phrases used by Jesus such as “my kingdom” are used five (5) times.  In my opinion, the main message that Jesus and John the Baptist proclaimed was the arrival of the “Kingdom of God.”  First, let’s look at how the Jews of the first century received that message.

A Conquering King?

The Jews of the first century, living under the heavy yoke of the Roman government, yearned for a conquering King that would throw off that yoke. 

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The Truth of God and Being Born Again

The following article was submitted by a Scripture Revealed reader Ken Klimaitis.

Jesus and Nicodemus Painting by Crijn Hendricksz, 1616–1645

Jesus and Nicodemus, Painting by Crijn Hendricksz, 1616–1645

I wanted to share scriptural truths to help those seeking salvation. I have always wondered why some have accepted the doctrine of the Trinity when you cannot find this term in scriptures. The doctrine of Trinity teaches that there is one God in three persons. When you understand the principle of Aleph/Taw in Hebrew, it represents total completeness. It is hard for our minds to understand total completeness from the beginning to the end.

Spirit and in Truth

Yehweh revealed himself in the form of a quickening Spirit when he overshadowed Mary. The “Y-Chromosome Genome” of the Spirit was infused into Mary to manifest God in the flesh. The Mashiach was the Son of God from the Eternal Spirit of Yehweh, but He was the Son of Man from the flesh of Mary. As the Son of Man, he set the example of how we were to live a humble, holy and righteous life before our Creator.

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