TO BEAR THE CROSS BEING TO SEE THAT WE ARE TERMINATED

What does it mean to bear the cross? To bear the cross means to see that we are finished and ended. As soon as we begin to love someone, the cross will operate in us to kill our love. Can a crucified person still love others by himself? Can someone who is on the cross still be active? Can someone who is on the cross still do something? It is impossible. If we know the cross and bear the cross, we will immediately see that the cross has already terminated us.

We all know that when we light a kerosene lamp, at the beginning it does not smoke, but later, after we twist the wick and raise it, the smoke comes out. Our loving others by ourselves is like lighting a kerosene lamp. When we first love someone, there is no "smoke," but after loving him more, the "smoke" comes out. This is our flesh. Today we may approve of this one and appreciate him, but tomorrow we may disapprove of him and belittle him. Therefore, when someone praises us, we should not be too excited, because later he may be the one who attacks us the most.

If a person has not been dealt with, he may do good things now, but that does not necessarily mean that he will not do bad things later. A person cannot be pure unless he has been dealt with. For this reason, God has a strict requirement on us. He requires us to be delivered not only from evil and from good, but He also requires us to be delivered from our self. Hence, we must have the experience of the cross; we must pass through the cross.

HAVING SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES BY PASSING THROUGH THE CROSS

The genuine experience of a Christian is the experience of the cross. Only those who have passed through the cross will be able to stand the tests, the blows, and the various trials and afflictions. Regrettably, many Christians have been saved for years but still do not have the experience of the cross. It seems that their experiences of their prayers being answered, their preaching of the gospel being effective, and their having fellowship with the saints are all spiritual experiences. But strictly speaking, whoever has not passed through the cross has not had any spiritual experiences. Only those who have passed through the cross have had spiritual experiences. Our being, our self, must first be broken and terminated by the cross. Then Christ can gain some ground in us and come out through us, and His life can also be constituted into us.

Christ is the life, and the cross is the way. Without the cross, we cannot have the experience of Christ’s life. Some saints fervently love the Lord, but eventually they fall, become weak, and even get into trouble. Why? It is because they have never passed through the cross. Someone may be stumbled and may stop coming to the meetings because he was told by an usher to sit in the front row. Another one who was zealous in preaching the gospel may suddenly stop preaching because others looked at him with cold eyes. What kind of experience is this? This shows us that these people have not been dealt with by the cross. If a person has been dealt with by the cross, he will not have these negative feelings. The fact that we can sense whether people welcome us or not proves that the cross has never done the breaking work in us. Only those who have passed through the cross can endure hardship and are real spiritual men.

Saved doesn't mean we don't fail

Not sure to "jelas" on? These verses are a lot to cover. Firstly, the Gospel of Matthew is not a book of history, but a book of doctrine. Matthew puts together certain historical facts for the purpose of revealing a doctrine. If you compare the four Gospels, you will see that Matthew presents the facts of history in an order different from that found in Mark or John. Mark and John [somewhat] were written according to the sequence of history. The arrangement of the facts in Matthew's record, however, is not according to history, because Matthew presents to us the doctrine concerning the kingdom. Thus, Matthew does not care for historical sequence; he cares for doctrinal sequence.

For example, Matthew 8:1-17 three miracles—the cleansing of the leper, the healing of the paralyzed Gentile servant boy, and the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law—and the healing of many are grouped together to present a meaningful doctrine. Here, the Lord came first to the Jews first (signified by the leper). He came first to reach the Jews to heal them and to bring them salvation. Then, along the way, the Gentiles are believe always by FAITH (centurion). Peter's mother-in-law in vv. 14-15 represents the Jews living at the end of this age, who will be saved by receiving the kingly Savior (Rom. 11:25-26). At that time, during the great tribulation, the Jews in the eyes of God will be "in a fever" (v. 14), "hot" in things other than God. At the end of this age all the remnant of the Jews will be saved in the house of Israel. Furthermore, they will be saved by the kingly Savior's direct touch.

The sequence will be always like this: the Lord came to Jews first, rejected, the Gentiles came in by faith, then the Lord will return to the Jews at the end of the age.

In 9:18-34 we have the repetition of signs. These verses give a brief picture of this age and the coming age, as that in 8:1-17. The daughter of the ruler of the synagogue represents the Jews, and the woman with the hemorrhage represents the Gentiles [again BY FAITH]]. When the daughter died, the woman was healed. After the woman was healed, the daughter was revived. Following this, two blind men and one dumb man were healed. This is a type, showing that when the Jews are cut off, the Gentiles are saved and that after the fullness of the salvation of the Gentiles, the Jews will be saved (Rom. 11:15, 17, 19, 23-26). Following this, the millennium will begin, and at that time all the blind and the dumb will be healed (Isa. 35:5-6).

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All those "long-winded" blah was to present a point, Matthews cares for doctrinal sequence in presenting the kingly Christ.

Ok ... the case of Canannite woman also falls in it. Immediately after the dispute regarding the washing of hands, there is a record of feeding on Jesus (15:21-28). In the original text of the Bible, there were no paragraphs or verses. Thus, the second section was the immediate continuation of the first section. Matthew had a definite reason for putting these two sections together.

His purpose was to show that what the Lord wants is not the washing of hands, but the eating of Him, the taking in of Him as food. He does not want us to wash outwardly; He wants us to eat, to take Him in.

The Lord does not care about the washing of hands. Whether you are outwardly dirty or not does not mean anything to Him. What truly matters to the Lord is that your hunger is satisfied. What matters to the Lord is not outward practices, but the inward condition. We should not outwardly wash away the dirt; rather, we need to be cleansed from within.

Verse 22 says, "And behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those regions and cried out, saying, Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is badly demon-possessed!" Due to the rejection of the religious Jews, the opportunity to contact the heavenly King came to the Gentiles, even to a weak Gentile woman. The Canaanite woman addressed the Lord Jesus as the Lord, the Son of David. As a Gentile woman, it was proper for her to address Christ as the Lord. However, she had no right to call Him Son of David; only the children of Israel were privileged to do so.

Although the Lord was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, at the time of 15:21-28 He was in a Gentile region. This afforded the Gentiles an opportunity to participate in His grace. This bears dispensational significance, showing that Christ came to the Jews first, but due to their unbelief, His salvation turned to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46; Rom. 11:11).

In verse 25 the Gentile woman rightly called Jesus the Lord and worshipped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" This second time she called Christ only Lord, not the Son of David, because she realized that she was not a child of Israel, but a heathen.

In verse 26 the Lord answered the Canaanite woman: "It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs." The heavenly King's ministry in all His visits created opportunities for Him to reveal Himself further. In the situations created in chapters nine and twelve, He had opportunities to reveal Himself as the Physician, the Bridegroom, the new cloth, the new wine, the Shepherd, the real David, the greater temple, the Lord of the harvest, the greater Jonah, and the greater Solomon.

Here another opportunity was created for Him to reveal Himself as the children's bread. The Canaanite woman considered Him the Lord, a divine Person, and the Son of David, a royal descendant, great and high to reign. But He unveiled Himself to her as small pieces of bread, good for food. This implies that, as the heavenly King, He rules over His people by feeding them with Himself as bread. We can be the proper people in His kingdom only by being nourished with Him as our food. To eat Christ as our supply is the way to be the kingdom people in the reality of the kingdom.

The Lord said that the children's bread should not be thrown to the dogs. This indicates that in the eyes of the Lord all the heathen are dogs, which are unclean in the eyes of God (Lev. 11:26).

When the Lord Jesus referred to the Canaanite woman as a dog, she said, "Yes, Lord; for even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table" (v. 27). The Canaanite woman, not offended by the Lord’s word, but rather admitting that she was a heathen dog, considered that at that time Christ, after being rejected by the children, the Jews, became crumbs under the table as a portion to the Gentiles. The holy land of Israel was the table on which Christ, the heavenly bread, came as a portion to the children of Israel. But they threw Him off the table to the ground, the Gentile country, so that He became broken crumbs as a portion to the Gentiles. What a realization this Gentile woman had at that time! No wonder the heavenly King admired her faith(v. 28).

The Canaanite woman did not come to the Lord because she was hungry; she came because her daughter was sick. But the Lord turned the situation to the matter of eating. Although the woman’s request had nothing to do with eating, the Lord purposely related her case to the matter of eating to show us that what we need is not outward washing, but eating for the inward nourishing.

In his doctrinal arrangement Matthew put these matters together that we might understand that for the kingdom of the heavens we do not need outward cleansing, but what we need is for Christ to get into us. Are you sick or weak? Do you have certain problems? Do not try to deal with these things in an outward way. Instead, deal with them in an inward way by eating Jesus. In fact, you should forget about all those things. What you need is not outward washing, but Christ coming into you. The Lord seemed to be saying to the Canaanite woman, “You don’t need healing. You need Me! And you do not need Me outwardly; you need Me inwardly. You need to eat Me. I came as bread for people to eat, to digest, and to assimilate. I would like to get into your being, into your system, vessels, and fibers. I would like to get into your very constituent and become you. Thus, you need to eat Me. Don’t deal with things in an outward way. Rather, deal with everything in an inward way by taking Me into you. As long as I can get into you to nourish you, every problem will be solved."

P.S. Sorry ... I have to jump verses for the main point only ... getting too long. You will notice that the disciples and the woman were in the principal of the law, always telling the Lord what to do. Many times, we are always like this.

Grace be with you

Why is it controversial leh?

The law of the old dispensation deals with the outward act of adultery, whereas the new law of the kingdom deals with the inward motive of the heart.

The Lord just expose that we aren't able to live according to the reality of the kingdom in ourself as we are full of anger and lust. We need the Lord Himself.

This post has been edited by pehkay: Jul 31 2014, 11:30 AM

Indeed I too will smile as in that your viewing it as right and wrong ... just so lawful as depicted.

Oh, btw how am I in league with his view?

Wah, you are not sure of whether my statements are the same with him ... yet you are making a claim?

I am referring to the views on how you evaluate each and everyone's views. Whether it is right or wrong ... you are trying to put either of us in either the "yes" camp or the "no" camp on whether "we must not look women with lust".

What if I say that it is not a matter of either "can" or "cannot", then how?

This post has been edited by pehkay: Jul 31 2014, 12:35 PM

NEEDING TO WALK ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT IN ORDER TO LIVE CHRIST

We have seen the matter of living Christ (Phil. 1:21; Gal. 2:20). Romans 8:4 shows that we need to walk according to the spirit, which is the practical way to live Christ. We are often distracted from walking according to the spirit. We may be distracted even by apparently positive things, such as preaching the gospel. We need to pay our full attention to walking according to the spirit in order to live Christ.

The church fathers taught much about the person of Christ, but most neglected to live Christ. The more they taught about Christ, the more they were divided and fought one another because of different interpretations and doctrines. Christians have emphasized various kinds of works and teachings throughout the past nineteen centuries, but few have lived Christ.

When we face serious problems, we often pray desperately to seek the Lord's leading. Before we give a message, it is easy to pray. However, walking according to the spirit is different from praying in difficult situations or before spiritual activities. To walk according to the spirit is to do everything in our daily life according to the spirit. We need to walk according to the spirit moment by moment, not only in big things but also in small things, such as writing a letter or talking with our family at the dinner table. If we cannot do or say something according to the spirit, we should not do or say it. We must admit that we are short of such a living. To pray only during the meetings or when we face a great problem is not to walk according to the spirit. Our walking according to the spirit in our daily living should be like our breathing. If we do not live Christ or walk according to the spirit, our spiritual activities may be a performance. We should not act one way in the meetings and another way in our daily life.

WALKING EITHER ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT OR ACCORDING TO THE FLESH

When we are not walking according to the spirit in our daily life, we are walking according to the flesh. According to Romans 8:4-9, anything that is not according to the spirit is according to the flesh. There are only two sources and two conditions of our living—the spirit and the flesh. Outward behavior, such as whether we are loving or hating others or praising or criticizing others, does not determine whether we are living according to the spirit or the flesh. Even our love is according to the flesh if it is not according to the spirit. We may rarely speak negatively, but even our positive speech that is not according to the spirit is still according to the flesh.

Perhaps it is difficult to know the spirit, but it is easy to know what is not the spirit. For instance, we know when our speaking is not according to the spirit, even when it is positive. In order to be able to live according to the spirit, it is sufficient for us to know when our speech and actions are not according to the spirit. However, we do not practice such a life. During the meetings we may conduct ourselves according to the spirit, but after the meetings we often feel free to speak and do things according to the flesh. It is not sufficient merely to live morally or ethically or even to decide what to do based on the Spirit’s leading, for we may be led by the Spirit to do something but then do it according to the flesh. We need to do everything according to the spirit, thinking, speaking, and acting moment by moment according to the spirit.

CHRISTIAN SERVICE BEING CHRIST

We all should be clear that from the beginning of our Christian life, all of our experiences—including repentance, believing in the Lord, baptism, attending the meetings, and preaching the gospel—are all experiences of Christ and are Christ Himself. What then is Christian service? Christian service is Christ. If the element in our service is not Christ, then our service does not have much value in God’s eyes. In John 15, the Lord Jesus clearly said, "He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing" (v. 5). Apart from the Lord, apart from Christ, we cannot even talk about service.

What counts and has spiritual value before God is what we do while we are abiding in the Lord and the Lord is abiding in us. For the Lord to abide in us means that the Lord is joined to us, whereas for us to abide in the Lord means that we are joined to the Lord. Only when we are in union with Christ will what we do be something that Christ does through us, and only this has spiritual value to God. All that we do out of ourselves, with ourselves, and by ourselves can gain the praises of man but not the acceptance of God. God accepts only Christ and that which is out of Christ. If you and I are not in Christ, we will not be acceptable to God. Not only will our sins be unacceptable to God, but even the good things we do by ourselves will not be accepted by Him. God accepts only that which is of Christ and has Christ as its intrinsic element and content. Only these things have spiritual value and are counted by God.

Only when Christ is lived out and expressed through Christians as a result of gaining ground, growing, and being formed in them, will their service be real Christian service. Every morning many saints serve together to clean the meeting hall. However, there is a spiritual question here. When they clean the meeting hall, are they cleaning it with their own zeal or by touching Christ, being filled with Christ, and contacting Christ? Cleaning merely by zealousness is different from cleaning by touching Christ. Is there a difference between cleaning the meeting hall and cleaning a school? If there is no difference, I am afraid that what we do is nothing but the result of our zeal.

Please bear in mind that there is an absolute difference between spiritual service and secular work. We do not need to touch Christ to engage in secular matters, but we must contact Him for the service of the church. We need to contact Christ when we clean the windows. We need to contact Christ when we minister the word. We need to contact Christ when we pray. In whatever we do, we need to contact Christ within. All that we do, pray, and speak should come out of our inward union and contact with Christ. Then when people contact us, they will sense that we are filled with Christ. In this way Christ will pass through us and come out of us. Then when we go to visit the believers, preach the gospel, or lead people to salvation, Christ as the electricity will flow out from us into them.

GENUINE SERVICE BEING SERVICE THAT TOUCHES CHRIST AND FLOWS OUT CHRIST

What is spiritual service? Spiritual service is outward action that issues from touching the inward feeling of Christ; this action is Christ’s coming out of us. When the Holy Spirit is in us, Christ is in us, for the Spirit is the realization of Christ. When the Spirit touches us, it is Christ who is touching us, and when the Spirit motivates us, it is Christ who is motivating us. Before we go to clean the meeting hall, if we first have fellowship with the Lord at home and let the Lord supply our whole being, then when we clean the windows or the chairs, there will be the overflow of Christ—Christ will come out of us. Then anyone who contacts us will sense the flavor of Christ in us. Although we may be only cleaning, we are still able to give people a flavor that is spiritual and heavenly—the fragrance of Christ.

Many times when we listen to someone’s preaching, we cannot sense the flavor of Christ in him. This is because he is disconnected from Christ, and in his living there is a barrier between him and Christ. He has not yet dealt with certain matters before God, and his spirit has lost contact with Christ. Thus, he speaks using merely his mind, memory, and thoughts. We sense his eloquence, but we cannot sense the Lord’s presence with him, neither can we touch spiritual reality. He has lost his fellowship with Christ, and his preaching is merely doctrinal, without the Spirit. This kind of preaching is not spiritual because it is void of Christ. Whatever we do in our service should have Christ and should be Christ.

...

Nah.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blasphemy

Err ... did you read the article?

This post has been edited by pehkay: Aug 5 2014, 06:38 PM

SPIRITUAL GIFTS BEING CHRIST HIMSELF

Not only should our service be Christ, but our spiritual ability should also be Christ Himself. What is spiritual ability? Christians often mention the word gift. A gift is a spiritual ability. For example, if you are able to preach the word, this is your spiritual ability. If you preach the gospel better than others and bring many people to salvation, this is your spiritual ability. Some have this kind of ability, and others do not. The Bible shows us that there are many gifts, but we must understand that spiritual gifts are Christ Himself. Spiritual gifts, spiritual abilities, come through the Holy Spirit and are functions of Christ in man.

First Corinthians shows us that the church is the Body of Christ and that every saved one is a member of the Body. In the human body, the blood circulation of the members is the blood circulation of the body, and the blood circulation of the body is the blood circulation of the members. The blood circulation of the ears is the blood circulation of the body, and the life of the ears is the life of the body, the life of the head. Thus, the life in Christ, the Head, and the life in the church, the Body, are both Christ Himself.

EVERY MEMBER OF THE BODY OF CHRIST HAVING A FUNCTION

The same life has the same blood circulation. When this life comes to the ears, it becomes the life of the ears, and when this life comes to the eyes, it becomes the life of the eyes. There is only one kind of life in the body, and there is only one blood circulation in the body. The life and the blood circulation are the same in every part of our body. Moreover, it is wonderful that when the life and the blood reach the eyes, the eyes can see; when the life and the blood reach the ears, the ears can hear. This life, this blood circulation, enables every part of the body to have its own function.

A newborn baby can barely see with its eyes, hear with its ears, walk with its feet, or do things with its hands. The baby’s four limbs are all there and more or less have some function, yet they are not fully developed. Just as every member of our physical body has its own function, as saved ones and members of the Body of Christ, we each have our own function. The function of the ears is to hear. Hearing is the ability of the ears, which in biblical terms, is the gift of the ears. Hence, one’s gift is one’s function. The Bible tells us that some in the church can speak for the Lord and preach the gospel as the mouth. This kind of speaking is a gift and is referred to in the Bible as prophesying. Some may not possess this kind of gift and function, but those who do have the prophesying gift may not possess the gift and function that others have. To illustrate, the feet cannot speak, but they can walk; the hands cannot walk, but they can do things; the mouth cannot do things, but it can prophesy. This shows us that the hands have the gift of doing things, the nose has the gift of smelling, and the mouth has the gift of prophesying. Actually, these gifts are the functions of the different members.

This post has been edited by pehkay: Aug 6 2014, 08:54 AM

THE MANIFESTATION OF FUNCTIONS-GIFTS-THROUGH THE GROWTH IN LIFE

Whether or not the various functions of our body can be expressed depends entirely on our growth in life. A newborn baby has eyes, yet he can hardly see; he has ears, yet he can hardly hear; he has a mouth, yet he cannot speak; he has feet, yet he cannot walk. This is because the babe has not yet been developed or grown up. Although we are saved and are members of the Body of Christ, due to our lack of growth in life, we cannot prophesy for the Lord, even though we may be the mouth. Although we may be the hands and should be doing certain things in the church, although we may be the feet and should be moving and running in the church, due to our lack of growth in life, our functions have not been developed to the degree that they become useful and are manifested.

Some people may ask, “Do we all have a gift?” Just look at our body. Is there any member of our body without a function? In the same way, every member of the Body of Christ has a gift. Without a gift, there is no ability, and without a gift, there is no function. There is no Christian who does not have a spiritual function in the church. In God’s ordination every saved one is a member of the Body of Christ and has his own function. However, the question is whether or not he has the growth in life. God has already ordained that every saved one be a member and that every member have a gift, an ability, and a function. However, the question is whether or not these saved ones have the growth in life. Without the growth in the spiritual life, their spiritual abilities, spiritual functions, cannot be expressed.

Why do we say that spiritual gifts are Christ? We say this because without Christ’s life, we cannot be the members of the Body of Christ, and we therefore do not have the functions of the members or the spiritual gifts. When Christ’s life comes into you, you become the mouth; when Christ’s life comes into me, I become the feet; and when Christ’s life comes into someone else, he becomes the hands. It is wonderful that when the same Christ, the same life, enters into you, you become the mouth; when He enters into me, I become the feet; and when He enters into someone else, that one becomes the hands. This means that not only are the members Christ, but also the life of the members and the nature of the members are Christ. We are the members of the Body of Christ. Thus, our inner nature, our inner life, is Christ.

For example, there are nominal Christians who have not repented, have not received salvation, and do not have the Lord’s life. Someone spoke to them about believing in the Lord, so outwardly they “believed” in the Lord. Someone told them about baptism, so they were baptized. Nevertheless, having “joined” the church in this way, does this make them members of Christ? No it does not. Why not? It does not because they do not have Christ in them. You are a member of Christ because Christ is in you; I am a member of Christ because Christ is in me; and everyone who is a member of Christ is so because Christ is in him. Moreover, it is a wonderful fact that when Christ’s life comes into us, it makes you the mouth, me the feet, and someone else the hands. Although it is the same life of Christ that we receive, this life becomes different members in different people. Some are one kind of member, and others are other kinds of members. In addition, even though they all are members, the functions of some have been manifested, but the functions of others have not. The reason some are able to manifest their functions is because Christ has increased in them and developed in them to the extent that their functions are manifested in a matured way. However, some are not able to manifest their functions because, despite the fact that they are saved and have Christ, Christ does not have the ground to grow in them. Thus, their functions are not yet manifested.

Hmm .. that will explain his understanding of the church and the statement that salvation = "being in the church" ...




This post has been edited by pehkay: Aug 8 2014, 11:36 AM

Monday .... ah ... Praise the Lord for Monday!!!

I guess the stage is starting to be set up where the nations [new generation of leaders which are more anti-US] around Israel will be hostile towards them . They will finally cry out to Jehovah at the end.

It is kinda er ... (what the feeling) that people you meet at the Temple institute believe that when the temple is built up, there will be universal peace, which is true, partly.

Second Thessalonians 2:4 also says that Antichrist “seats himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself that he is God.”

During the last three and a half years of this age, Antichrist will persecute the Jews to the uttermost, with the intention of completely destroying Israel. Prior to that time, nearly all of Israel will be brought back to the Holy Land. Then, before the tribulation, Antichrist will make a seven-year covenant of peace with Israel so that they may have their freedom. But after three and a half years, Antichrist will change his mind and will oppose every kind of religion, including Judaism and Roman Catholicism. After that, Antichrist will attempt to destroy the Jewish religion.

At the end of the last three and a half years, Antichrist will cause the armies of the nations to surround Jerusalem. With Jerusalem as the center, the entire region from Bozrah to the Mount of Megiddo (Armageddon, Rev. 16:16) will be occupied by armies. In His coming back, Christ will descend to Bozrah, and beginning there He will tread the winepress, destroying all the armies. In this way He will rescue Israel from destruction.

The Anointed of Jehovah will come to tread the winepress to save Israel from the nations (63:1-6; Rev. 14:17-20; 19:11-16, 19-21). The word winepress in Isaiah 63:2 and in Revelation 14:19-20 and 19:15 refers to the war at Armageddon. Isaiah 61 and 62 show us that Christ will come back to be so much to Israel on the positive side. Isaiah 63 reveals that in His coming back Christ will save Israel from destruction.

Then, the restoration will begin for them.

IMO.

This post has been edited by pehkay: Aug 14 2014, 08:16 AM

No lar!!! YOU WILL NEVER KNOW WHEN... the real sign is if the second temple is build up first ... which is not possible right now ... also, once it is build up, the system of Jewish worship is build up ... and when you see real peace in the Middle East due to someone .... then 7 years left.

This post has been edited by pehkay: Aug 14 2014, 12:47 PM

Hey Tanker,

Please don't have such a reaction. The end is really depending on the church being build up or the Bride being prepared.

So, do experience Christ more and enjoy Him so that you grow to be a mature One fit for rapture.

Other than that, we still live as proper human being on this earth.



This post has been edited by pehkay: Aug 14 2014, 12:53 PM

Wah ... I thought I was pessimistic about the condition in Christianity and the Lord's coming back will be delayed. Like 14-9 mentioned on the fig tree, in Matthew 24, Lord gave a clear revelation concerning the restoration of Israel.

In verse 32 the Lord said, "But learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near." To the saints, the fig tree is a sign of the consummation of the age. In Matthew 21:19, during His last visit to Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus cursed a fig tree because He could not find any fruit on it.

The fig tree is a symbol of the nation of Israel (Jer. 24:2, 5, 8). Because Israel was stubborn and rebellious and had no fruit that could satisfy God, she was rejected by God. In A.D. 70, Titus, the Roman prince, brought with him a great army to destroy Jerusalem and the temple, as prophesied by the Lord when He said, "A stone shall by no means be left upon a stone which shall not be thrown down" (Matt. 24:2). From that time, the children of Israel were scattered among the nations. Not only did their nation fall, but even their homeland was lost. Humanly speaking, there was truly no hope for the nation of Israel to be reformed. However, the Bible contains a prophecy saying that one day the cursed and dried up fig tree would become tender and put forth leaves.

Two events really shows the tree truly had "become tender."

1) 1948 the nation of Israel had been restored
2) Then, after another nineteen years, in 1967, during the six-day war, Israel seized Jerusalem; that was the fig tree "putting forth leaves."

Only left is the temple to be built up.

The last time I posted on the red heifer in that the animal was thought to be extinct. Now they managed to produce one in US and have contacted the Temple Institute.

This is the picture of the Lord's vicarious death for our sins in the type of the ashes of the red heifer (Numbers 19).

I mean the Jews are definitely preparing everything and doing everything for the rebuilding of the temple.

How about us?

But it's true we will never know when .... it will happen as always unexpectedly regardless those 1000 websites guessing who the Anti Christ is or when it will end etc etc.

This post has been edited by pehkay: Aug 15 2014, 08:34 AM