QUOTE(Mr. WongSF @ Jan 12 2018, 04:44 PM)
And your point is? I don’t know what you’re trying to say here, since yes, everyone understands this verse relates to the materialistic folks, in need of nothing, who are lukewarm & you’re just agreeing with me here.
My point was entirely about God spitting them (as a church) out for being lukewarm. Very serious action by the Almighty.
Moving on to the church of Thyatira,
UW said :
"
And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations" –
Rev 2:26 Here again, I don’t quite get you.
So you are saying, that those who are NOT victorious and do NOT do God’s will, will still be very ok at the end, because they only stand to lose the reward of not getting to rule at the most?
And are you sure that not everyone who gets to Heaven will rule with an iron sceptre? You might wanna double check that.
Cos the Bible says We will rule & reign with Christ. No exceptions. No if's, no buts. Either you make it into Heaven, or you don't. You could very well be confusing the above passage as "
just" rewards.
You will get the reward of ruling alongside Christ IF you get into Heaven. One of the perks that come along with it.
Next, UW said :
Huh?! What is this ? !
Key verse : " He that
overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I
will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. " – Rev 3:5
Nope! The Bible sounds pretty clear cut to me! He will blot out names of those who don’t overcome.
You might also wanna do more research on the book of life, the book of remembrance & the book of deeds & who they're specifically for.
We should also consider that the Bible only has good things to say, to 2 of the 7 churches.
Moving on again . . . .
As for the 7 Churches, Although the word used is Angels of the Churches , it would not make sense for God to admonish Angels of the Church, as Angels do not have redemption grace. Once they fall, they are cast down. The Word Angels or Angelos can also be interpreted as representative in the Greek. It makes more scriptural sense to see the word Angels there are the Leaders or Pastor of the Church.
When our Lord Jesus admonish, understand that is was a message to the leader of that Church and the purpose is not to cast the person down or to push the person away. You can say the bible use Strong words or whatever but I see it God did this with the heart of love, not with the heart of imposing a God who fold his arm looking at what the person will do. That to me is looking at God with a wrong revelation or spirit.
And as you said it yourself, not every church are warnings, 2 of them of commendations.
Point being, it was specific message to the leader or pastor. It would not be right to use this and apply generally to anyone with the intention to put fear or control. I say let God be the one who build the person, not we being the one to tear another person down, no matter how much you despite or hate that person.
Now I want to say on the set, God doesn't use vague language, neither is God in the habit of leaving his believer clueless as to what his word means.
If Salvation has to be merited through our performance, the meaning of Grace becomes null and void and so does the passage in John 10:28 made invalid.
John 10:28 (NIV) - I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Sometime I wonder which part of the "NEVER" we don't understand. To me Never is an obvious Eternal definition. God should use "may" that would serve your theology more accurately since you subscribe to performance based Salvation. (Obedience)
Many times in the 7 churches, message you see the word, He who overcomes. Immediately, on the surface, first thing that will come to most people's mind is; the person has to overcome something, hard challenges else will forfeit Salvation. I cannot begin to tell how many time people can misuse or misappropriation to scare people in telling, you must work out through your obedience else you will lose your salvation. But the problem with that is interpreting according to how we think. Let Bible interpret Bible.
What is the definition of overcome from Bible perspective?
1 John 5:5 (KJV) - Who is he that
overcometh the world, but he that
believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
I'll take the first Church and debunk what you've argued.
Jesus told Ephesus, the Angel of that Church or leader of that Church has lost First Love. What is first love? Most people will on the surface interpret that as "Our" Love for God. but from Scripture, First Love is never yours.
1 John 4:10 (NIV) - This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
First Love belongs to God coming to us. The leader of that Church has forgotten that. We are to practise first and foremost that God FIRST Love us. And Christ admonish "how far you have fallen" because of that. People who enforce we must first love God will Fail because that is preaching of the Law (Performance base). You will interpret this as fallen into sin. No where does scripture says that for the Church in Ephesus.
As far as I remember where in scripture...I remember the phrase, "How far you have Fallen" is synonym with "Fallen from Grace" in verse
Galatians 5:4 (NIV) - You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
To have fallen down from Grace would mean Grace is the Higher position than the Laws of God. Those who tries to put forth the Law as justification (Law here represent 10 commandment) ..Fallen from Grace (Above).
Jesus also told the leader of that Church "the lampstand" will be remove. The meaning of the word lampstand is already define in the Book of revelation itself. Lampstand refers to the Church. So in other words God will remove the Church, not the Salvation of the person.
Again, please do not misuse the Phrase "doing God's will" as if it means obedience, it is not. I've shown you many times the verse that helps us to understand what is God's will.
John 6:40 (NIV) - For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day."
John 6:39 (NIV) - And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day.
It is up to you, the way I see from scripture, God give us strong assurance, never doubt and whatever difficult passage is never one that is vague to the point we don't know what it means.
It is always with the intention to help the person He/She can come to God without fear.
Sorry but I cannot accept what you put forth to me, to me, it is preaching fear and doubt doctrine, something that I do not subscribe to. Ultimately..whatever God does, he does it with the Heart of Love with the intention to bring the person close, not to cast the person far away.
This post has been edited by unknown warrior: Jan 15 2018, 11:48 AM