Retrobyter

Shalom, @Frits. The problem with these codices is their SOURCE. Some versions were PURPOSELY altered based upon one's theological stance. This CAN happen unconsciously, of course, as one is copying or translating; HOWEVER, there was a time between the 100s A.D. and the 400s A.D. when the hierarchy of the papacy was being formed that such alterations were made with a CONSCIOUS effort in light of the many theological factions, attempting to make the alterations as unnoticeable as possible. The wandering of eyes and thoughts while in the copying/translating process, even with the most careful scribe or translator, can easily lead to a "θεὸς" instead of a "υἱός" being placed where it didn't belong, but to do so intentionally while a long-standing debate on the nature of the "Trinity" was going on would be a HUGE temptation. First, John gave us this within the words of Yeeshuwa`: Revelation 2:15 (KJV) 15 "So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate." The name "Nicolaitans" is the Greek word (G3531) "Νικολαϊτῶν," stemming from (G3532) "Νικόλαος" which consists of two Greek words (G3534) "νῖκος" meaning "a conquest or victory" and (G2992) "λαός" meaning "a people": a "conquest over a people." And, the doctrine is defined as, 'The doctrine of the Nicolaitans, mentioned in Revelation 2:15, condemned by Jesus, appears to be "a syncretistic practice that compromised Christian principles with false teachings and pagan living, potentially involving the EXALTATION OF CLERGY OVER THE LAITY or the belief in a doctrine of lawlessness."' (emphasis mine) In the Article on the "History of Trinitarian Doctrines" in Plato - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, one will find within the section on "3.1.1 The One God in the Trinity": 'Early Christianity was theologically diverse, although as time went on a “catholic” movement, a bishop-led, developing organization which, at least from the late second century, claimed to be the true successors of Jesus’ apostles, became increasingly dominant, out-competing many gnostic and quasi-Jewish groups. Still, confining our attention to what scholars now call this “catholic” or “proto-orthodox” Christianity, it contained divergent views about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. No theologian in the first three Christian centuries was a trinitarian in the sense of a believing that the one God is tripersonal, containing equally divine “persons”, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 'The terms we translate as “Trinity” (Latin: trinitas, Greek: trias) seem to have come into use only in the last two decades of the second century; but such usage doesn’t reflect trinitarian belief. These late second and third century authors use such terms not to refer to the one God, but rather to refer to the plurality of the one God, together with his Son (on Word) and his Spirit. They profess a “trinity”, triad or threesome, but not a triune or tripersonal God. Nor did they consider these to be equally divine. A common strategy for defending monotheism in this period is to emphasize the unique divinity of the Father. Thus Origen (ca. 186–255), '"The God and Father, who holds the universe together, is superior to every being that exists, for he imparts to each one from his own existence that which each one is; the Son, being less than the Father, is superior to rational creatures alone (for he is second to the Father); the Holy Spirit is still less, and dwells within the saints alone. So that in this way the power of the Father is greater than that of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and that of the Son is more than that of the Holy Spirit…" (Origen, First, 33–4 [I.3])' Later, in the section on "3.2 325–381: The Arian Controversy," we read: 'It was only in response to the controversy sparked by the Alexandrian presbyter Arius (ca. 256–336) that a critical mass of bishops rallied around what eventually became standard language about the Trinity. This controversy was complex, and has been much illuminated by recent historians (Ayres 2004; Freeman 2008; Hanson 1988; Pelikan 1971; Rubenstein 1999; Williams 2001). It can be briefly summarized as follows. Arius taught, in accordance with an earlier subordinationist theological tradition, that the Son of God was a creature, made by God from nothing a finite time ago. Some time around 318–21 a controversy broke out, with Arius’ teaching opposed initially by his bishop Alexander of Alexandria (d. 326). Alexander examined and excommunicated Arius. Numerous churchmen, adhering to subordinationist traditions about the Son rallied to Arius’ side, while others, favoring theologies holding to the eternal existence of the Son and his (in some sense) ontological equality with the Father, joined his opponents. The dispute threatened to split the church, and a series of councils ensued, variously excommunicating and vindicating Arius and his defenders, or their opponents. Each side successively tried to win the favor of the then-current emperor, trying to manipulate imperial power to crush its opposition. 'From the standpoint of later catholic orthodoxy, a key episode in this series occurred in 325, when a council of bishops convened by the Emperor Constantine (ca. 280–337) decreed that the Father and Son were homoousios (same substance or essence). Arius and his party were excommunicated. The intended meaning of ousia here was far from clear, given the term’s complex history and use, and the failure of the council to disambiguate it (Stead 1994, 160–72). They most likely settled on the term because it was disagreeable to the party siding with Arius. This new and ambiguous formula fanned the flames of controversy, as subordinationists and anti-subordinationists understood the phrase differently when signing on to it, and later argued for conflicting interpretations of it. 'By the time of the council of Constantinople (381 CE), an anti-subordinationist reading, vigorously championed by Alexandrian bishop Athanasius (d. 373) had the upper hand; homoousios was understood as asserting the Father and Son to not merely be similar beings, but in some sense one being. While it stopped short of saying that the Holy Spirit was homoousios with the Father and Son, the council did say that the Holy Spirit “is worshiped and glorified together with the Father and the Son”, and added in a letter accompanying their creed that the three share “a single Godhead and power and substance” (Leith 1982, 33; Tanner 1990, 24, 28). Over the ensuing period the same sorts of arguments used to promote the divinity of the Son, were reapplied to the Holy Spirit, and eventually inhibitions to applying homoousios to the Holy Spirit evaporated.' It is my belief that we should ALWAYS go back to "Sola Scriptura." "Only the Scriptures" should be our source for what we believe, not a creed or a doctrine of human beings. Now, what is the CONSENSUS of the manuscripts even at the time that the "oldest" ones appeared with the substitution? Furthermore, what makes the best sense in the Greek language? Here are two versions that use the different terms: Nestle Greek New Testament 1904 John 1:18 Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε· μονογενὴς Θεὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο. Transliterated this becomes: John 1:18 Theon oudeis eooraken poopote; monogenees Theos ho oon eis ton kolpon tou Patros, ekeinos exeegeesato. Translated word for word we get: John 1:18 God no-one has-seen at-any-time; [the] only-born God the-one-which is into the harbor of-the Father, that-one has-declared-[Him]. and Greek Orthodox Church 1904 John 1:18 Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε· ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο. Transliterated into English characters, we get: John 1:18 Theon oudeis eooraken poopote; ho monogenees huios ho oon eis ton kolpon tou Patros ekeinos exeegeesato. Translated word-for-word, we get: John 1:18 God no-one has-seen at-any-time; the only-born son the-one-which is into the harbor of-the Father that-one has-declared-[Him]. Now, think for a moment: Which one makes better sense based on what the Bible teaches about God and His attributes of omnipresence and eternality? "the only-born son" or "the only-born God?" particularly when contrasted with "the Father?"

Well, let's look at the phrase "the sons of God": Genesis 6:2, 4 (KJV) 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they [were] fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. ... 4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown. Job 1:6 (KJV) 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. Job 2:1 (KJV) 1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. Job 38:7 (KJV) 7 "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" John 1:12 (KJV) 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Romans 8:14, 19 (KJV) 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. ... 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. Philippians 2:15 (KJV) 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 1 John 3:1-2 (KJV) 1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. May I suggest that "sons of God" need NEVER apply to "angels?" Have you ever considered the possibility that the sons of God mentioned in Iyov (Job) need not be "angels?" Let's look at the evidence: Job 1:5-12 (KJV) 5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts." Thus did Job continually. 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 7 And the LORD said unto Satan, "Whence comest thou?" Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, "From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." 8 And the LORD said unto Satan, "Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" 9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, "Doth Job fear God for nought? 10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face." 12 And the LORD said unto Satan, "Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand." So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. So, why would angels NEED to "present themselves before the LORD (Hebrew: # = 'YHWH')"? Frankly, if they were created as sinless creatures, and did not fall with Satan in his rebellion (as the belief goes), then why would they need to "present themselves"? On the other hand, assume for a moment that these "sons of God" were human beings. NOW why would they need to "present themselves"? The answer is in verse 5! They would need to present themselves for the same reasons that Iyov presented himself and his children before the LORD; to offer sacrifices to God and receive atonement for their sins from God through this picture of what was to come in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. HaSatan didn't meet with God "in Heaven"; he met with God AT THE ALTAR, knowing that God would receive the sacrifices of righteous men - "sons of God!" The assumption is, and has been, that Satan came in among the sons of God because he was of the same type of creature and was able to slip in with them. However, that conclusion is unfounded by anything said in the text. Instead, we may also consider that the presence of the LORD will be where He can be in fellowship with His creation, human beings, through the atonement. Satan, knowing that God would gladly receive sacrifices, came before Him AT THE ALTAR! Did you know that the word for "angel" is in Job 1? It's the Aramaic word "mal'ak" translated "messenger" in verse 14! Do we assume this was an "angel?" No! We consider this to be a human person. As a matter of fact, because of verse 15, we consider him to be a servant, one of Iyov's workers who took care of the oxen and the donkeys! 14: And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, "The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: 15: And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee." Now, why didn't the author of Iyov use this word instead of "sons of God" to describe angels? Could it be because these "sons of God" weren't "angels?" I will even be so bold as to say that NOWHERE in Scripture MUST the term "sons of God" refer to "angels!" As a matter of fact, I believe that "sons of God" referring to "human beings" makes much better sense! Furthermore, doesn’t Hebrews 1:5 say, Heb 1:5 (KJV) 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee"? And again, "I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son"? Now, traditionally, three (or four) viewpoints have been held (mine makes a fifth): According to the PC Study Bible software, of six Bible commentaries--Wycliffe Bible Commentary; Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary; Adam Clarke's Commentary; Barnes' Notes; and Matthew Henry's Commentary--here are the viewpoints: The traditional view is that the sons of God were princes or nobility who selected from the beautiful women of lower class to increase their harems. The list of those who believe the traditional view of the orthodox rabbinical Judaism are, of course, the orthodox rabbinical Jews, the authors of the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, and a Dr. Wall. A second, very popular view is that the sons of God were the godly line of Seth--not that the line of Seth was entirely godly or that the line of Cain was entirely ungodly. The key word here is "godly;" members of Cain's line that were righteous may have been included in that group, while some of Seth's progeny might not have been included. The list of those who believe this view is long! A few of the members of this list are Chrysostom, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Hengstenberg, Faber, Keil, Matthew Henry's Commentary, Barnes' Notes, and Adam Clarke's Commentary. The third and youngest of the three views is that the sons of God were angels. This list includes (according to Josephus) Justin, Athenagoras, Clemens Alexandrinus, Tertullian, Lactantius, and more recently Rosenmuller, Gesenius, Kurtz, Tuch, Knobel, Delitzsch, Govett, and Maitland. Now, we learn from BuzzardHut there may also be a fourth viewpoint: Namely, that the “Sons of God” were a pre-Adamic race. However, such a viewpoint is unfounded in Scripture, and is almost entirely conjecture. Consider this fifth viewpoint (mine): May I please direct your attention to Genesis chapter 4 to the record we have of the first murder. Qayin (Cain) slew his own brother Hevel (Abel) out of envy and bitterness that he allowed to grow in his heart despite being warned of God to let it go. When God confronts Qayin about his sin, Qayin lies, and God replies, "What hast thou done?! The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the GROUND! And now art thou cursed FROM THE EARTH, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the GROUND, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a FUGITIVE and a VAGABOND shalt thou be IN THE EARTH!" Qayin replied, "My punishment is greater than I can bear (greater than I deserve). Behold, Thou hast driven me out this day FROM THE FACE (SURFACE) OF THE EARTH; and FROM THY FACE SHALL I BE HID; and I shall be a FUGITIVE and a VAGABOND IN THE EARTH; and it shall come to pass, that every one that FINDETH me shall slay me." The LORD in His pity for Qayin then said, "Therefore whosoever slayeth Qayin, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the LORD set a mark upon Qayin, “lest any FINDING him should kill him.” Qayin then went out FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nowd (Nod, meaning "wandering"), on the east of Eden. Then, Qayin and his wife had a son and called his name Chanokh (Enoch). Then, Qayin built a city and called the name of that city "Chanokh" after his son. Then, we are told of six more generations that his son produced. What if this city is not on the surface of the earth? What if Nowd, a place of Wandering, was a cavern system? All the clues point that way! 16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. 19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. 22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. We are next told of an interesting story, the first recorded incident of killing in self-defense: 23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, "Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold." The problem is that God never intervened for Lemekh (Lamech) as He did for Qayin. I believe that he and his family were driven out of Chanokh and out of the cavern system at this time or they fled for their lives. In either case, they were forced out into the full sunlight which they had never had to deal with in the past. We read that Yaval (Jabal) was "the father of such as dwell in tents" and that his half-brother, Tuval-Qayin (Tubal-Cain), was "an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron." Why did they live in tents? After years without the sun, their skin was quite blanched and susceptible to sunburns. Where did Tuval-Qayin get his knowledge of brass and iron? In Chanokh within the caverns, he had learned to work metals, even in alloys since brass is an alloy. Now, some of you are going to turn me off or may have already turned me off thinking that this is all fanciful thinking and conjecture. I don't deny that this is conjecture, but if you will bear with me, I think you will find that there is merit to this idea, and that it fits many facts. Meanwhile, on the surface--in the light of the sun, under the blue skies (heavens), and "under the face of God"--Adam has another son and named him "Shet (Seth)" as a "substitute" for Hevel (Abel): 25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. Now, I've heard some preachers say that this was when people began to pray; however, Adam was already familiar with speaking to God. A few preachers will even suggest that this was when people started to "get saved." But that is not what this verse is talking about. Looking carefully at the Hebrew words, one may discover that this was when people started to use the name of the LORD as a talisman or a good-luck charm! They began to tack his name onto their own to ward off evil, and they became prideful that they were allowed to be in the LORD'S presence. Looking again carefully at the passage in Genesis 6, 1:And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face (SURFACE) of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God (a term applied to themselves as a term of prejudice) saw the daughters of men that they were fair (Hebrew: tov "good"); and they (forcefully) took them wives of all which they chose (desired)! 3 And the LORD said, "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." 4 There were giants (Hebrew: הַנְּפִלִים = hannfiliym = "the-fellers," "the-tyrants") in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men (Hebrew: הַגִּבֹּרִים = haggiboriym = "the-strong-ones") which were of old, men of renown (famous or popular men). The word hannfiliym is the plural of ... H5303 נְפִיל nᵉphîyl, nef-eel'; or נְפִל nᵉphil; from H5307; properly, a feller, i.e. a bully or tyrant:—giant. and ... H5307 נָפַל nâphal, naw-fal'; a primitive root; to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative):—be accepted, cast (down, self, (lots), out), cease, die, divide (by lot), (let) fail, (cause to, let, make, ready to) fall (away, down, -en, -ing), fell(-ing), fugitive, have (inheritance), inferior, be judged (by mistake for 6419), lay (along), (cause to) lie down, light (down), be (× hast) lost, lying, overthrow, overwhelm, perish, present(-ed, -ing), (make to) rot, slay, smite out, × surely, throw down. This is not a "race" of people (or otherwise, such as "angels"); this is an OCCUPATION! They were WOOD-CUTTERS! LUMBERJACKS! They were the "Paul Bunyans" of their day! "Fellers" of TREES! To be lumberjacks, they may indeed have been bigger than other people or "giants," stronger than most at least! 5: And GOD saw that THE WICKEDNESS OF MAN was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6: And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7: And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Now we can see what so enraged the LORD! He hated the tyranny, the slavery ("white" slavery, if you'll forgive the pun), and injustice to fellow human beings, but when you compound that with the fact that the rest of the population made them out to be heroes and to make them popular as well, this was the last straw! Now, granted this has been conjecture, but one may notice that it does fit the facts and gives a plausible explanation as to how these "sons of God" could be the progeny of Shet (Seth). It wasn't because they were better than other men; it was because of their strength in being lumberjacks that they were able to command respect and popularity for being ruthless and tyrannical with the pale women, daughters of mere men (from underground Chanowkh), while they were "sons of God," surface-dwellers, and they took these women by force, apparently against their will! God had had enough. One last question: IF these "hannfiliym" were angels, why did God say "it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart"? Why is nothing said about the "angels?" Just some food for thought. Believe what you will, but I don't think one should think "angels" when one sees the words "sons of God."

Shalom, @other one. I challenge that "Angels are referred to as sons of God." I believe that it can be shown that everywhere "sons of God" are seen in Scripture, they refer to human beings, not angels.

Shalom, @Frits. It's likewise important to recognize that He is NOT GOD as He once was! He was referred to as "the SON of God," He referred to Himself mostly as the "Son of man" (Matthew 8:20; 9:6; 10:23; 11:19; 12:8, 32, 40; 13:37, 41; 16:13, 27-28; 17:9, 12, 22; 18:11; 19:28; 20:18, 28; 24:27, 30, 37, 39, 44; 25:13, 31; 26:2, 24, 45, 64; Mark 2:10, 28; 8:31, 38; 9:9, 12, 31; 10:33, 45; 13:26; 13:34; 14:21, 41, 62; Luke 5:24; 6:5; 7:34; 9:22, 26, 44, 56, 58; 11:30; 12:8, 10, 40; 17:22, 24, 26, 30; 18:8, 31; 19:10; 21:27, 36; 22:22, 48, 69; 24:7; John 1:51; 3:13-14; 5:27 John 6:27, 53, 62; 8:28; 12:23, 34; 13:31; Acts 7:56; Hebrews 2:6; Revelation 1:13; 14:14), and OCCASIONALLY to Himself but MOSTLY by others as "the SON of God" or "the SON of the Highest" (Matthew 4:3, 6; 14:33; 26:63; 27:40, 43, 54; Mark 1:1; 3:11; 15:39; Luke 1:32, 35; 3:38; 4:3, 9, 41; 22:70; John 1:34, 49; 5:25; 9:35; 10:36; 11:4, 27; 19:7; 20:31; Acts 8:37; 9:20; Romans 1:4; 2 Corinthians 1:19; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 4:13; Hebrews 4:14; 6:6; 7:3; 10:29; 1 John 3:8; 4:15; 5:5, 10, 12-13, 20; and Revelation 2:18). He prayed TO His Father, whom He called "God"; God said of Him, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35; 2 Peter 1:17; 1 Corinthians 4:17), and we are told that "the Word (who was God) BECAME FLESH and dwelt among us!" (John 1:14). No, sir. The mother of Nicodemus was a JEWESS! a "YHUWDIYT!" a "Daughter of Yhuwdaah ('Judah')!" It's not just the "Jewish religion"; it's the HERITAGE through birth! He was giving the word "birth" its literal meaning when he asked, "How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?" (John 3:4) Yeeshuwa` was explaining in the rest of the conversation: John 3:5-21 (KJV) 5 Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, "Art thou a master (teacher) of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you [of] heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, [even] the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." He didn't "have to give up" his heritage! He only had to ADD TO IT the heritage that he would also receive by being born of the Spirit! The oil of the Temple was symbolic; however, it was NECESSARY to show to human beings that a man was so chosen - so selected - so ANOINTED by the Ruwach haQodesh (the Holy Spirit) of God! And, when David was so anointed, we are told that he was so anointed with the Ruwach: "Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. ...." (1 Samuel 16:13). Again, He is the SON of God, the MEDIATOR between God and man, the great HIGH PRIEST "forever after the order of Malkiy-Tsedeq!" "My King of Righteousness!" However, don't lose sight of the fact that all the kings of Israel (or rather, of Yhuwdaah or "Judah") were also those who were "anointed ones" - messiahs of God! "christs" of God! They were not "false christs" nor were they "antichrist"; they were LEGITIMATE messiahs, anointed to be King! It is only the One whom we call "Yeeshuwa`" or "Jesus" who is the ULTIMATE "Messiah" - the ULTIMATE "Christ" - because His Kingdom will be FOREVER! (And, right here on this earth, as well as on the earth to come after the Fire.) One of the jobs of being a king, especially in the kingdom of Israel, is to be the "supreme court judge" for the nation. All lesser matters could be handled by lesser judges, but from time to time an issue would have to be escalated to the king to handle. David knew this, and Solomon recognized this as the most important thing he could ask for from God - His WISDOM in deciding matters for his people. Here's what Solomon prayed and how God responded: 1 Kings 3:5-13 (KJV) 5 In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, "Ask what I shall give thee." 6 And Solomon said, "Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as [it is] this day. 7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I [am but] a little child: I know not [how] to go out or come in. 8 And thy servant [is] in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9 GIVE THEREFORE THY SERVANT AN UNDERSTANDING HEART TO JUDGE THY PEOPLE, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?" 10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 And God said unto him, "Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; 12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I HAVE GIVEN THEE A WISE AND AN UNDERSTANDING HEART; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. 13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days." Again, Jesus the Christ, or Yeeshuwa` the Messiah of God, is the SON of God, and WILL BE the King of Israel, and after the first one thousand years of His reign, He'll be the King of kings of the whole world. Consider His OWN WORDS: Matthew 25:31-46 (KJV) 31 "When the Son of man shall come in his glory (brightness), and all the holy angels with him, THEN shall he sit upon the throne of his glory (brightness): 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, "'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.' 37 "Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, "'Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?' 40 "And the King shall answer and say unto them, "'Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.' 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: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.' 44 "Then shall they also answer him, saying, "'Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?' 45 "Then shall he answer them, saying, "'Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me.' 46 "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." Note that He did NOT at this time have the angels throw them into the Lake of Fire. That will come later. This is simply a WAR TRIBUNAL after the war of Armageddon in which He will judge the participants in this war on His Land, for His Land! He also gave this parable: Luke 19:11-27 (KJV) 11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12 He said therefore, "A certain nobleman (Himself) went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, "'Occupy (Trade with this) till I come.' 14 "But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, "'We will not have THIS [man] to reign over us!' 15 "And it came to pass, that WHEN HE WAS RETURNED, HAVING RECEIVED THE KINGDOM, THEN HE COMMANDED these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, "'Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.' 17 "And he said unto him, "'Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.' 18 "And the second came, saying, "'Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.' 19 "And he said likewise to him, "'Be thou also over five cities.' 20 "And another came, saying, "'Lord, behold, [here is] thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: 21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.' 22 "And he saith unto him, "'Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, [thou] wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: 23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury (interest)?' 24 "And he said unto them that stood by, "'Take from him the pound, and give [it] to him that hath ten pounds.' 25 "(And they said unto him, "'Lord, he HATH ten pounds!') 26 "'For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. 27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and SLAY [THEM] BEFORE ME!' " I will look up the verses and give you a response later.

One must not forget a couple of things: First, one must not get this backwards. When He returns, THEN He BEGINS His Mission! Our mission is not HIS Mission. WE are commissioned: Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV) 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Greek: Ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς = "Is-given to-me all authority in [the]-sky and upon [the]-earth") 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen." HIS Mission begins when He returns: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (KJV) 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits (singular) of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall ALL be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: (0) Christ the firstfruits (singular); (1) afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 (2) Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For HE MUST REIGN, TILL HE HATH PUT ALL ENEMIES UNDER HIS FEET. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (See Revelation 20:14.) 27 For "he hath put all things under his feet." {But when he saith, "all things are put under him", it is manifest that "he" is excepted, which did "put all things under him."} 28And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. His subjugation of "all things" begins at His Second Coming, and ends at the Great White Throne Judgment with the death of death! It's after that happens that He gives the Empire He has built to His Father, God, that HE may be "all in all!" Also, one must remember that, although He is God's "only begotten Son," He is not His ONLY Son! Romans 8:1-30 (KJV) 1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ (in the Anointed One) Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LAW might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But YE ARE NOT IN THE FLESH, BUT IN THE SPIRIT, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (resurrect) your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For AS MANY AS ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, THEY ARE THE SONS OF GOD. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION, whereby we cry, "Abba" (The Hebrew word for "my father" is "Abiy" or "AViy." A little Hebrew child says "Ab-bah" much as English-speaking toddlers say, "Da-da," instead of "Daddy"), "Father." 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD: 17 And IF CHILDREN, THEN HEIRS; HEIRS OF GOD, AND JOINT-HEIRS WITH CHRIST; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest (down-payment) expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation (revealing) of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope (confidence), 21 Because THE CREATURE ITSELF ALSO SHALL BE DELIVERED FROM THE BONDAGE OF CORRUPTION INTO THE GLORIOUS LIBERTY OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only [they], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for THE ADOPTION, [to wit], THE REDEMPTION OF OUR BODY (OUR RESURRECTION). 24 For we are saved by hope (confidence): but hope (confidence) that is seen is not hope (confidence): for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for (why does he still anticipate it)? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for [it]. 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are THE CALLED according to [his] purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he (the Messiah) might be the firstborn among MANY BRETHREN. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Shalom, @Your closest friendnt. The Firstborn is USUALLY the first son born to a husband and wife. He is the PRIMARY HEIR of the family's wealth. Unless the one born first is disqualified, he is usually the man's heir. Most vertical lineages are from heir to heir. Yeeshuwa` ("Jesus") was (and still is) David's Heir to the throne of Israel. He is also GOD'S Heir - the Son of God - to the WORLD! He will defeat all of His foes, and conquer all of His enemies, until He rules the WHOLE WORLD as the "King of kings," a title for a WORLD EMPEROR! When He has accomplished that, then He will judge the whole world, and deliver the Empire over to His Father (1 Corinthians 15:28), but "he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:33).

Shalom, @Frits NOW, you're asking the right questions! To say that Yeeshuwa` ("Jesus") is the Christ ("the Messiah" or "the Anointed One") doesn't mean that He is God. It means that He is the One SELECTED BY God to be Israel's next king: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 (KJV) 1 And the LORD (Hebrew: יְהוָה) said unto Samuel, "How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? FILL THINE HORN WITH OIL, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I HAVE PROVIDED ME A KING AMONG HIS SONS." 2 And Samuel said, "How can I go? if Saul hear [it], he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take an heifer with thee, and say, "'I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 3 "And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and THOU SHALT ANOINT UNTO ME [HIM] WHOM I NAME UNTO THEE." 4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, "Comest thou peaceably?" 5 And he said, "Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. 6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, "Surely the LORD'S anointed [is] before him." 7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, "Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither hath the LORD chosen this." 9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, "Neither hath the LORD chosen this." 10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, "The LORD hath not chosen these." 11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, "Are here all [thy] children?" And he said, "There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep." And Samuel said unto Jesse, "Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither." 12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he [was] ruddy, [and] withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, "ARISE, ANOINT HIM: FOR THIS [IS] HE." 13 Then SAMUEL TOOK THE HORN OF OIL, AND ANOINTED HIM in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. The LORD (Hebrew: יְהוָה) God had chosen David to be king of Israel, but it took several years to accomplish this. In the meantime, David was on the run at one point, running from Saul who meant to kill him, rather than give up his kingdom to David. But, David would NOT seek Saul's life in return. Instead, we read this (on more than one occasion): 1 Samuel 24:1-22 (KJV) 1 And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, "Behold, David [is] in the wilderness of Engedi." 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. 3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where [was] a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet (to relieve himself): and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. 4 And the men of David said (whispered) unto him, "Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, 'Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee!'" Then David arose, and cut off the skirt ("a feathery wing," a tsit-tsit?) of Saul's robe (talit?) privily (tacitly; secretly). 5 And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. 6 And he said unto his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he [is] the anointed (Hebrew: מָשִׁיחַ = "maashiyach" = Greek: χριστὸς = "christos" = "Messiah" or "Christ") of the LORD." 7 So David stayed (held back) his servants with these words, and suffered them not (did not allow them) to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on [his] way. 8 David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself. 9 And David said to Saul, "Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, 'Behold, David seeketh thy hurt'? 10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and [some] bade [me] kill thee: but [mine eye] spared thee; and I said, 'I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for HE [IS] THE LORD'S ANOINTED.' 11 Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that [there is] neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it! 12 The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. 13 As saith the proverb of the ancients, 'Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked': but mine hand shall not be upon thee. 14 After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea! 15 The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand." 16 And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, "[Is] this thy voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. 17 And he said to David, "Thou [art] more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. 18 And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. 19 For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day. 20 And now, behold, I KNOW WELL THAT THOU SHALT SURELY BE KING, AND THAT THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL SHALL BE ESTABLISHED IN THINE HAND. 21 Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house." 22 And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold. So, each of these men were a "mashiyach," an "anointed one" of YHWH God! And, such was also Shlomoh (or Solomon): 1 Kings 1:28-40 (KJV) 28 Then king David answered and said, "Call me Bathsheba." And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king. 29 And the king sware, and said, "[As] the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress, 30 Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, "'Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead'; even so will I certainly do this day." 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with [her] face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, "Let my lord king David live for ever." 32 And king David said, "Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." And they came before the king. 33 The king also said unto them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: 34 And LET ZADOK THE PRIEST AND NATHAN THE PROPHET ANOINT HIM THERE KING OVER ISRAEL: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, 'God save king Solomon!' 35 Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah." 36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, "Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so [too]. 37 As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David." 38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39 And ZADOK THE PRIEST TOOK AN HORN OF OIL OUT OF THE TABERNACLE, AND ANOINTED SOLOMON. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, "God save king Solomon!" 40 And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them. This is also how we know that Shlomoh ("Solomon") was NOT the "seed" which God was talking about in the Davidic Covenant! David was still alive at the time, not yet "sleeping with his fathers!" (2 Samuel 7:12).

Shalom, @Locust. It doesn't matter. Whether one translates the word "congregations" or "churches," the Greek words are "ταῖς ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησίαις," the dative plural of the words, "tais hepta ekkleesiais," "to-the seven called-out-[groups]!" It's PLURAL! There's no such thing as the "universal church," especially the "Capital-C Church!" Thus, there's also no such thing as the "Catholic (Universal) Church," "Roman" or otherwise! They were INDIVIDUAL, "CALLED-OUT" ASSEMBLIES all over the Middle East, Turkey, and southern Europe (as well as northern Africa and the western end of the continent of Asia)! It's nice to have unity when it's available, but only IN THE TRUTH! One cannot have "unity" with unbelievers nor with those who have changed the truth of God's Word.

Shalom, @Luther. You're working under a false assumption. I Corinthians 15 is Paul's arguments about the RESURRECTIONS, and he makes it clear here: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (KJV) 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits (singular) of them that slept. 21 For since by man [came] death, BY MAN [CAME] ALSO THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so IN CHRIST SHALL ALL BE MADE ALIVE. 23 But every man in his own order: (0) Christ the firstfruits (singular); (1) AFTERWARD THEY THAT ARE CHRIST'S AT HIS COMING. 24 (2) Then [cometh] the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For "he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet." (Psalm 8:6, a psalm of David) 26 The last enemy [that] shall be destroyed [is] death. 27 For "he hath put ALL things under his feet." {But when he saith "all things are put under [him," it is] manifest that "he" is excepted, which did "put all things under him."} 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. "They that are Christ's," or "those who belong to the Messiah," are FAR more than just "Christians!" Since the Messiah, the "Christ," is "the One Anointed to be Israel's King," then they are ALL those who will be a part of His Kingdom, whether His subjects or those reigning with Him! I'm sorry if this doesn't fit into the "cookie-cutter" mold, but when one's philosophy/eschatology doesn't align with Scripture, it's time to THROW OUT THE PHILOSOPHY/ESCHATOLOGY and rebuild from scratch! Many take this as being "symbolic," but this is a VERY LITERAL prophecy: Ezekiel 37:1-28 (KJV) 1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which [was] full of bones, 2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, [there were] very many in the open valley; and, lo, [they were] very dry. 3 And he said unto me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, thou knowest." 4 Again he said unto me, "Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, "'O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; "'"Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD."'" 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but [there was] no breath in them. 9 Then said he unto me, "Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, "'Thus saith the Lord GOD; "'"Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live."'" 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and THEY LIVED, AND STOOD UP UPON THEIR FEET, AN EXCEEDING GREAT ARMY. 11 Then he said unto me, "Son of man, these bones are THE WHOLE HOUSE OF ISRAEL: behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.' 12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, "'Thus saith the Lord GOD; "'"Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And ye shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken [it], and performed [it]," saith the LORD.' 15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 16 "Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, 'For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions': then take another stick, and write upon it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and [for] all the house of Israel his companions': 17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. 18 "And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, 'Wilt thou not shew us what thou [meanest] by these?' 19 Say unto them, "'Thus saith the Lord GOD; "'"Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which [is] in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, [even] with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand."' 20 "And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. 21 "And say unto them, "'Thus saith the Lord GOD; "'"Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: 22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: 23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. 24 And David my servant [shall be] king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd (the Messiah): they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. 25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, [even] they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David [shall be] their prince for ever. 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 And the heathen (Gentiles) shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore. This passage, like 1 Corinthians 15, is about the RESURRECTION! And, as far as being "born of the Spirit of God," haven't you read 1 John? 1 John 5:1-5 (KJV) 1 Whosoever believeth that JESUS (YEESHUWA`) IS THE CHRIST (THE MESSIAH) is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD (another description of the Messiah from the Davidic Covenant)? So, one would do well to rethink his or her stance if it doesn't include "ALL those who belong to the Messiah!"

Shabbat shalom, @enoob57. It sifts out the ones who aren't serious about learning.

Shabbat shalom, @Michael37. Some of us understand the complex network of the Scriptures and enjoy reading them. Some things just can't be understood until one "sees the forest for the trees." We're all pretty good on seeing the various parts of theology and eschatology on the miniscule scale, but not too many have the patience to observe the larger scale. Have you ever taken the time to see how all these passage of Scripture work together to form a complex network of information? And, through it all is God's plan for the Messiah to come and reign upon this earth ... and the next!

Shabbat shalom, @Luther. I alluded to the parables in Matthew 13, but I didn't give you the parables. With the exception of the first parable, all the parables of Matthew 13 are NOT about this time period at all. They are all about the FUTURE Kingdom, which will be installed when the Messiah Yeeshuwa` returns, and saves His people, as His name means. Right now, the head of the nation Israel is called the "Prime Minister." If you've ever read the books or watched the movies, the Lord of the Rings, in the third book/movie entitled, "The Return of the King," by J.R.R. Tolkien, it shows how a "Steward" or a "Prime Minister" (a "Chief Servant") is supposed to act when the King returns to power. With humility and much pomp, He is to hand over the rulership that he has been entrusted to the rightful heir to the throne. Denethor was a good example of the scribes and Pharisees who neglected to turn the rulership of the Kingdom to the rightful Heir to David's Throne. Instead, the KILLED the Heir in an attempt to keep the rulership permanently. Just as it failed MISERABLY in the movie, with Denethor leaping to his death being set on fire, the leadership of the house of Israel will also fail miserably when the Messiah of GOD returns WITH His Kingdom! So, when the King returns and cleanses His Land from enemies and takes up His throne, the "Prime Minister," whoever he will be at the time and if he's smart, will GLADLY turn over the rulership of Israel to its rightful Heir! And, the Son of David will be KING of Israel. Before I get into the parables of Matthew 13, one should look at the prophecy at the end of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 25, and this is NOT a parable: (Just as a reminder, I use GREEN for narration; I use RED for the words of a messiah, particularly the ULTIMATE Messiah, Yeeshuwa`; I use ROYAL PURPLE for rhe words of YHWH God, the Father; and I use BLUE for the words of anyone else. I use "Automatic" BLACK for my own words.) Matthew 25:31-46 (KJV) 31 "WHEN THE SON OF MAN SHALL COME IN HIS GLORY (BRIGHTNESS), and all the holy angels with him, THEN SHALL HE SIT UPON THE THRONE OF HIS GLORY (BRIGHTNESS): 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats: These are the ones who were involved in the war for His Land. THIS IS A WAR TRIBUNAL that He holds after He comes to power! 33 "And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, "'Come, ye blessed of my Father, INHERIT THE KINGDOM prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.' 37 "Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, "'Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?' 40 "And the King shall answer and say unto them, "'Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.' 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: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not!' 44 "Then shall they also answer him, saying, "'Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?' 45 "Then shall he answer them, saying, "'Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me!' 46 "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." Also, one should take note of Luke 19. This IS a parable, but we easily see what and whom this represents: Luke 19:11-27 (KJV) 11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12 He said therefore, "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, "'Occupy (Trade with this) till I come.' 14 "But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, "'We will not have THIS [man] to reign over us!' 15 "And it came to pass, that WHEN HE WAS RETURNED, HAVING RECEIVED THE KINGDOM, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, "'Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.' 17 "And he said unto him, "'Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.' 18 "And the second came, saying, "'Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.' 19 "And he said likewise to him, "'Be thou also over five cities.' 20 "And another came, saying, "'Lord, behold, [here is] thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: 21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.' 22 "And he saith unto him, "'Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, [thou] wicked servant! Thou KNEWEST that I was "an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow": 23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?' 24 "And he said unto them that stood by, "'Take from him the pound, and give [it] to him that hath ten pounds.' 25 "(And they said unto him, "'Lord, he HATH ten pounds!') 26 "'For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. 27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, BRING HITHER, AND SLAY [THEM] BEFORE ME!' " Did you know that's the REAL "Jesus" whom you serve? Now, let's start looking at the parables about the Kingdom: Matthew 13:1-17 (KJV) 1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, "Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And when he sowed, ... some [seeds] fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5 "Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 "And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8 "But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9 "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." 10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, "Why speakest thou unto them in parables?" 11 He answered and said unto them, "Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because 'they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.' 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, 'By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.' (Isaiah 6:9-10). 16 But blessed [are] your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous [men] have desired to see [those things] which ye see, and have not seen [them]; and to hear [those things] which ye hear, and have not heard [them]." So, this sets the stage and gives the first parable - the parable of the Sower. He clarified the parable for His disciples in ... Matthew 13:18-23 (KJV) 18 "Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked [one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 "But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon (immediately) with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by (instantly) he is offended (made to sin). 22 "He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23 "But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth [it]; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." Only this parable is about this present time. When one hears the message about the Kingdom, he or she will fall into one of four camps: He or she will either not understand it at all, and haSatan snatches the message from his or her thoughts. When one hears the message about the Kingdom and immediately receives it with joy, but he or she has no depth of understanding in God's Word, then they are handicapped to get anywhere with the message, and frustrated, they won't last long. When one hears the message about the Kingdom and loves it, but has "too many irons in the fire," and is distracted by all the things vying for his or her attention, the word about the Kingdom "takes a back seat" to all else going on in his or her life. When one hears the message about the Kingdom and understands it, taking it in stride and considers the cost, he or she will succeed and will bear much fruit, leading to more people who hear the message about the Kingdom. That's the first parable. I'm going to take the time in this post to add the second parable, "The parable of the wheat and tares (look-alike weeds): Matthew 13:24-30 (KJV) 24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed GOOD SEED in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed TARES among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, "'Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?' 28 "He said unto them, "'An enemy hath done this.' "The servants said unto him, "'Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?' 29 "But he said, "'Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn."' " This one is EXCELLENT, because our Lord goes into detail: Matthew 13:36-43 (KJV) 36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, "Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field." 37 He answered and said unto them, (First, He defines the elements of the parable:) "He that soweth the good seed is (=)the Son of man; 38 "The field is (=) the world (Greek: kosmos = "the inhabited earth"); "the good seed are (=) the children of the kingdom; "but the tares are (=) the children of the wicked [one]; 39 "The enemy that sowed them is (=) the devil; "the harvest is (=) the end of the world (Greek: sunteleia tou aioonos = "the end of-the age"); "and the reapers are (=) the angels." We can now go back to the parable as told and plug the definitions into the parable; 24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is likened unto the Son of man which sowed the children of the kingdom in his inhabited earth: 25 But while men slept, the devil came and sowed the children of the wicked [one] among the children of the kingdom, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the the children of the wicked [one] also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, "'Sir, didst not thou sow the children of the kingdom in thy inhabited earth? from whence then hath it the children of the wicked [one]?' 28 "He said unto them, "'the devil hath done this.' "The servants said unto him, "'Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?' 29 "But he said, "'Nay; lest while ye gather up the the children of the wicked [one], ye root up also the children of the kingdom with them. 30 Let both grow together until the end of-the age: and in the time of the end of-the age I will say to the angels, "Gather ye together first the children of the wicked [one], and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the children of the kingdom into my barn."' " Then, add His further clarification: 40 "As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and THEY SHALL GATHER OUT OF HIS KINGDOM all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in THE KINGDOM OF THEIR FATHER. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." Notice that He DID mention two Kingdoms - or rather, stages of the ONE Kingdom: "His Kingdom," that is, the "Kingdom of the Son of man" and "the Kingdom of their Father," who is YHWH God! The "thousand years" (Latin: mille-annium) that haSatan is locked up, which are the FIRST one thousand years of the Messiah's Kingdom - when "he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet," ends with the Father's Kingdom - "when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power," at the end of the 1,000 years. The "furnace of fire" IS "the Lake of Fire and Sulfur!" Then, "shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." However, one shouldn't forget Gabriel's words to Mary: Luke 1:30-33 (KJV) 30 And the angel said unto her, "Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And HE SHALL REIGN OVER THE HOUSE OF JACOB FOR EVER; AND OF HIS KINGDOM THERE SHALL BE NO END." Therefore, these 1,000 years - the Millennium - are just the FIRST 1,000 years of His Kingdom! So, the Empire over the world will be eternally ruled by God the Father, but the house of Jacob ("Israel") will be ruled by the Messiah (the Anointed One) of the LORD, Yeeshuwa` or "Jesus," the Son of David.

Shabbat shalom, @Locust. And, the "one thing" is?

Shalom, @Luther. This is nonsense, of course. I understand why someone would take this point of view; however, the prophetic Scriptures are plain. He SHALL reign upon this earth, and not in some "church," either! Fair warning: This post is going to be Scripture intensive, posting several passages of Scripture together at one time, because they WORK together. Consider: Luke 1:30-33 (KJV) 30 And the angel [Gavriy'Eel or "Gabriel" = "God is my strength"] said unto her, "Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God! 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name 'JESUS' (Hebrew: Yeeshuwa` = "He shall save"). 32 He shall be great, and shall be called THE SON OF THE HIGHEST: and the LORD God shall give unto him THE THRONE OF HIS FATHER DAVID: 33 And HE SHALL REIGN OVER THE HOUSE OF JACOB FOR EVER; and OF HIS KINGDOM THERE SHALL BE NO END." The magi ("wisemen") inadvertently announced the Messiah's birth to Herod the Great when they asked, Matthew 2:1-2 (KJV) 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, "Where is he that is born KING OF THE JEWS? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship (to bend the knee to) him." These are in fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant: 2 Samuel 7:1-17 (KJV) 1 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; 2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains!" 3 And Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that [is] in thine heart; for the LORD [is] with thee." 4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying, 5 "Go and tell my servant David, "'Thus saith the LORD, "'"Shalt THOU build ME an house for me to dwell in? 6 Whereas I have not dwelt in [any] house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. 7 In all [the places] wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, 'Why build ye not me an house of cedar?' "' 8 "Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, "'Thus saith the LORD of hosts, "'"I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: 9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great [men] that [are] in the earth. 10 Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, 11 And as since the time that I commanded judges [to be] over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies." "'Also the LORD telleth thee that HE will make THEE an house. 12 "'"And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I WILL BE HIS FATHER, AND HE SHALL BE MY SON. If he commit (be twisted into) iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: (and this happened at the cross) 15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took [it] from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever."'" 17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. Many believers ("Christians") make this claim about Luke 17:20-21, but they fail to see that the word "you" in verse 21 is the PLURAL word "ὑμῶν," not the singular "σοί." "Humoon" is the locative of "humeis" meaning "ye" or "you," a group of people, not just a single person. This is information that is LOST when one gives up the King James Version. While it's not as well-known anymore, the "ye's" and "you's" (and "your's" and "yours's") in the English of the KJV are PLURAL; the "thee's" and "thou's" (and "thy's" and "thine's") are SINGULAR, second-person words in number. Therefore, in this particular case, the word ἐντὸς or "entos" means "AMONG the GROUP." And, guess who was "among them?" The MESSIAH or "the ANOINTED of the LORD," Yeeshuwa`, same as were Sha'uwl ("Saul"), David, and Shlomoh ("Solomon"), the One anointed to be the King of the Jews and the King of Israel, was among them! And where the King is, there is also the Kingdom! That's why AT THAT TIME, the Kingdom didn't have to come with pomp and circumstance! HE WAS ALREADY THERE! Oops! Sorry, but this is not correct! Look carefully at 1 Corinthians 15:20-28: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (KJV) 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits (a singular word) of them that slept. 21 For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: (0) Christ the firstfruits; (1) AFTERWARD THEY THAT ARE CHRIST'S AT HIS COMING. 24 (2) Then [cometh] the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy [that] shall be destroyed [is] death. 27 For he (God the Father) hath put all things under his (the Son of God's) feet. {But when he saith "all things" are "put under [him," it is] manifest that "he" is excepted (is the exception to the all things), which did "put all things under him."| 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. Now, here's where it takes a little bit of logic: IF the Messiah (the Christ) is the LORD'S Anointed to be King of Israel (and that's what the word means), then ALL of those who were born to the lines of Israel are "those who belong to the Messiah!" Furthermore, WE who are Gentile believers are GRAFFED INTO the Messiah's "Olive Tree!" We are included WITH the Jews - the children of Yhuwdaah ("Judah") - because the Messiah Himself is a Jew! Through Him, we become a PART of God's Kingdom, over whom God the Father will reign through His Anointed One, Yeeshuwa`. It's VERY short-sighted, self-centered, egotistical, and audacious to think that we're all who will constitute His Kingdom! Just who do we think we are?! Doesn't one think that Yeeshuwa` HIMSELF will determine those who "belong to Him, as the LORD'S Messiah" ot "the LORD'S Anointed?" Right, there's not "two kingdoms" in that way; however, one should not succumb to MORE nonsense! Whose Kingdom was it at the start?! It wasn't of the Gentiles (the nations); it was of the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL! They are LITERALLY the children and grandchildren (however many "greats" are added) of the MAN called Yisraa'eel ("Israel")! His name, based upon the Hebrew word "sar," means "he-[is]-a-prince of-God," just as a "Jew" is a "Yhuwdiy" or "one-from-[the-tribe-of]-Yhuwdaah" or "Judah." ALL THE SAME, there ARE two Kingdoms, found within the parables of our Lord as described in Matthew 13: Yes, one Kingdom. No, not "since the beginning of time." When "men began to call upon the name of the LORD," they were calling THEMSELVES with names constructed from the name or title of the LORD! "The LORD" in all caps was used in the KJV to translate the Hebrew word "YHWH," which God used to convey His name to Moses. It was frequently followed by the word for "God," the Royal Plural word "'Elohiym." "Lord" with normal capitalization was often used to translate "'Adonaay" which means "my-exalted-Lord" or "my-exalted-foundation-layer," as in "he who lays the foundation of a city." So, in Genesis, when the translator of the KJV found "YHWH 'Elohiym," he would write "the LORD God." This practice was altered when the two words translated "Lord" and "LORD" were used together. It would sound redundant to say "Lord LORD." So, the word "God" was used in all caps (or in capitalized miniscule letters) as "GOD." So, in the book of Ezekiel, for example, one will find "'Adonaay YHWH" translated as "Lord GOD." In Genesis 4:26, men were beginning to tack on the name of God ("YAH") or the word "God" ("'El ") onto their names. Names like "Mehujael" and "Methusael" and "Mahalaleel." Names that, for us, end in "-iah" or "-jah" have the name of God ("YAH") embedded within their meanings. These include "Elijah," "Zechariah," and "Zephaniah." Names that end in "-el" have the Hebrew word for "God" ("'Elohiym" or "'El " singular for short) embedded within their meanings. These include "Daniel," "Joel," and "Ezekiel." That's what was going on. They weren't "getting saved," as I've heard some teach. To be "raptured" doesn't mean or imply that we're going to be "taken to Heaven." Since "heaven" means "sky," we go THROUGH the "heavens" - THROUGH the "skies" - to where the Messiah wants us to go WHEN HE GETS BACK! He shall send out His messengers ("aggeloi") to gather us to help Him with taking back His Land, the Land of Israel. However, we're going to have SUCH A HUGE learning curve to overcome, that we read in the prophecies, Isaiah 63:1-19 KJV 1 "Who [is] this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this [that is] glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength?" "I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." 2 "Wherefore [art thou] red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?" 3 "I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people [there was] none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. 4 For the day of vengeance [is] in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. 5 And I looked, and [there was] none to help; and I wondered that [there was] none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. 6 And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth (the ground)." 7 I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, [and] the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. 8 For he said, "Surely they [are] my people, children [that] will not lie": so he was their Saviour. 9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. 10 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, [and] he fought against them. 11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, [and] his people, [saying], "Where [is] he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where [is] he that put his holy Spirit within him? 12 That led [them] by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name? 13 That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, [that] they should not stumble?" 14 As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name. 15 Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where [is] thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained? 16 Doubtless thou [art] our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, [art] our father, our redeemer; thy name [is] from everlasting. 17 O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, [and] hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. 18 The people of thy holiness have possessed [it] but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary. 19 We are [thine]: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name. HaHar Tsiyown (The Mountain of-Zion) is the mountain range upon which Jerusalem is built. THAT is where the Messiah shall be installed as Israel's King, not in some fictional "Heaven." These are quotations from Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14 found in Hebrews 1:5. They are both prophecies about the coming Messiah. THIS prophecy is SEVERELY misunderstood! It's found in Psalm 45, and there are multiple changes in persons to whom the writer is speaking. Here's the Psalm in its entirety: Psalm 45:1-17 (KJV) 1 [[To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves.]] My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue [is] the pen of a ready writer. [Speaking to the King:] 2 "Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. 3 Gird thy sword upon [thy] thigh, O [most] mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. 4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness [and] righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. 5 Thine arrows [are] sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; [whereby] the people fall under thee." [Speaking to God:] 6 "THY THRONE, O GOD, [IS] FOR EVER AND EVER: THE SCEPTRE OF THY KINGDOM [IS] A RIGHT SCEPTRE." [Speaking to the King ABOUT His God:] 7 "Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 8 All thy garments [smell] of myrrh, and aloes, [and] cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. 9 Kings' daughters [were] among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir." [Speaking to the Queen:] 10 "Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; 11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he [is] thy Lord; and worship thou him." [Description of the Queen:] 12 And the daughter of Tyre [shall be there] with a gift; [even] the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour. 13 The king's daughter [is] all glorious within: her clothing [is] of wrought gold. 14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. 15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace. [God speaks to the King:] 16 "Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. 17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever." It's confusion to think that verses 6 and 7 are talking to the same Person. The author of Hebrews quoted a passage from this psalm that had NO verse numbers at the time. Certain sentences or phrases were more memorial than others; so, the writer quoted a familiar passage to lead into the following sentence. It was certainly more memorable to recognize that YHWH GOD HIMSELF is the REAL King of Israel; therefore, it's HIS throne and HIS Kingdom. David recognized this fact; the physical King is GOD'S Representative! And, Yeeshuwa` basically said the same thing: "I do always those things which please the Father." (John 8:29). "I and my Father are one" (much as a man and a woman are one in marriage, John 10:30). "He that hath seen me hath seen my Father also." (John 14:9). "My judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." (John 5:30). There is but one Kingdom, but it is for ALL those who belong to the Messiah! And, it IS for this world! THIS is where He will reign, first for 1,000 years in this age, and then forever in the ages to come! Whoever the writer of the "recommended book" is, he doesn't know what he's talking about. The MESSIAH, "Christ" in Greek, is a JEWISH Messiah! He is One who is ANOINTED by God to be ISRAEL'S King! There's no such thing as an "ENTITY" called the "church," particularly not the "Capital C Church," as Moody's Janet Parshall is known to say. The "church" is simply a gathering of people, a "called-out" assembly, even as the town assembly of Ephesus was in Acts 19. The word "church" actually comes from the ADDITIONAL Greek word "kuriokon" which means "of the Lord." Specifically, it was an "ekkeesia kurikon." an "assembly of-the-Lord." There's nothing special about a "gathering" or an "assembly." What made them special was that they were all believers that Yeeshuwa` was (and is) the Messiah of the LORD God! (1 John 5:1). But WITHIN the Messiah, "there is no difference between Jew and Gentile." (Romans 3:22). Outside of the Messiah, there's still a difference: Romans 3:1-3 (KJV) 1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit [is there] of circumcision? Many who are antisemitic "Christians in name only" ("Chrinos") would like to say, "None," at this point, but Paul continues... 2 MUCH EVERY WAY: chiefly, because that unto them were committed THE ORACLES (SPOKEN WORDS) OF GOD. 3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? Sorry, but this was taken out of its full context and misunderstood. The passage is from the Resurrection Chapter, and just about everything in this chapter is about Resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (KJV) 20 But now is Christ RISEN from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits (singular) of them that slept. 21 For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the RESURRECTION of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all BE MADE ALIVE. 23 But every man in his own order [i.e., three significant resurrections]: (0) Christ the firstfruits (singular, happened in the First Century); (1) afterward they that are Christ's AT HIS COMING. (Still yet to come.) 24 (2) Then [cometh] THE END, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For HE MUST REIGN, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy [that] shall be destroyed [is] death. 27 For "he (God) hath put all things under his (Christ's or the Messiah's) feet." [But when he saith "all things are put under [him (the Christ or Messiah, the Son of God)," it is] manifest (obvious) that "he" (God the Father) is excepted, which did "put all things under him."} 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. There are two significant Resurrections that are yet to occur: The Resurrection at the Second Coming of our Lord, and The Resurrection "at the end" of the age, which is what John was talking about in Revelation 20:1-15: Revelation 20:1-15 (KJV) 1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him A THOUSAND YEARS, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till THE THOUSAND YEARS should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ A THOUSAND YEARS. 5 (But the rest of the dead lived not again until THE THOUSAND YEARS were finished.) This (pointing back to verse 4) [is] the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him A THOUSAND YEARS. 7 And when THE THOUSAND YEARS are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city (Jerusalem): and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And THE SEA GAVE UP THE DEAD WHICH WERE IN IT; AND DEATH AND HELL DELIVERED UP THE DEAD WHICH WERE IN THEM: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And DEATH and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. The "thousand years" are about the chaining of haSatan (Hebrew for "the Enemy"). It will start when haSatan is chained, and will be finished when he is released. So, the progression is ... 1. The First Resurrection (which occurs during the Second Coming), 2. the 1000-year chaining of haSatan in the bottomless pit begins, 3. the first 1,000 years of His reign while haSatan is chained while He shall "REIGN, till he hath put all enemies under his feet," 4. the release of haSatan from the bottomless pit at the end of the 1,000 years, 5. the Fire falls upon the army of haSatan. 6. the Second Resurrection (which occurs after the Fire falls and just before the Great White Throne Judgment), 7. the Great White Throne Judgment itself, 8. the Sentencing of those found guilty to the Lake of Fire and Sulfur (or the Lake of Burning Sulfur, which is molten and burns a deep blue color) 9. God remakes the earth into the New Earth, and the sky into the New Sky, 10. the New Jerusalem (with the "many rooms" or "mansions") descends to the New Earth and lands upon it. I'll deal with the rest of this later.

Shalom, @The Barbarian. OR, the Krebs Cycle and what APPEAR to be "evolutionary lineages" are simply a COMMON DESIGN used by the Creator. I'm a computer programmer, and programming itself has "evolved," since the 1980s (when I started). At first, it was 1's and 0's and programming in machine code. Then, programmers, seeing patterns to what they consistently entered, developed early computer languages, such as ForTran, BASIC, and COBOL. Later as programs became longer and computers got faster and new peripherals were invented or enhanced, more languages were developed, such as Pascal, RPG, and C. C itself was modified several times as it grew. C became C+, then C++ and Java, then C#, each adding new characteristics to the programming language based upon LIBRARIES of code! As each new nuance to the language was added, such as functions, classes, and objects, the libraries were expanded, always to make the programming more readily accessible to the programmer in compact units. Today, "kids" (young adults: teens and tweens) are learning Python, but I'm sure that there are even more sophisticated programming languages used by others, especially if they are proprietary systems. One might see this as a form of evolutionary development; however, the LIBRARIES and initial coding HAS NOT CHANGED since its first development, because computers still use binary: "on" and "off," "0's" and "1's." DNA is code, and it is the most sophisticated code we've seen to date! It controls the systems and "peripherals" we have in our various bodies. However, the basic code first developed has not changed. Plants use the Krebs Cycle, too, especially at night, when photosythesis "sleeps." The fact that there are many chromosomes and code sections that are seen in other plants and animals doesn't "prove" that they are RELATED! It's just part of God's LIBRARY of reusable code that do the things that God wanted to happen in each new "kind" or "family/genus/species" that He created. Why "improve upon perfection?" Change was only necessary for the organisms to ADAPT ("evolve") to various environments.. According to the written record, He made ALL land-dwelling animals and mankind, male and female, on a single day of Creation: Genesis 1:24-31 (KJV) 24 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind": and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good. 26 And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over (Hebrew: וְיִרְדּוּ = "vyirdduw" = "and-be-superior-to") the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." 27 So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." 29 And God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein [there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat": and it was so. 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (The events that are listed in chapter 2 are simply a detailed account of this sixth day.) Technically, 'וְיִרְדּוּ = "vyirdduw",' which comes from 'רָדָה = "raadaah",' means "to-tread-upon," but this was said before the Curse from Adam's disobedience; so, it was not said as though to cause death or pain in any way, merely "to dominate, to control, and be superior to" the animals, in much the same way as a caretaker in a zoo or animal hospital would be dominant over the animals that are in his or her charge, and the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, created on the FIFTH day, were included within that control. Furthermore, long periods of time are often ASSUMED without evidence, but when evidence is used, these "long periods of time" are deduced upon erroneous readings from dating methods that are NOT well understood, despite their claims otherwise. ALL dating methods are susceptible to the same logical restrictions: 1. We DON'T really know how fast the decay rate is or even if that decay rate is truly hyperbolic and/or susceptible to variations in the rate; 2. We don't know how much of the parent element or the child element were present at the time when the rock was made or organism died; 3. We don't know if there was any leaching or contamination of the elements during the time that the decay process was occurring, and 4. NO SUCH LONG TIME PERIOD or the associated decay process has been observed to occur! So, we have an inability to date certain materials, like sedimentary rocks, directly. See, so much of the secular worldview has been built upon assumption after assumption, that it's like the proverbial "house of cards!" Pull one "card" out, and the whole "house" comes crashing down! (Or, should, if it weren't supported by pure "accepted thought.") Right now, the whole flimsy structure is supported by the sheer NUMBERS of those who ASSUME this theory to be correct, even without a shread of evidence! I know that this is simply my view and opinion on the topic; however, it really BOTHERS me that brilliant minds aren't at least QUESTIONING the whole structure of the secular worldview, based upon GOOD evidence that doesn't support the "accepted thought."