Things New and Old

Ancient truths revealed in the Scriptures are often forgotten, disbelieved or distorted, and therefore lost in the passage of time. Such ancient truths when rediscovered and relearned are 'new' additions to the treasury of ancient truths.

Christ showed many new things to the disciples, things prophesied by the prophets of old but hijacked and perverted by the elders and their traditions, but which Christ reclaimed and returned to His people.

Many things taught by the Apostles of Christ have been perverted or substituted over the centuries. Such fundamental doctrines like salvation by grace and justification have been hijacked and perverted and repudiated by sincere Christians. These doctrines need to be reclaimed and restored to God's people.

There are things both new and old here. "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things"
2Ti 2:7.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Angels, and angels, and angels

 Changbai Mountain is favoured with majestic natural sceneries... 
Tianchi or the Heavenly Lake is at the heart of this splendid place.
Here are some passages dealing with angels, angels that sinned and were cast into hell, Satan and his angels cast out of heaven into the earth, Satan cast into the bottomless pit, etc...

Take and look, and exercise our minds by answering some questions. Feel free to ask your questions; you may have some too. Thanks. 


2Pet 2:4
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;..."


It is obvious that both Apostle Peter and his recipients are familiar with the event spoken of. He stated the fact of the matter and took it for granted that his Jewish audience understood what he was saying.

Q. "For if God did not spare the angels that sinned.."
- what problem was Peter dealing with? 

- Who was he reasoning with?
- Who sincerely but vainly believed that God's judgment will not come upon them?
- What makes them think God will spare them? 


Q. What was the sin of the angels involved?
Q. When was the sin committed?
Q. Where in the Scriptures is it recorded?
Q. When were they cast down into hell?

Q. Were ALL the fallen involved in this particular sin? Why?



Jude 6 
"And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."

(The angels not remaining in their first estate but leaving their own habitation are two sides of the same coin.)

It is also obvious that both Jude and his recipients are familiar with the incident referred to. He stated the fact of the matter and took it for granted that his Jewish audience understood what he was saying. 


Q. What was the first estate of the angels?
Q. Why was their not keeping their first estate so serious, and brought such judgment upon them? What was their sin? What did they do having left their first estate? 

Q. Where is this sin recorded in the Scriptures?
Q. What was their own habitation?
Q. Why was leaving their own habitation so serious, and brought such judgment upon them? What was their sin?
Q. Which angels were reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day – all the angels, or only those which kept not their not their first estate, but left their own habitation? 
Q. Is their not keeping their first estate but leaving their own habitation the same as their being cast out of heaven to earth? (Note: the former constituted a wrong that incurred the judgment of God; the latter is the judgment for something else!)
Q. Is Jude 6 related to 2Pet 2:4? Why?


Rev 12:3-9

4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered,
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.


Q. When did that war in heaven take place?

Q. How is "the third part of the stars of heaven" related to the angels of the dragon?

Q. Why was there no more place in heaven for the dragon and his angels?
Q. When were Satan and his angels cast out of heaven?
Q. When they were cast out of heaven, whither were they cast?
Q. Was this casting out of heaven into the earth the same as being cast into hell in 2Pet 2:4?
Q. What are the differences? Who were involved, and what happened in both?



Rev 20:1-3 
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.


Q. Who does the angel from heaven signify?
Q. When did he lay hold on the dragon? What does that signify
Q. What did casting Satan into the bottomless pit accomplish?
Q. When did the "thousand years" begin, when will the "thousand years" be fulfilled?

Q. Is this event of casting Satan into the bottomless pit the same as the event recorded in Rev 12 and 2Pet 2?


I look forward to hearing some answers to these questions.
Feel free to ask your own.


Thank you.            

Saturday, January 16, 2016

"There were giants..."

"There were giants...
... the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown"

"There were giants... the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown" - the offspring of the so called mixed-marriage between godly men and ungodly women!
What were they mighty, and renown for? What was so gigantic about them?

Gen 6
1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
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.
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 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.
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.
======
Most likely you have read this passage recently, in your Bible reading programme.

So, you were told, and you have believed it without further question: that godly men ("sons of God") foolishly married the ungodly women ("daughters of men"), and as a result literal giants were born to such union - ["giants were in the earth in those days", in those days WHEN the sons of God took the daughters of men as wives], and those giants, "the same [giants] became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."

In what sense were they mighty men and men of renown? Read divine commentary in the next verse.

Why was it that godly men marrying ungodly women - supposing that was indeed the case! - had such catastrophic and devastating CORRUPTING effect upon the whole human race? "The wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

Why hadn't the union of ungodly men with ungodly women prior Gen 6:1, or all their unions after the flood produced anything of the same effect?

And if it was just the mixed marriage between the godly and the ungodly, was there a divine command forbidding such before Gen 6:1? Surely one would expect an explicit command against such.

Strange wasn't it... that whole generation of the so-called GODLY "sons of God" got wiped off the face of the earth by mere mixed marriage!

And why would the Scriptures designate men who acted with such ungodliness - marrying ungodly women - with such a lofty title as the "sons of God"?

Or is the passage speaking of something far more sinister, i.e. satanic?

Are you thinking yet?

Take a look here at some interesting issues raised and dealt with.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205631696127192&set=a.1182086067794.2026451.1097484914&type=3&theater

Monday, January 4, 2016

Sound-bytitis is a common, but debilitating disease!

 Whatever has happened to plain common sense
needed to rightly divide the word of truth?


Sound, and Sense

Sound-bytitis (a debilitating disease), and Rightly dividing the word of truth

The grand biblical declaration, "the just shall live by faith" stands as a mighty indictment against the popular heresy of "justification by faith alone."

"The just shall live by faith" declares that it is the JUST - that is, the justified ones by the free grace of God - that shall live by faith.

The sola fidei heresy declares the EXACT opposite: the unjustified (i.e. still in the native state of sin and condemnation) must believe in order to be justified by God.

"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Rom 1:17

"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith." Gal 3:11

"Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Heb 10:38


"Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith." Hab 2:4.

The simple truth of the Bible "the just shall live by faith..." has been twisted and perverted into a lie of the devil,"the condemned by faith shall be justified."

Romans 3:24 "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

It is the just, those whom God has freely justified by His grace based solely on the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, that are capable of living by faith! It is not the UN-justified, still under condemnation, that must believe in order to be justified! The UN-justified, still in their native state of death and condemnation CANNOT possibly believe.

Faith in Christ justifies EVIDENTIALLY, i.e. it demonstrates one's justified state before God, wholly and purely by His free grace. You probably don't understand the last
sentence. Let me illustrate - your breathing EVIDENCES that you have been brought back to life, your breathing is NOT the act that brought you life.
 

Isn't that the PLAIN SENSE of the plain declaration of Scriptures?
Whatever has happened to plain common sense needed to rightly divide the word of truth.


 Let sound-byte bites the dust!!!

Saturday, January 2, 2016

"...Making melody in your heart to the Lord" - all of you!

Read the whole article here
http://holysoup.com/2014/05/21/why-they-dont-sing-on-sunday-anymore/

Churches are turned into religious entertainment hubs. People are ENTERTAINED to death, even in many churches now!!! (My humble advice - AVOID such places!)

How they forfeit the sublime delight and pleasure of old fashion hymning! I just told the church the other day, those who love and enjoy hymning will love heaven a whole lot better! Singing those hymns that celebrate the gospel truths enriches the souls and educate the minds and edifies the hearts like faithful preaching does. The Lord blesses me with some saints who sing!

Here's one example of a hymn that enriches the souls and educate the minds and edifies the hearts: Grace tis a Charming Sound... (http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/g/r/a/gracetis.htm)

Grace, ’tis a charming sound,
Harmonious to mine ear;
Heaven with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.

Grace first contrived the way
To save rebellious man;
And all the steps that grace display
Which drew the wondrous plan.

Grace first inscribed my name
In God’s eternal book;
’Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,
Who all my sorrows took.

Grace taught my wandering feet
To tread the heavenly road,
And new supplies each hour I meet,
While pressing on to God.

Grace taught my soul to pray
And made mine eyes o’erflow;
’Twas grace which kept me to this day,
And will not let me go.

Grace all the works shall crown,
Through everlasting days;
It lays in Heaven the topmost stone,
And well deserves the praise.

O let Thy grace inspire
My soul with strength divine
My all my powers to Thee aspire,
And all my days be Thine.
======

Take a look here at the exchanges on the above topic.
https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10205539935953245?pnref=story


"Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to HEAR, than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they consider not that they DO EVIL!!!

Be more ready to hear what? The preaching of God's word.

2Ti 4:2
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

The necessary implication: the congregation must be instant in season and out of season to hear the preachig of the word.

That the sacrifice of FOOLS are made to God in the house of God is a harsh reality, and no one seems to care... that evils can be done in so-called worship services does not even register!!!

Friday, January 1, 2016

Thy paths drop fatness...


Will 2016 be a year of LEANNESS or
a year of FATNESS for you, brethren?
The choice is yours; and the answer is not difficult.
Walk in the paths where there is fatness.
The Lord's paths drop fatness!

Brethren, I wish you a blessed year of fatness in the Lord. Amen.

Psalm 65:11
Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;
and thy paths drop fatness.

Psalm 121:11-2
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,
from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the LORD,
which made heaven and earth.