Tag: #1 Corinthians

Bible Study Tools: Revelation 11:8 : Which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt.

That is, it is called so in a mystic and allegoric sense, in distinction from the literal sense; see ( 1 Corinthians 10:3 1 Corinthians 10:4 ) ; it is called Sodom because of the fulness of bread, plenty and abundance of all outward good things in it; as well as for the pride and idleness of the priests, monks, and friars which swarm in it; and also for the open profaneness and contempt of true and serious religion in it; and particularly for the sin of sodomy, so frequently committed here, with impunity, yea with allowance, and even with commendation.

This sin was extolled with praises, as Brightman observes, by John a Casa, archbishop of Beneventum; and was defended in a book, published for that purpose, by one Mutius; and which was allowed by the bulls and letters patent of Pope Julius the Third; and it is called Egypt, because of its tyranny and oppression; as the Egyptians kept the Israelites in bondage, and made them to serve with rigour, and embittered their lives, so the pope, and his Gentiles, or Egyptians, have in a most oppressive and rigorous manner tyrannised over the souls, bodies, and estates of men; and also because of its great idolatry, Egypt being very remarkable for the number of its deities, and the meanness of them; by which the idols and idolatries of the church of Rome may be fitly expressed:

“I love” – the fix for hatred and animosity

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. (John 3:16 KJV)

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The 144,000 in the Book of Revelation

The 144,000 are first mentioned in Revelation 7:4, “Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.” This passage comes in an interlude between the judgment of the sixth seal of the tribulation (Revelation 6:12–17) and the opening of the seventh seal (Revelation 8:1).

How one answers the question “who are the 144,000?” depends on which interpretive approach one takes to the book of Revelation. The futurist approach, which we consider the best, interprets the 144,000 literally. When taken at face value, Revelation 7:4 seems to speak of 144,000 actual people living during the end-times tribulation. Nothing in the passage leads to interpreting the 144,000 as anything but a literal number of Jews—12,000 taken from every tribe of the children of Israel, according to verses 5–8.

These 144,000 Jews are “sealed,” which means they have the special protection of God. They are kept safe from the divine judgments and from the wrath of the Antichrist. They can freely perform their mission during the tribulation. It had been previously prophesied that Israel would repent and turn back to God (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:25–27), and the 144,000 Jews seem to be a sort of “first fruits” (Revelation 14:4) of that redeemed Israel. Their mission seems to be to evangelize the post-rapture world and proclaim the gospel during the tribulation period. As a result of their ministry, millions—“a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9)—will come to faith in Christ.

Much of the confusion regarding the 144,000 is a result of the false doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that 144,000 is a limit to the number of people who will reign with Christ in heaven and spend eternity with God. The 144,000 have what the Jehovah’s Witnesses call the “heavenly hope.” Those who are not among the 144,000 will enjoy what they call the “earthly hope”—a paradise on earth ruled by Christ and the 144,000. It is true that there will be people ruling in the millennium with Christ. These people will be comprised of the church (believers in Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 6:2), Old Testament saints (believers who died before Christ’s first advent, Daniel 7:27), and tribulation saints (those who accept Christ during the tribulation, Revelation 20:4). Yet the Bible places no numerical limit on this group of people. Furthermore, the millennium is different from the eternal state, which will be established at the completion of the millennial period. At that time, God will dwell with us in the New Jerusalem. He will be our God, and we will be His people (Revelation 21:3). The inheritance promised to us in Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13–14) will become ours, and we will be co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

Letter to the church in Philadelphia

Revelation 3:7-13 records Christ’s message to the sixth of the seven churches addressed in Revelation 2–3. The Philadelphian church is the recipient of this letter. Philadelphia was a city in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) on the Imperial Post Road, an important trade route.

The message is from the Lord Jesus Christ through an angel or “messenger” (likely a reference to the pastor): “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write . . .” (Revelation 3:7). This was not John’s personal message to these believers; it was a message from the Lord, who identifies Himself as “him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” This description of Jesus emphasizes His holiness, His sovereignty, and His authority. The reference to the key of David is an allusion to the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 22:22. Jesus is the one who opens and shuts, and no one can say Him nay.

Jesus affirms the church’s positive actions: “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name” (Revelation 3:8). The church of Philadelphia was weak in some respects, yet they had remained faithful in the face of trial. Because of this, the Lord promises them an “open door” of blessing.

Jesus’ letter then condemns the enemies of the Philadelphian believers: “I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you” (Revelation 3:9). Those who persecuted the believers (the persecutors were religious hypocrites in this case) would one day realize Christ loves His children. The church of Philadelphia would be victorious over its enemies.

Jesus encourages the Philadelphian believers regarding His future coming: “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown” (Revelation 3:10-11). The church’s faithful endurance would serve as a blessing. Jesus would take them to be with Him before the coming tribulation (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). He also exhorts them to remain faithful, because this would lead to rewards in the afterlife. Based on this and other passages, many Bible interpreters conclude that the rapture is an event distinct from the second coming of Christ. The fact that the Philadelphians are promised to be preserved from the time of the tribulation corresponds with the pretribulational view of the rapture.

Jesus provides a final promise to the believers in Philadelphia and to all believers: “Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down from out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name” (Revelation 3:12). Professor Thomas Constable notes, “God promised that He will not just honor overcomers by erecting a pillar in their name in heaven, as was the custom in Philadelphia. He will make them pillars in the spiritual temple of God, the New Jerusalem (21:22; cf. Gal. 2:9; 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Pet. 2:4-10).” (Source: Thomas Constable, Notes on Revelation at https://soniclight.com/tcon/notes/pdf/revelation.pdf.)

So, those who struggled with weakness Jesus makes everlasting pillars in the house of God. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). Jesus’ words of comfort certainly would have been a blessing to the Philadelphians who had faithfully stood for Christ in their pagan culture. His words continue to serve as an encouragement to faithful believers today.

Scriptures

Ephesians 5:22
“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.” – Ephesians 5:22

Ephesians 5:25
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” – Ephesians 5:25

Colossians 3:18
“Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” – Colossians 3:18

1 Peter 3:1
“Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.” – 1 Peter 3:1

1 Corinthians 11:3
“But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” – 1 Corinthians 11:3

Speak It, Believe It, So Be It!

As I prepared to celebrate one of my oldest friends birthday this Memorial Day week, I suddenly began to think prophetically about memories and when I first met her many years ago when we took a book from our Church to a “Washington for Jesus” trip in the early 70’s.

So as I was pondering what lies ahead in this year and onward, I decided to Declare I what I see and I am praying.

Won’t you take a moment and Declare with me?

I Declare that in 2026 my new connections that The LORD brings to me will bring deeper understanding to the challenges that are taking place in our world.
I Decree God is stepping down to redeem that which appeared to be lost in the last few years.
I Declare that God is opening many new doors that no man can shut as we move forward to fulfill our call and mission to serve HIM.
I Decree that the many delays we have had were simply put on hold by The LORD whose timing is perfect.
I Declare that the things that seemed to be scattered or unavailable were not lost but God was putting things in order for the right people and right results.
I Decree it is the NOW time to war with all of those prophetic words and call them forth for divine fulfillment.
I Declare that the year 2026 shall be remembered as a year of Alignment and Refinement to produce our personal Assignment.
I Decree that just as prophesied many changes are coming quickly and we shall rejoice as God carries us forth to connect with the Family of God to be a light in the darkness.
Speak His Word, Believe It and Watch What The LORD Will Do!
I Declare that the new bridal month of June will be a time of renewing our vows to God and to those we vowed to walk in agreement with.
I Decree that the spirit of TRUTH shall bring WISDOM to those who have been deceived and also been defeated in the past season.
I Declare that many supernatural experiences shall come to those who have reached a time of doubt and unbelief after much discouragement.
I Decree that I will teach my heart to accept disappointments even when they come from people I love.
I Declare that my heart will not be corrupted by the need to be important even if I fall into the trap of the enemy to think more highly of myself than I ought.
I Decree that I will set my heart each morning to do what I know to do as I seek The LORD morning by morning. I will be still and listen without interrupting Him.
I Declare that tomorrow is not promised so I will not put off today what I must do and I will stay focused to do it as directed.
I Decree that destiny is here and God has ordained His chosen ones to step into their purpose to rule and reign in these end times.
I Declare that the favor of The LORD is going before those who are stepping out in Faith to Conquer and bring Hope to the Hopeless.
I Decree that many will wake up to the depth and beauty of what GRACE truly means.
I Declare that God’s mercy that is new every morning is suddenly causing many to understand what Goodness and Mercy mean. It is because of His Goodness that He gives mercy new every morning.
I Decree that I will continue to sing ‘Great is His Faithfulness, It is new every morning, new every morning, yes Great is His Faithfulness.’
I Declare that I am forever grateful The LORD has opened my heart to know truth and opened my eyes to see what He is showing me and ears to hear His voice.
May I never try to upstage Him but may I give Him my full attention without constantly asking questions.
Do not back down!

When you Speak it, Believe it! So Be It!

And put a watch over your words as you trust in The LORD.

Take time to read 1 Corinthians 12-14.

When you Speak His Word and Believe It, you can then sing, “Look what The LORD has done”!

Is the rapture clearly taught in Scripture?

Yes. Although the word rapture does not appear in most English Bibles, the event is clearly described. Paul explains that believers will be “caught up” to meet the Lord in the air.
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52 provide the clearest rapture scripture describing this moment.

The Rapture of the Church: The Mystery of the Transformation Explained 1 Corinthians 15:50-58

Paul unveils the mystery of the believer’s transformation when the last trumpet sounds and mortality gives way to immortality. This powerful rapture scripture reveals how God will glorify His people.

Confessing Sins Helps to Avoid Shipwrecking Our Faith

Isolation and self-dependency will bring great ruin in a believer’s life. The tending of shame and guilt will result in storms of chaos if we don’t do something about it. But we’re afraid. Afraid of what people will think if we admit we fell prey to that sin—the sin we never thought we’d be capable of.

In 1 Corinthians 10:12–13, Paul warns us of this, though: “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Our pride gets in the way of confessing seeds of sin in our hearts. We’re upstanding church members, Bible study leaders, and parents. How could we possibly have given in to that thought or secret habit? So we nod and smile in small group prayer times, asking for more patience and wisdom while skirting around the things we don’t want to admit.

But the more we convince ourselves that such a sin isn’t possible for us, the more we quietly give in to it, convincing ourselves it’s not that bad. And unfortunately, before too long, that sin will break forth into the open, causing scandal and more hurt than we could have dreamed of.

If we had only been honest with someone at the beginning, we could have sought help to fight that sin in its cloudy stages. We could have found counsel and not felt like we were drowning in a sea of darkness.