Kingdom Ready Blog

Introduction

One of the figures that Scripture refers to, in both the Old and New Testaments, is “The Satan”. In addition, the New Testament refers to a figure called “The Devil”. For example, The Satan caused the catastrophes that befell Job, and The Devil is called “The father of lies”.

An important item to note is that the Hebrew word satan means “adversary”, or “accuser”; and the Greek word diabolos (from which we get the word “devil”) means “slanderer”.

Introduction

One of the most famous commands of Jesus is to “love your neighbor as yourself”. But what does the word “love” really mean in this context? In other words, what, exactly, does Jesus really mean by that statement?

From what I have seen, many English-speaking people assume that the word “love” always has a connotation of good feelings for others. In other words, many people assume that love only refers to positive emotions about other people.

However, is that how the word love is used in Scripture? Or could it be that Scripture has some other meaning in mind, when it uses the word love?

Introduction

The English language, like most languages, uses the concept of “homographs” – that is, the concept that a single word can have many different meanings, depending on the context. Here are some examples of homographs in English:

• Will he run for president?
• Please don’t run across the street.
• Don’t wear these tights because there’s a run in them.

• Our house is the one on the right.
• Jen always has the right answers in math class.
• Susan B. Anthony helped woman obtain the right to vote in the U.S.A.

Note: this post is an “expanded version” of a post I wrote on April 4 – the post called “What kind of being is Jesus now?”.

Introduction

All four of the gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – contain accounts of the resurrection of Jesus. Basically, after Jesus had been in the grave for three days, God resurrected Jesus – that is, God brought Jesus back to life. According to the apostle Paul, that resurrection is the entire basis of our faith. (See 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.)

One of the doctrinal issues that I have “wrestled” with – over and over again – during the years is the question of: “Do Christians need to follow the Mosaic law at all?” In other words, is it necessary for Christians to follow the rules and regulations listed by Moses – i.e., Sabbath observance, Kosher dietary laws, festivals, etc?

The primary reason why it has been so difficult for me to “make up my mind” on this issue is because Scripture appears to contradict itself on this issue. In other words, in some cases, Scripture seems to clearly state that Christians do not have to follow the Mosaic law – but in other cases, Scripture seems to explicitly state that the Mosaic law is still in effect!

As most of us are probably aware, many of the beliefs expressed on this blog are significantly different than the beliefs of “mainstream” Christian denominations. For example, most of the posters here believe that God is one person (not three in one), that Jesus is the Son of God (not God the Son), that the soul is mortal (not immortal), that the kingdom of God will be on the earth (not in heaven), etc.

Since I hold all of the above “unorthodox” beliefs, that has prevented me from becoming a member in the various mainstream denominations. In fact, many mainstream denominations state that I will not be saved at all, because I have those beliefs. In particular, many denominations claim that a person must believe in the Trinity, in order to be saved. (Angela wrote a very good post about that very topic on June 18.)

From my experience, one of the items that tends to get “glossed over” in mainstream churches is the following concept:

Sincere Christians should expect to face difficult circumstances – and even to be persecuted.

There are numerous passages in Scripture that describe this concept. Here are a few of them:

Matthew 24:4-5,9:

⁴And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. ⁵For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.

⁹“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.

As most of us are probably aware, Scripture exhorts us to be charitable to our neighbors – especially with regard to providing food for the needy. Both the Old and New Testaments are explicit about that fact. For example:

Leviticus 23:22 (ESV):

²²“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.”

Proverbs 22:9 (NIV):

Many mainstream denominations have the following basic belief: “Whenever God gives people a prophesy, that prophesy is guaranteed to come true – exactly as it was stated.” In other words, the belief is that God’s prophesies always come true – regardless of what humans do.

From what I have seen, the above belief appears to stem from the idea of a completely “sovereign” God – i.e., the idea that God is explicitly controlling each and every event that occurs on the earth.

Happy Resurrection Sunday everyone! Today, most Christians commemorate the resurrection of Jesus – and as we know, that resurrection is the basis of our faith. (See 1 Cor 15:1-5.)

Since the resurrection is such an important concept, I’d like to explore one item about it in more detail. Basically, when God resurrected Jesus, what kind of “being” did Jesus become? In other words, is Jesus currently a human being, or is he a spirit being?

There are a number of verses that are used to support both views. However, here are the two most explicit verses that I have found, which appear to address this question: