Bible Words & Terms

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Bethlehem's Star

● Matt 2:1-10 . . 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, 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 him.

. .When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all
Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and
scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be
born. And they said unto him: In Bethlehem of Judaea [Micah 5:2]. After
they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen
in the east went ahead of them.

* Bethlehem of Judea is approx +/- six miles south of Jerusalem.

As the Earth spins on its axis, stars appear to move across the sky from the
east towards the west. The wise men's star moved south, and it also came
to a stop; which should alert planetarium managers that it wasn't an
astronomical object.

● Matt 2:9 . . It stopped over the place where the child was.

Normal celestial objects are so far out in space that it's nigh unto impossible
to tell the exact spot on earth where one of them is directly overhead at any
given moment without special instruments; so I think we can be reasonably
confident that this star was low enough that there was no mistaking the
exact location where young Jesus was lodged. In other words; this star
wasn't a star, rather, it was an apparition.
_
 
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Predestination

Webster's defines predestination as the doctrine that God, in consequence of
his foreknowledge of all events, infallibly guides those who are destined for
salvation.

A very key element in the proper understanding of biblical predestination is
God's ability to see the future. In other words: biblical predestination isn't an
arbitrary selection process, rather, it's based upon knowing ahead of time
how people are going to react in a given situation; for example:

● Rom 8:29 . . For those whom God foreknew, He also predestined to be
conformed to the likeness of His son.

"those whom God foreknew" pertains to all the folks that God was fully
aware would pay attention to the gospel and buy into it.

● Eph 1:13 . . In Christ, you also, after listening to the message of truth--
the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in him
with the Holy Spirit of promise.

That particular sealing takes place in real time. However, by His knowing
ahead of time who would believe and undergo the sealing, God was able to
put them on a track that He planned for all such in the distant past.

● Eph 1:4-5 . . For He chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to
be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted
as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.
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Regeneration

● Titus 3:5 . . According to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost

Regeneration is a mandatory requirement; no exceptions.

● John 3:3 . . Jesus declared: I tell you the truth, no one can see the
kingdom of God unless he is born again.

● John 3:5 . . Jesus answered: I tell you the truth, no one can enter the
kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

Whether innocent or guilty makes no difference. The reason that underage
children are not exempt from the regeneration that Jesus spoke of is
because all people-- regardless of age, race, or gender --are unacceptable in
their natural condition.

● John 3:6-8 . . Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
You should not be surprised at my saying you must be born again.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a proficient rabbi. He should've been able to
easily appreciate why people in their natural condition are not allowed to
either see or enter the kingdom of God.

● John 3:10 . . Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not understand these
things?

The thing is: underage children don't stay underage. They eventually mature
into adolescents, teen-agers, and adults. Well; if allowed to remain in their
natural condition, those underage children will eventually begin to exhibit
the so-called fallen nature which we know from Rom 8:5-8 makes people not
want to cooperate with God.
_
 
Webers.Home said:
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Predestination

Webster's defines predestination as the doctrine that God, in consequence of
his foreknowledge of all events, infallibly guides those who are destined for
salvation.

A very key element in the proper understanding of biblical predestination is
God's ability to see the future. In other words: biblical predestination isn't an
arbitrary selection process, rather, it's based upon knowing ahead of time
how people are going to react in a given situation; for example:

● Rom 8:29 . . For those whom God foreknew, He also predestined to be
conformed to the likeness of His son.

"those whom God foreknew" pertains to all the folks that God was fully
aware would pay attention to the gospel and buy into it.

● Eph 1:13 . . In Christ, you also, after listening to the message of truth--
the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in him
with the Holy Spirit of promise.

That particular sealing takes place in real time. However, by His knowing
ahead of time who would believe and undergo the sealing, God was able to
put them on a track that He planned for all such in the distant past.

● Eph 1:4-5 . . For He chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to
be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted
as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.
_
Click to expand...
Then there ain't no use praying for nobody. God knows about them and he'll save them if they are meant to be saved, and if they ain't meant to be saved we shouldn't be wasting our time praying for them anyhow.

That's a pretty depressing doctrine you got there.
 
Lynx said:
Then there ain't no use praying for nobody. God knows about them and he'll save them if the
are meant to be saved, and if they ain't meant to be saved we shouldn't be wasting our time
praying for them anyhow.
Click to expand...


The predestination that I posted has nothing to do with "meant to be saved."
No; the predestination that I posted is according to foreknowledge.

For example: back in the dateless past, God saw everyone who would be
saved because somebody, somewhere, spoke up for them. Were not
somebody, somewhere, to speak up for them, they'd be lost, viz: there's
quite a bit of drama goes on in the process of some people's salvation: God
has not only seen it all; but He's also taken it all into consideration.

NOTE: God has an interesting life. He can see His own future. I imagine God gets
pretty excited when the time comes to live out His future as a current event.
_
 
Webers.Home said:
The predestination that I posted has nothing to do with "meant to be saved."
No; the predestination that I posted is according to foreknowledge.

For example: back in the dateless past, God saw everyone who would be
saved because somebody, somewhere, spoke up for them. Were not
somebody, somewhere, to speak up for them, they'd be lost, viz: there's
quite a bit of drama goes on in the process of some people's salvation: God
has not only seen it all; but He's also taken it all into consideration.

NOTE: God has an interesting life. He can see His own future. I imagine God gets
pretty excited when the time comes to live out His future as a current event.
_
Click to expand...
And here you said you were going to put me on ignore.

Well shucks...
 
Lynx said:
And here you said you were going to put me on ignore.
Click to expand...

You are, and have been, on my ignore list. I happened across your remark
while surfing the forum without first signing in.

BTW: I noticed that you've been active on this platform for nearly eleven
years. I find it difficult to believe that someone before me hasn't explained
to you in all that time how foreknowledge factors into predestination.
_
 
Webers.Home said:
You are, and have been, on my ignore list. I happened across your remark
while surfing the forum without first signing in.

BTW: I noticed that you've been active on this platform for nearly eleven
years. I find it difficult to believe that someone before me hasn't explained
to you in all that time how foreknowledge factors into predestination.
_
Click to expand...
Oh believe me, they have. They definitely have...
 
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Pollution vs Corruption

In a nutshell: pollution generally pertains to one's practices, whereas
corruption pertains to the core of one's being. For example:

● Matt 23:27-28 . .Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the
outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything
unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous
but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

The Pharisees and the rabbis in the Israel of Jesus' day were very religious,
and they appeared as sound in the Jewish faith as anyone could possibly be.
But meanwhile the very fabric of their being was in an unacceptable spiritual
condition.

The remedy for their condition was, and is, to upgrade the natural core of
their being to a core that's more like God's than like man's.

● 2Pet 1:2-4 . . Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the
knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us
everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who
called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us his
very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate
in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil
desires.
_
 
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Advocate

● 1John 2:1-2a . . My little children, I am writing these things to you that
you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father--
Jesus Christ the righteous.

An advocate's services differ somewhat from those of a mediator.

For one: mediators have to be neutral, i.e. there cannot be a conflict of
interest to muddy the waters, viz: they can't take sides when it's their
purpose to negotiate an arrangement, and propose a solution, that's fair and
square and agreeable to both sides of the table.

An advocate, on the other hand, is more or less a defender i.e. an
intercessor who typically seeks to protect the best interests of only one side
of the table. I must admit, it is very difficult for me to fully appreciate the
incredible comfort that I derive from knowing God's son is in my corner
whenever my conduct provokes the supreme of all beings to righteous
indignation.

● Rom 8:34-35 . . Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-- more
than that, who was raised to life --is at the right hand of God and is also
interceding for us.
_
 
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Incarnation

According to the Bible; the Word is, at the very least, a divine being. (John
1:1-3) In point of fact, a divine being who is also an eternal life. (1John 1:1-2)

Well, the thing is: eternal life is an indestructible kind of life, viz: it cannot
die, it cannot get old, it cannot wear down, wear out, or wear off, i.e. it simply
cannot cease to exist, viz: eternal life always was, it always is, and it always
shall be.

So; when the Word's incarnation came into the world per John 1:14, the
Word came with it because there is just no means by which the Word can go
away from Himself.

Thus the Word's incarnation is a complex unity, to wit: it is both a divine
being and a human being simultaneously-- the one is an eternal being and
the other a temporal being, the one is a spirit being and the other a material
being.

In the old testament we would call the Word's incarnation a theophany. But
here in the new testament the Word's incarnation can't be limited to a run of
the mill divine being in human form because the Word's incarnation came
into the world with a genealogy, viz: the Word's human origin can be easily
traced to David, and from thence to Adam. All in all, the Word's incarnation
is a supernatural oddity that's very much out of the ordinary.
_
 
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