The
girlfriend asked me, "so what do you want to study?"
My answer was, I
am usually motivated to dive into whatever has challenged me or I
whatever has made me feel the need to understand something more
completely. Such was the case with men's bible study over the last two
weeks.
You
cannot possibly do the scriptures justice in five words or less. Mind
you there are good reasons for giving overviews of an entire book of the
bible in one hour, but trust me, all the listener will get, if they do
not dig themselves, is an overview that they will most likely forget.
The entire gospel of John, is that way to me. I need to absorb it.
John 16 is filled with emotion, both as Jesus wrestles through to his purpose, and the disciples struggle with, what did he just say! We are losing him? But they are not losing him; try telling them that. That is exactly what Jesus was trying to do.
John
16:7-8 BBE But what I am saying is true: my going is for your good:
for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I
will send him to you. (8) And he, when he comes, will make the world
conscious of sin, and of righteousness, and of being judged:
He told them, I am going away, but it is for your good.
Now let me get this straight. We have walked around with you for three
years. Judas has taken money out of the bag on a continual basis and it
never had an impact on us financially. Our families have never been
without or sick the entire time, and you say your leaving will be
better. Have you lost your mind?
That
might have been the way it played out in their minds. I think it is a
mistake to assign them some holy status that they did not have, and
therefore would have been far above human reasoning and pain. Please,
spare me. They were men, and they did not get it.
"...if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you...."
We
should all know the way this went.
He was beaten by the religious
leadership and then handed over to the Romans who gave him a beating
that most would not have survived. Jewish leaders demanded his death and
got it.
The disciples were devastated.
Peter quit and went back to
fishing. When Jesus found him there, there were several other disciples
there with him.
Almost
like rallying the troops, Jesus has re-appeared to many (over 400) and
told them to wait for the Paraclete to come. I cannot begin to
understand what that word meant to them. Translated some have called it a
friend, and yet can almost carry a legalistic tone as a mediator.
The
idea that the Holy Spirit is a helper is easier to swallow, but Jesus,
when explaining it moments later said, "I". The Holy Spirit is no less God than He was,
and instead of being outside talking to us, demonstrating how to act
and walk, He is now inside. I do not think we grasp that; I know I
don't. Jesus was God in the flesh. The Holy Spirit is God inside of us.
What have we got so far? Jesus died, rose again from the dead, and, on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit came, just as he said it would.
Now here is what I really to want to talk about.
John 16:8 NASB "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
Hang around any religious circles and you will hear the term conviction come up. It usually applies to you and what you are doing wrong. But pay attention to what Jesus said:
"when He comes..."
Who? The Holy Spirit, and He did already.
Peter, after hearing the
mockery and insults coming from the religious crowd outside, responded
under the power this new Spirit inside of him with,
"but this is what
was spoken of through the prophet Joel: (17) 'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE
LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL
MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG
MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; ......."
(Acts 2:16-17 NASB).
Peter did not stop there, but you will have your
eyes opened if you will read it, in its entirety, from Joel chapter 2. He is talking, under the power of the Holy Spirit, about the end of
time, the years which we call the great tribulation. Does anyone see
anything positive when they envision the tribulation years? No! And yet
God has told us that during this time HE will pour out his SPIRIT on
all mankind. Why do you think that when John sees the martyred before
the throne, the second time, that there is an uncountable multitude?
Because of His spirit being poured out.
Luke 9:26 "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Luke 12:37 "Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.
2Thessalonians 1:10 when He comes
to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among
all who have believed--for our testimony to you was believed.
John 16:9 NASB concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
So what is sin in this case? Sin – hamartia – also means offense or failure.
Think in terms of offenses to God. While we pursue money and think this is ok, apparently God has a different idea.
Revelation
18:4 NASB I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her,
my people, so that you will not participate in her sins (OFFENSES) and receive of her plagues (the beatings that “she” is about to receive because of her blatant actions); [Italics - mine.]
The word plagues, used above, is the Greek word plēgē and means blows, stripes, a wound, public calamity, or heavy affliction.
The answer to the question above actually comes from the previous verse:
Revelation
18:3 NASB "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of
her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of
immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by
the wealth of her sensuality."
Her/she is the lust for money and power.
Revelation 18:2 NASB And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.
Nations are wrapped up in her. The Kings of the earth are possessed by her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by her.
There is a commonality here, money and greed.
Look
around you, all these players have come together under the cloak of
NWO, Illuminati, World Health Organization, Common Wealth of Nations,
Agenda 21, and have killed and poisoned the population in order to thin
the herds, so to speak. It is a mass, concerted effort.
We
are knowingly being poisoned on a daily basis, by aerial spraying, aspartame, and fluoride (known poisons in just about everything
that is deemed convenience food), just to name a few. We call these
conspiracy theories because the concept of a small handful of people
attempting to control the world is so outlandish and unbelievable, but
getting to you live in a state of unbelief is exactly what they are
hoping for; that is until they have such a grip that you cannot do a
thing about it.
Perhaps this will help to open your eyes.
"We are grateful to the Washington Post, the New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years."
- He went on to explain:
"It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries."
- -- David Rockefeller, Speaking at the June, 1991 Bilderberger meeting in Baden, Germany (a meeting also attended by then-Governor Bill Clinton and by Dan Quayle
Where
is the tie in with scripture? Revelation 18:5 Haven't you ever read the
Revelation and wondered why it comes crashing down on what is left of
the horrors of humanity with such a vengeance?
Revelation 18:5-20 NASB (5) for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. (6) "Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds;
in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. (7) "To the
degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same
degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, 'I SIT
as A QUEEN AND I AM NOT A WIDOW, and will never see mourning.' (8)
"For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and
mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord
God who judges her is strong. (9) "And the kings of the earth, who
committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep
and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, (10)
standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe,
woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your
judgment has come.' (11) "And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn
over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more-- (12) cargoes of
gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple
and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article
of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and
iron and marble, (13) and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and
frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle
and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human
lives. (14) "The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things
that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will
no longer find them. (15) "The merchants of these things, who became
rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her
torment, weeping and mourning, (16) saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city,
she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned
with gold and precious stones and pearls; (17) for in one hour such
great wealth has been laid waste!' And every ship master and every
passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood
at a distance, (18) and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her
burning, saying, 'What city is like the great city?' (19) "And they
threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning,
saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea
became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!'
(20) "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her."
It is as though the scripture speaks in code. Most will not understand this, even if explained to them.
Ask yourself, who are the players in this scenario?
What is their attitude?
What is their goal?
And who takes the brunt of their desires?
I
would say the world but that is really to broad. It is the poor, the
broken, the destitute, and those that may live their lives just getting
by. Those that take the attitude, I am rich and have need of nothing,
not even a savior, they are ones that he is speaking about.
Related articles
- Embrace The Holy Spirit (pastorht.wordpress.com)
- It is started from John 1 (giovanniadelaida.wordpress.com)
- The Incredible Work of The Holy Spirit - JRC - 11/17/2013 (chalkerlife.wordpress.com)
- As A Mother... (wunpresident.wordpress.com)
- The gift of the Holy Spirit (youthineecmy.wordpress.com)
- Isaiah 41:10 NKJV - God is with us (pagprayer.wordpress.com)
- And I will ask the Father and HE will give you another helper... (sobeautifulmi.com)
- How to be Spirit-Led, Part 1 (christiancounselorpastor.wordpress.com)
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