The unseen world

We veered slightly off track, (because of our home fellowship discussion on 01/29/10), and ended up discussing the various Biblical names for the unseen world.

1. Sheol, (Hebrew), Hades, (Greek). It's always downward and was/is a multi-compartmented place for the soul.
2. Abbadon, (Hebrew), Apollyon, (Greek), is the unbeliever's side of Sheol/Hades.
3. The Pit is synonymous with Abbadon.
4. The Abyss, (Greek), is not associated with humans, but always fallen angels, (except the Antichrist). The root signifies "netherworld" or "bottomless." It's that section of Sheol/Hades which is a temporary place of confinement for fallen angels.
5. Tartarus, (Greek), is somehow connected with the Sons of God in Genesis 6, (see 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6, 7).
6. Hell comes from a Teutonic root which means to hide or to cover. This is the unrighteous side of Sheol/Hades.
7. Abraham's bosom is discussed in the Matthew account of the rich man and Lazarus. It was the righteous side of Sheol/Hades.
8. Gehenna, (Greek). It consists of 2 Hebrew words, "Gei" and "Hinnom" or the "valley of Hinnom. It's outside the walls of Jerusalem and in the Old Testament, it was a place where some of the wicked kings of Israel practiced human sacrifice by burning. It is the eternal abode of the lost, both angels and humans. Sheol/Hades' punishment is for the soul, but Gehenna, (Lake of Fire), is for both body and soul.
9. Lake of Fire is the same as "Gehenna" mentioned above.
10. Heaven is another term for the unseen world. The first heaven is the atmosphere where birds fly. The second heaven is the place where the sun, moon, and stars are located and the third heaven is where God dwells. It is where Abraham's bosom is now, (after Christ proclaimed His finished work in Sheol/Hades-see Ephesians 4:8-10).
11. The New Jerusalem-Galatians 4:26. This is God's abode with the elect angels and redeemed man. It will be on the new earth and is synonymous with Heaven. One can see that the common view of Heaven and Hell is not always Biblically accurate and hopefully this will clear up some of these terms. Scriptural verses were supplied, thanks to Dr. Fruchtenbaum's study of this interesting subject.

Be blessed,

Your Chrbrotherist,

George Haven

We continued speaking about the 33 positional truths with numbers 10, 11, and 12 on 01/24.

1. First-fruits of the Holy Spirit-Romans 8:23. We learned about being born again, baptized by the Holy Spirit, indwelt, sealed, and filled by the Holy Spirit, with applicable Scripture.
2. In the eternal plan of God-2 Timothy 1:9. We did not discuss the ramifications of God's eternal plan, (His foreknowledge, predestination, election, chosen to be saved, and calling), because that should be covered at another time, since it's pretty hard to simply gloss over these truths.
3. Based upon the Rock; the Messiah-
   (Mat. 7:24–27; 1 Cor. 3:9–15; Eph. 2:20–22; 1 Pet. 2:4–6).
   Fruchtenbaum, A. G. (1983). The Messianic Bible Study Collection (110:11). Tustin, Calif.: Ariel Ministries.

We also discussed the Spiritual "Rock" in 1 Cor. 10:4 and 1 Peter 2:8 and why Moses didn't get to enter the Promised Land because he broke the "type" concerning Christ.

Be blessed,

Your Chrbrotherist,

George Haven

Our class returned from Christmas break on 01/16/10. Hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and we look forward to a Christ-centered New Year!
We continued with three more positional truths, making our total 9 of 33. They were:

1. Deliverance-rescue, deliver, redeem, ransom, reclaim, save mean to set free from confinement or danger. Rescue implies freeing from imminent danger by prompt or vigorous action rescued the crew of a sinking ship. Deliver implies release usu. of a person from confinement, temptation, slavery, or suffering, delivered his people from bondage. Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. Includes index. (Eleventh ed.). Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Inc. In our discussion, deliverance is from the power of darkness, (Acts 26:18; Eph. 2:1–2; Col. 1:13; Heb. 2:14–15).
2. Circumcision-This is not concerning the flesh, but the heart as found in Colossians 2:11 and putting off the deads of the flesh. I found three Old Testament references concerning circumcision of the heart:
   Deuteronomy 10:16
   Deuteronomy 30:6
   Jeremiah 4:4
3. Being acceptable to God-we are acceptable to God according to Ephesians 1:6 and 1 Peter 2:5. We also discussed five facets and read corresponding Scripture.

Be blessed,

George, your Chrbrotherist

We didn't have class on 12/06/09, but we continued with three more positional truths in last Sunday's class, (12/13/09). They are listed in order:

1. Forgiveness-1 a: to give up resentment of or claim to requital for (forgive an insult)
   b: to grant relief from payment of (forgive a debt)
   2: to cease to feel resentment against (an offender) : pardon (forgive one’s enemies) vi : to grant forgiveness
   Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. Includes index. (Eleventh ed.). Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Three Scriptures were cited; Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14, and 2:13. This gives us a truth that, (as Arnold puts it), "there is no sin that a believer can commit which will cause him to lose his salvation".
Fruchtenbaum, A. G. (1983). The Messianic Bible Study Collection (110:8). Tustin, Calif.: Ariel Ministries.

There are two application Scriptures that we also looked at: Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13.

The next positional truth that we looked at was:

Justification-1 a: to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable
b (1) : to show to have had a sufficient legal reason
(2) : to qualify (oneself) as a surety by taking oath to the ownership of sufficient property
2 a archaic : to administer justice to
b archaic : absolve
c: to judge, regard, or treat as righteous and worthy of salvation

There were also synonyms listed: exculpate, absolve, exonerate, acquit, vindicate mean to free from a charge. We talked about an easy way to remember its meaning:

Justified................just as if I'd never sinned! There were three main Scriptures that we looked at:

Romans 3:24, 5:19, and 8:30. The righteousness of our Messiah is conveyed to the Believer through faith.

The last term we considered was:

Glorification-Perfect conformity of the believer to the image of Jesus Christ at the final resurrection, (as defined by "Nelson's New Christian Dictionary"). We looked at several Scriptures: Romans 8:18, 30, 9:23, Colossians 3:4, and 1 John 3:2. Quoting from Arnold:

"The fact that the believer is glorified in the sight of God is the assurance of the ultimate imparting of the Messiah’s glory."
Fruchtenbaum, A. G. (1983). The Messianic Bible Study Collection (110:9). Tustin, Calif.: Ariel Ministries.

So we've looked at six of the thirty-three positional truths and that should begin to form a solid base concerning who we really are "in Christ."

Be blessed

George Haven

Your Chrbrotherist

Yesterday, the 29th of November we continued with our discussion of the 33 positional truths. We had talked about the first one last week, (redemption), and continued with 2 more:

2). Reconciliation:

rec•on•cile \ˈre-kən-ˌsī(-ə)l\ vb
-ciled; -cil•ing [ME, fr. AF or L; AF reconciler, fr. L reconciliare, fr. re- + conciliare to conciliate] vt 14c
1 a : to restore to friendship or harmony; reconciled the factions
b : settle, resolve; reconcile differences
Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. Includes index. (Eleventh ed.). Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Inc.
SETTLE- to seat, bring to rest, come to rest
RESOLVE-to dissolve or melt

As Arnold points out, "Reconciliation means that the position of the world, which was in a state of alienation from God, was changed by the Messiah’s death so that all men are now able to be saved".
Fruchtenbaum, A. G. (1983). The Messianic Bible Study Collection (110:8). Tustin, Calif.: Ariel Ministries.

We looked at three Scriptures pertaining to reconciliation:

1. Romans 5:10-11
2. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
3. Colossians 1:20-22

I also brought out another kind of reconciliation that is very important to understand and that is found in Ephesians 2:11-16 and 3:1-6. This reminded us of the olive tree example that Paul gives us in Romans 11. We discussed how we are grafted in, (as wild olive branches), and receive the spiritual blessings that are mediated through the Jewish covenants, of which we are partakers, not taker-overs.

3). Propitiation:

1 : the act of propitiating
2 : something that propitiates specif : an atoning sacrifice
act active
Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. Includes index. (Eleventh ed.). Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Inc.

We looked at Romans 1:18a, which helps us to define propitiation. Messiah's death brought satisfaction concerning the wrath of God. We looked at three corresponding Scriptures:

1. Romans 3:25
2. 1 John 2:2
3. 1 John 4:10

We can see a picture beginning to develop with the first three positional truths and that should bring us great comfort in our daily walk with Him.

Be blessed,

George

Your Chrbrotherist

Last Sunday, 11/22/09, we finished setting the stage concerning the 33 positional truths that we'll be studying in order to more fully understand our inheritance and the Believer's authority that accompanies it.
We noted that positional truth is the best defense against our continual spiritual warfare by looking at the following passages:

1. Colossians 2:14-15 that we have been co-crucified with Christ.
2. Hebrews 2:14-15 that being co-crucified and co-resurrected with Christ represents victory for the Believer.
3. Ephesians 6:10-18 that we are encouraged to be strong in the Lord, which signifies our position once again.

We then moved on to the first of the 33 positional truths and that is "Redemption." Next we looked at the English definition of redemption and found that it means to:

1 a : to buy back : repurchase
b : to get or win back
2 : to free from what distresses or harms: as
a : to free from captivity by payment of ransom
b : to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental
c : to release from blame or debt : clear
d : to free from the consequences of sin

In the original language, three different Greek terms bring with them the concept of being "purchased out of the slave market of sin" and that we were purchased with a price and that is with the blood of the Messiah. Next week we'll continue with the second positional truth.

In the meantime, however, we should rejoice in the fact that we have been purchased, (bought back, if you will), extricated from the weight of sin because of the Father's love for us.

Be blessed,

Your Chrbrotherist

George

Our inheritance

During class, when asked what subject/topic would be of interest to pursue, one person asked to know more about our inheritance. So, we began a study of the Believer's inheritance in light of positional truths, (of which there are at least thirty-three). We talked a little about the Greek word used in Scripture and that word is kleronomia (κληρονομία in the Greek). It is defined as:

Divine salvation, considered both promised and already bestowed, is designated an inheritance in the NT so far as man, the heir, obtains possession of it (1 Pet. 1:4).
NT (New Testament)
Zodhiates, S. (2000, c1992, c1993). The complete word study dictionary : New Testament (electronic ed.) (G2817). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.
We then looked at several Scriptures:

1. Acts 20:32
2. Galatians 3:18
3. Ephesians 1:14, 18
4. Ephesians 5:5
5. Colossians 3:24
6. Hebrews 9:15
7. Hebrews 11:8
8. 1 Peter 1:4

We discussed the fact that these 33 truths occur at the moment of salvation on account of us being "in Christ." It is through God's grace and the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit. An incredible, often overlooked, truth is that it is the basis of the Believer's authority. Arnold likened it to a Sergeant being promoted to a Lieutenant. He eventually learns what new authority is given to him. Like Believer's, we operate with some knowledge about our authority, but many don't fully understand its scope.

Our position is how God sees us, not how we really are, but we should aim to keep our practice consistant with our position. So we will venture off on a study of 33 positional truths that will help us understand our authority in our spiritual life.

Be blessed,

Your Chrbrotherist

George Haven