Positional Truths 16-18

This week in class, (02/14/10-Happy Valentine's Day!), we looked at the next three items in our study:

1. Transferred into God's Kingdom-2 Peter 1:11, with 2 implications; a) the Believer has been transferred out of the power of darkness according to Colossians 1:13, (Satan has no legal authority over the Believer any more), and b) 1 Thessalonians 2:12 tells us to "walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory."
2. Citizen's of Heaven-Luke 10:20, Ephesians 2:19, and other Scriptures confirm this. We should keep in mind that we are actually foreigners here on Earth and focus more on the fact that Heaven is our true home.
3. In the Family of God-1 Corinthians 3:9 and Ephesians 2:19, 20 were read to show us that the Believer is now part of God's household. In the context of "family," we talked about being heirs as found in Romans 8:17 and Ephesians 3:6. I asked the question, "Heirs to what?" I told the class that I wanted them to start thinking of God in a little different way. We think about God and His attributes and that is good and proper, but I wanted them to start thinking of God as a covenant-keeper. I explained to them that we, (Gentiles), are heirs to the spiritual promises of the unconditional, eternal covenants that God has already established and said that soon we will have a class on the 8 covenants of the Bible and explain which are conditional and which are unconditional and how they apply to us today. Stay tuned.....

I hope you have a blessed week.

Your Chrbrotherist

George

Positional Truths 13-15

Last week during class, (02/07/10), we covered the next three positional truths, (13, 14, and 15), as follows:

1. Made Nigh-This especially applies to Gentile Believers rather than Jewish Believers because, according to Ephesians 2:13, we have been brought near to the spiritual blessings of the Jewish Covenants. We are partakers, not taker-overs' according to Eph, 3:6.
2. Members of a Holy and Royal Priesthood-resulting in the priesthood of all Believers. To Jewish Believers, (1 Peter 2:5, 9), and to Gentile Believers, (Revelation 1:5-6, 5:9-10). Paul give us one application in Romans 12:1-2 because the presenting of a living sacrifice is a priestly act. Another application that we discussed is found in Philippeans 4:18 which speaks of funds given to Paul to support his ministry. 2 Timothy 4:6 and Hebrews 13:15-16 were also talked about.
3. A Chosen Generation: A Holy Nation: A Peculiar People-Going back to 1 Peter 2:9, we see this being true more of Jewish Believers rather than Gentile Believers because Peter specifically wrote to Jewish Believers. This can be applied by the doing of good works according to Titus 2:14.

Be blessed,

Your Chrbrotherist

George

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