Jerry

?? Yes, prophecy is usually written well before the events happen. If the Bible did not specify anything about the condition of the churches before Christ's return, then we could certainly think anything is possible - however, multiple places in the NT (from the parables in Matthew 13, to the NT epistles, to Revelation 3 and 17-18) clearly prophesy a time of apostasy and a turning away from the faith in the churches/kingdom of God/Heaven shortly prior to the Lord's return. That's not my personal opinion, that is NT prophecy/Bible doctrine.

I do agree with the premise of this thread - if all true believers gave their tithes and offerings as the Lord leads, there would be no need to resort to worldly methods of getting money. And, for the sake of the argument, if the Lord's people did not give enough for a need/ministry that came up, perhaps that ministry was not being directed by God.

Today, I found an old poem I had written in a box that I had in a closet for over 10 years. It only needed a few words tweaked. When so many are focussed on the events of the end times, here is a poem about the central figure - the Lord Jesus Christ. In the same chapter of Revelation (chapter 5), He is portrayed both as a Lamb and a Lion. When This Lion Begins To Roar The Lamb is coming back again - This time it’s not like before: The world will never be the same When this Lion begins to roar. Once meek and lowly, like a Lamb, Riding gently upon a colt; Now with vengeance unrestrained, Like a charging thunderbolt. Once a sacrifice for sins: Perfect, holy, white as snow; Soon His wrath will begin Against this world - Woe, woe, woe! All creation groans in expectation, Waiting for the Messiah promised long before; As our sacrificial Lamb, Jesus opened salvation’s door. As this sin-cursed world rushes towards its destiny, And men seek Babylon more and more, The Lord will come like a charger trained for war - Get ready, world, the Lion is going to roar! May 18th, 1998 Jerry Bouey Revelation 5:1-14 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

As nice as that would be, it is only a dream. The age of Philadelphia is past. That is not to say an individual church (or even an individual person) can not have a true revival, but we are in the time of the falling away before the return of Christ, so a nationwide or worldwide revival will never happen, according to the Bible.

If I remember correctly, you were warned because you were told not to keep posting about Covid in threads other than the Covid thread, not because you were posting more things about Covid. Personally, my thoughts are: are people (referring to posters in general, not specifically you) posting about something because they want to fellowship about it, learn from others, discuss what the Bible says about it, or just to create endless debates?

In my church, the regular members and visitors still bring their Bibles. We do have some Bibles by the pews (with the hymnals) so that if anyone forgets theirs, there is still one available to use. Most members and visitors don't use their cell phone apps during the service as it is a bit of a distraction. I occasionally use my phone to look up a definition or a parallel passage that comes to mind while listening to the preaching, but I use it discreetly and do not do my main Bible reading from it in church, so as not to be a distraction or potential disturbance to others.

I guess he was not one of the elect after all!

Maybe his (false) "lord" decreed he would be this way towards non-Calvinists!!

Wow, you are full of yourself! With your rants posted in at least four different threads, it is just a matter of time before one of the Admins or Mods delete or ban your account. Enjoy your last few minutes of ranting and raving before that happens. P.S. It just goes to show you how "loving" heretics truly are - once they depart from the Bible, all that matters is pushing their little heresies, even if it means becoming accusatory and railing towards others.

Iconoclast, you did very clearly state that in one of the replies you posted - but because of your book length copy/pasting, I cannot find that quote right now (not sure if it was in this thread or another one, though I did try to skim back through the last couple of pages of this thread before I posted this reply). Regardless, that is a statement MANY Calvinists do make, including R C Sproul. I can give you exact book and page numbers for his quotes in that regard. But it doesn't change the fact that it is heresy plain and simple and makes God the author of sin - which He is not! He is the author of salvation, but is not responsible in any way for mankind's sins. He has provided a way to overcome and pay for all of man's sin, but He is not the one who instituted sin - He allowed it, He did not cause or will it. James 1:13-16 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Apparently, Calvinism is soooo mystical and esoteric, only a true Calvinist can understand it - despite however much time true believers actually spend reading and studying God's Word throughout the years. Hm, maybe if something is sooo complicated, it is not of God! 2 Corinthians 11:2-3 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Aside from the wacky view that Iconoclast gave that stated God was responsible for sin!!, the Bible teaches that God desires and wills mankind/Israel/Gentiles to turn to Him, to trust Him, to rely upon Him - and they would not in many cases. There are many passages that teach this. We can start here: Acts 7:51-52 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: How about: Genesis 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. And some others: John 5:39-40 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. Isaiah 30:15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. Isaiah 28:12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

The last day is also used in this verse: John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. The last day is a period of time that includes the rapture, the tribulation period, the judgement seat of Christ, the Millenium - this period is also referred to as the Day of the Lord and the Day of Christ (though the term "the day of Christ" is used specifically in reference to things involving the church, and the day of the Lord is used as a general term to cover the period of all the end times events).

Not likely. I do not enjoy reading people's posts who continually twist the Word of God - or hyper-focus on one aspect and ignore all the rest. This says wisdom is free for the asking to whoever wants it and asks for it, not to who God sovereignly chooses to distribute it to. James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Apparently not. I can think of several that weren't. Obviously, in this case you were wrong.

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Romans 16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. God (ie. our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ) was bruised on the cross by the Devil (but ultimately by our Father in Heaven when He bore our sins and died - but He arose again because the penalty was paid in full), Soon He will bruise Satan under His feet - and therefore under our feet, as we are in Him - when He comes back to judge and physically reign over this world.

You are truly funny - you are so Calvinistic, you think no one can get understanding of God's Word unless sovereignly given by God Himself (yes, I do believe the Holy Spirit opens our understanding as we take the initiative and study His Word and cry out to the Lord for wisdom - ie. it is not sovereignly given to some and withheld from others, but given to those who seek the Lord for it, like James 1:5 and Proverbs 2 teach) - yet you debate your heretical opinions in these threads. Maybe God has sovereignly chose to only give you this perfect understanding, and you are stubbornly resisting His will by trying to make others believe it who have not been sovereignly decreed to do so. Though I personally believe all the Bible promises that God gives regarding finding truth as we study, seek, continue in, etc. the Word of God. In NONE of those passages does God limit His offer of truth, except to open it up to those who are born of Him, with the Holy Spirit indwelling them (as 1 Corinthians 2 teaches). Truth, wisdom, and understanding is FREELY offered to those sincerely seeking it (ie. who persevere in His Word to find it). John 7:17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

King James was not evil. You might not have liked his typical kingly authority, but that is an entirely different issue. He was not a homosexual - that is a lie created by modern version supporters to attempt to discredit that translation. He was also not involved in the occult, as some try to push as well - he wrote several books and articles against/exposing the occult. But as Robycop said above, he was the one who "authorized" a version for his realm - he did not translate it.

Yes, he actually promoted visions of Mary in his videos once he accepted them as our brethren. Funny, how with all he memorized, he stopped applying it! Many passages, such as Psalm 1 and 2 Corinthians 6, teach us to separate from false teachers, false brethren, those who corrupt or mock the Word of God. If he obeyed the verses he had memorized, he would never have gone down that ecumenical road.

Actually the verse says this: Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, God's grace has appeared to all men. Just like Jesus' enlightens every man, draws all men to Himself through the Gospel. He makes the truth and the gift of salvation available, but mankind is free to accept or reject the truth, accept or reject the Saviour and His gift of salvation. John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. - Doesn't say enlightens every elect person, but every man that cometh into this world (ie. all those who are born in this world). John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. - Salvation has been provided for all, the way has been prepared for all, all of sin's debt has been paid by the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross. 2 Timothy 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: 2 Thessalonians 2:14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The closest that I have found to Independant Fundamental Baptist - of which I wholly align myself with as far as beliefs go, where Baptists/IFB have stood historically - is Free Presbyterian. They are KJV0nly, believe in the fundamentals of the faith, and most Baptist Distinctives**. They are a denomination, so I would disagree with them there. Presbyterians in the past, including John Knox (not Free Presbyterians), have advocated for and had church run states/cities, though I do not think Paisley and the denomination he started promotes that in any way. **The ones I am not totally sure they accept or belief today are: Autonomy of the local church, Separation of church and State, as Saved then baptized for church membership. As a protestant denomination, Presbyterians have in the past taught infant baptism. I personally do not know if Free Presbyterians accept this in any way today though. As far as the question of this thread goes, I would attend or visit a Free Presbyterian church as long as there was not a solid IFB church to go to. I have no desire to go to a watered down church, one that promotes any kind of rock/ccm, one that uses modern versions. From all that I know of Free Presbyterian churches, they will not accept or tolerate these things either. Through the years, I have listened to many sermons preached by Free Presbyterians and have found them very edifying, except ones where they overly emphasized their Calvinism or hyper-focussed on preaching against the Catholic church (this is why they would still be considered a Protestant church today - I came out of Catholicism and teach and preach against it as I am preaching the Word of God, but do not exclusively focus on "protesting" against that religion, but rather focus on the Bible and expose any religion or false doctrine as it comes up in any passages I am teaching or any conversations while I am fellowshipping with other true believers or witnessing to the lost).

Ok, no problem. I just misunderstood you. ?

There are liberal churches that do have a watered down statement of faith (ie. written statement on their website or that they declare from their church). But either way, we must take their statement of faith and what we observe and hear from them and compare all of it with the Word of God.

There are many independent Baptist churches that have gone by the wayside - gone liberal in some areas - whether they use the KJV or not. I personally have no idea how many liberal Baptist churches still use the KJV.

What is that supposed to mean? I only preach and teach from the King James Bible. Though I do use the preserved text and associated resources (like Strong's Concordance) to dig in deeper, just as I also use Webster's 1828 Dictionary to help define the English words of my KJV. In English, I only support/endorse the King James Bible, though I am not against using the underlying Greek and Hebrew text for studying purposes, nor am I against any sound TR-based translations into other languages. I do not use them myself, except mostly for comparison purposes (like if I was speaking with a spanish-speaking person and I wanted to point out something to them in Spanish, etc.). God did not inspire the underlying Hebrew and Greek manuscripts and then cast them aside - they are still useful today in some ways. And for the sake of clarification, so no one can accuse me falsely: I HAVE NEVER NOR WILL EVER use the underlying texts or any Greek or Hebrew (or even English) language tools to correct, change or question the English text of my King James Bible, but only use them inasmuch as they help me understand and dig in deeper into the Word of God. If they contradict or question or change the KJV in any sense, I discard them inasmuch as they do so (and in some cases, discard them completely if needed). I believe my King James Bible is (not was) God's inspired, inerrant Word for the English-speaking people today, and I am FULLY subject to its authority in my life. I do not question or doubt it in any sense, though I do study it to understand it more and apply it. I have no use for any other modern translations - not even any "updating" of the KJV, aside from checking them out to be fully aware of their flaws and how they fall short of God's preserved Word in English.

Sinaiticus is the copy of the Alexandrian Text. It is not a stand alone text, but a copy of another text. Though it is corrupt to the hilt due to all its corrections and editing. The Vaticanus is also another copy of the Alexandrian text. It has been too long since I did research on this so cannot remember what specific edition of the Alexandrian text or the exact date it was compiled or translated into Latin, and then copied. Possibly it was the from the 50 copies of Jerome's text that was authorized by the Pope in the fourth or fifth century. (Though don't shoot me if you think I am wrong here - I am just stating what comes to mind and might be the source, due to my faulty memory.)