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Christendom half right about hell.
Extol:
--- Quote from: Jeff on June 10, 2016, 03:41:34 PM ---Matt 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
v. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
v. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
I struggle with verses like these. I don't know what it's like to have rest. I'm not complaining, I just don't understand where/when the "rest" part comes in. I look at the suffering in the world (knowing that it has purpose) but I don't see many people who have "rest" - I just see the suffering part. Are these verses speaking of the future?
Another thing I struggle with is being a slave to sin - I'm probably more of a slave to sin now, than ever in my life. I can't change that, so it's intended, but some of the verses regarding this seem to imply a present tense. Maybe it's the present of a future tense. I'm fairly certain, regardless the knowledge I have, that there is no indwelling of the Spirit in my case.
As I get older and deteriorate I find that the medication I take impacts how I think and feel, which then has an impact on my relationship with God. It effectively draws me away from him which just results in feeling less and less connected to him. I can't control that, so it's intended. If things continue on this track, to the end, at that point I'll be further away from him than I ever have been at any point in my life. It's intended, but I certainly don't understand it. We're supposed to be moving closer to Him, I think, although his plan - our path- is unique, so it's hard to make comparisons.
--- End quote ---
Jeff,
I think there are multiple ways we can have "rest for our souls"...coming to this site was a way the Lord gave me rest:
"....all you who labor (trying to win souls for Jesus) and are heavy laden (with the burden of people going to hell,) and I will give you rest (the knowledge that God will have all be saved)"
lilitalienboi16:
Hi Jeff,
For me, finding rest has been the understanding that He is in complete and total control of the destiny of the entire human race, which includes me! When things get crazy, and I feel overwhelmed, or like I'm drowning in debt (which I am), I think about those things--His Sovereignty. I think about Job and how he did not sin when he said, "shall we recieve good at the hand of God, and shall we not also receive evil?" It gives me peace to know that I'm exactly where He has intended and purposed that I be so that one day I can be like Him. I guess we have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death before we can stand on the mountain of God, to steal some lyrics from a song. Its a tough life, ray said, 'being saved is the hardest thing any human will ever do,' and its certainly looking that way! But God will see us through, of this I have no doubt! Its just how long the process will take and how many hardships we must endure that I am uncertain of. In that regard, what comes to mind is, 'it is through much tribulation that we enter into the Kingdom of God.' Is it not tribulation, to know what we must do, to desire to do it one minute, and then to turn around and do the evil we hate the next? Is this not a great hardship and pain? I know it is for me in my life. I despise my own behavior too often. Its frustrating. God will deliver us though. He is good and He is love. To all things there is a season and right now we exist in the season of experiencing evil for the benefit of our becoming as He is.
As Jesus said, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the ends of the world" so "Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world."
God bless,
Alex
Kat:
--- Quote from: Jeff on June 10, 2016, 03:41:34 PM ---Matt 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
v. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
v. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
I struggle with verses like these. I don't know what it's like to have rest. I'm not complaining, I just don't understand where/when the "rest" part comes in. I look at the suffering in the world (knowing that it has purpose) but I don't see many people who have "rest" - I just see the suffering part. Are these verses speaking of the future?
--- End quote ---
Hi Jeff, life is a struggle and more so for some it seems than others. I am bringing some excerpts from a Bible study on 'Keeping Sabbath' maybe it will be of some help to you.
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,6310.msg50888.html#msg50888 -----
GOD IS YET CEASING FROM THE WORKS HE COMPLETED
Gen 2:2 And F I N I S H I N G is the Elohim, on the sixth day, His works which He does. And ceasing is He on the seventh day from ALL HIS W O R K which He does.” (Concordant Version)
The works ARE finished and God IS ceasing from all those works of physical creation of the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that in them is. Now all this ties in with keeping the seventh day, a day of rest. If God is still ceasing from all the works that were finished, He does that on the seventh day. This still must be the seventh day of God’s ceasing!
We don’t read of anything where God began creating some other part of the physical universe on the eighth day or the ninth day or any such thing, nowhere. We are now into God’s SPIRITUAL creation… making man in God’s very own spiritual image.
The idea behind the seventh day is it represents rest. Israel was told to rest every seventh day of a weekly cycle. But it represents something. It was a law, they had to rest, it’s the fourth commandment, it’s a law.
Heb 10:1 For the law (part of the... remember the Sabbath and keep it holy) having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things…
The shadow is not the image itself. So in some ways it’s almost worthless, except it points you to something.
Like I’ve (kiddingly) said years ago. What would you sooner have, the shadow cast by a $380,000 Ferrari or the Ferrari? Now if you see the shadow of it and if you know exactly what kind of a shadow it cast, you would say, that shadow looks like and is pointing me to… a Ferrari! But you don’t want the shadow, you can’t drive the shadow, the shadow has no value. But the Ferrari, that’s most valuable, very valuable. Or you could say the shadow of a million dollar mansion or anything else.
So these laws are all a shadow of something better.
Heb 4:10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
There it is. When you enter into God’s rest… now we are talking about the real rest, then you cease from your works, just as God ceased from His. How long has God been ceasing from His works of the physical creation? For thousands of years! Does He cease everyday? YES. There is not a day that goes by that He starts creating another universe or another earth or another human race someplace.
So in the same way we are entering that rest. We enter into that rest! Which rest? The one that God is ceasing from. I does’t mean that God rests because He is tired, okay. We rest because we are tired. It’s just that when it says ‘rest’ it means to cease. It can mean to rest, but it means to cease or to stop.
So he that has entered into His ceasing, he also has ceased from his own works. Ceased or you can say rested, but it means to stop - cease from his own works. “AS God did from His.” Now do we do that and what does it mean?
God is yet ceasing from His physical creation and making physical things. We too are commanded to cease from working our work, and we start by resting every week on the seventh day of 24-hour periods… first the physical then the spiritual. But that is NOT “entering into God’s rest” by keeping the letter.
Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual…
v
Exo 31:15 Six days may work be done, but on the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whosoever does any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
That’s not just a warning declaration, but a parable. If you don’t keep the Sabbath today, you shall surely be PUT TO DEATH.
Much of the plan of God revolves around JUDGMENT. Judgment now upon the chosen few Elect and judgment later upon the rest of humanity. If you are still in the physical - the letter - the rituals - the shadows, then you’re not being judged in the spiritual LIGHT.
The weekly cycle of seven days was a microcosm of the physical and spiritual creation of God. It’s seven days, not just six. The six days were the actual physical creation, the seventh day was the stopping and ceasing from the physical.
But we have an inkling as to what the seventh day is all about. If it’s not about the physical creation, what is it about?
Gen 1:27 So God created (creating) man in His own image; in the image of God He created (creates) him; male and female He created (creates) them.
Again it’s the indefinite “creates” and “creating” it’s still going on. But the physical creation is not going on, this is spiritual, God is creating humanity into His own spiritual image. That’s what it is all about, but this is spiritual. This can be done on the seventh day, because it is spiritual. It’s not doing your own work when we enter in, like it says in Hebrews 4.
Heb 4:10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
So when we enter in His rest we cease our own work, just like God ceased His. It doesn’t mean nothing else is going on. Oh there is plenty going on, but now it’s spiritual, at least it should be, that’s what we are hoping.
v
So this whole thing of coming out of our life - coming out of carnality - coming out of religiosity is like coming out of darkness into the light and that light will give you peace or rest. You have to rest or cease your works and that is what this verse says, which concludes in Heb. 4:10. Now let’s look at verse 3.
Heb 4:3 For we who have believed do enter into rest…
There it is. So right now we do enter into rest. How do we enter into rest? By stopping doing our own works, by coming out of the shadow. Keeping the seventh day is a shadow and you’ve got to come out of that and come into the light of that… the real thing is Christ.
Christ of course did good on the Sabbath day although He was criticized for it. He didn’t break the Sabbath day as some have taught in the past. He did not break the Sabbath day, but He certainly started expanding it into the spiritual realm of doing good. He did good, He didn’t go out and plow with a yoke of oxen. Of course He didn’t.
When you enter into rest though, you don’t enter into rest by keeping the Sabbath every week. You enter into rest by doing what it says in verse 10.
Heb 4:10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
You cease from doing your work, your religiosity, just like God stopped making the physical universe. We are now entering into the light, into the spiritual realm. That is for those who do not have hardened hearts and God gives us these abilities to do this.
Col 2:10 and ye are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
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mercy, peace and love
Kat
rick:
Hello Extol, Kat and Alex,
I would like to say thank you for elaborating of what it means to rest in Christ . Much appreciated .
God bless.
lauriellen:
♡ love this thread and so very needed encouragement. I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on the subject of entering God's rest, submitting to the sovereignty of God as it applies to physical sin. I truly don't struggle a fraction of how I did just a few years ago. . .BUT I now have a MUCH greater struggle in my mind! Not with lust, envy or hate towards my neighbor, but I think I wrestle with God. Just like Ray used to say, I don't think I like how God is doing things very much. I have to repent every day for my bad attitude. Which brings me to a question (please forgive my lack of scripture reference as I am out of town, on my phone and don't have access to esword). The scriptures say the greatest command is to love God. In all honesty, this feels like the command i fail the most in. The scripture say eonian life is to know God, yet I look at all the depths of evil and suffering and I just can't understand Him (how can I love what I don't know or understand?). I have come to hate the evil and suffering i see around me with such a passion, I wonder if this is a small taste of the "wrath" that God feels towards ungodliness and evil? I have come to treasure and LOVE with such a passion what brings peace and goodness and truth, I am now wondering if this IS the fulfilling of the command to love God, as God IS love, goodness and truth?
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