> General Discussions

Get out of babylon

<< < (11/13) > >>

Terry:
Apologies. I was not coming down on you at all. There is no wrong in preparing or planning, especially when we understand where the control really is.

No apology needed Alex, love you Brother, about 2 months ago my daughter come in to some money she wanted to do something for me and her mom, I've been very sick for 13 yrs. and work 1 day a week to make ends meet, she knew I was going to quit when I got my mortgage paid so she paid my mortgage off $9200.00 I can't tell you what a burden that was and what a blessing it is now, could be God's been taking care of things and I didn't even know it, I know I worry when I shouldn't, got the faith of a mustard seed but we know what happens to that, can't wait.
Terry

Doug:
Terry, very happy to hear about your mortgage being paid. You daughter doing that for her parents shows you guys did a good job raising her!

octoberose:
 From Kat- "So if that's what you want to participate in, then vote... or maybe do something useful like cut the grass or chop wood."
My point is that you are already participating in this system- weather you choose to acknowledge it or not. Ya'll have narrowed participating in this world with voting, as if that is the only measure of participation. It's not- look at our different countries and cultures, the different histories of the world in the past 2000 years. It makes a difference and how we move in our culture makes a difference.  God put us in these places and times.

From Alex, "Paul was very smart. The spirit of God is the spirit of a sound mind. He used his head."  Very nicely expressed my friend.

From Largeli, "It sounds like you're saying we have dual-citizenship? But Christ said that this is not our kingdom anymore than it is His kingdom... Or maybe I'm mistaken and He said we are not of this world anymore than He is of this world". 

 I guess, as I've reflected on this for the past few years (and you are so right that our perspectives and understandings change in time) that I see these verses about ambassadorship differently then the way they are often presented here. I don't read this being an ambassador for Christ as Excluding citizenship or participation  in a physical country. Jesus was from Nazareth. It was part of his narrative . Paul was a Roman, as I've talked about a lot in the past. Being an ambassador for Christ  not only SUPERSEDES  any earthly citizenship, it is on a Different Plane altogether. How can it not be?  It colors our perspective. It directs our hope. It enlightens us. It gives us a greater view- an age abiding view. In this world- not OF it.
 But I live here and I do not want to be so 'spiritual' I am no practical good. So, when my city asks to appropriate  a certain amount of taxes to take care of our roads in disrepair , I'm going to say yes or no. I get to do that and if you want to,  so do you. And if you'd rather chop wood, have at it. I have a gas fireplace myself but I would really like to have a wood burning one too. There are a lot of snowflakes in Colorado.  :)
 
 

Kat:

--- Quote from: octoberose on September 15, 2016, 11:36:53 PM --- From Kat- "So if that's what you want to participate in, then vote... or maybe do something useful like cut the grass or chop wood."
My point is that you are already participating in this system- weather you choose to acknowledge it or not. Ya'll have narrowed participating in this world with voting, as if that is the only measure of participation. It's not- look at our different countries and cultures, the different histories of the world in the past 2000 years. It makes a difference and how we move in our culture makes a difference.  God put us in these places and times.
--- End quote ---

You totally misunderstood my post if you think it was about 'voting.' That was just an off comment I made at the end, though it was made in jest to somebody's comment about mowing and splitting wood, I certainly was serious. No this whole thread is about coming out of babylon - worldliness. Voting would only comprise a teeny tiny part of that.

What I was focusing on was how much every aspect of this world is corrupt, and that we must make distinctions in how we live in this world. Yes God has placed all His chosen exactly where He wanted them to live throughout the centuries in differing life situations, but every single one had their own set of worldly circumstances to overcome. We choose what to accept as godly living and participate in or not participate in ... certainly we realize that to come out and be separate means we must make distinctions in what we go along with in this world, above and beyond obvious sin (murder, stealing, adultery, coveting)? It's more about knowing how to distinguish the more subtle 'worldly' things that are of no avail and can be a hindrance to our spiritual growth.

It's not about revoking our citizenship to the country we live is, and yes we do pay our dues/taxes to live in our countries. We have the Word of God with numerous Scripture (many that have been presented here) that tells us to forsake worldliness... I don't believe this is just speaking of being 'spiritual,' but certainly that is part of it. But just as our actions are a witness to our beliefs, so is what we choose not to do. If we can't be distinguished from everybody else in the world or we really living godly?

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
v. 2  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

James 4:4  Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

1John 2:15  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
v. 16  For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

lareli:
Thanks for your reply Kat.. (Your reply in bold)

  My way of looking at the symbolism in prophecies is that they are not specific about a person, place or thing, but rather a way of speaking in general terms.

Ray gave us what some of these symbols, the woman - church, there in Revelation 17 is riding a beast.

Rev 17:3  Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was controlled by blasphemy. It had seven heads and ten horns. (ISV)

Rev 17:18  The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth."

Notice that the beast has seven (7) heads... Ray spoke of this number 7 in relation to the 7 churches meaning completeness in his LoF article #7 'Church Heresy Came Long Before Bible Errors.'

Rev 17:9  This calls for a mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is sitting. They are also seven kings.

So we have 7 heads, that are 7 kings, that are 7 mountains on this beast that the woman rides... it seems to me this is speaking of all (the complete) carnal, corrupt world's governments of this age. It's the church and state, all the kings/rulers/presidents/dictators/czars/Popes/Archbishop or whatever, these are the mountains, the high ruling places/governments of the world in this age - this is the completely picture of what it's all about. All the religious rulers and all the national governments are in bed together, so to speak, but they are not friends, they more like hate each other, because they are both highly ambitious and sinister and they manipulate (I can't think of enough derogatory terms to use), but they wreak havoc with impunity.

This is the world we live in, both the governing body - those that make policy and laws that direct society and the religious leaders - those that direct to moral code of the citizens, are corrupt through and through and are working together to gain all the carnal worldly pleasures they can get, at the expense of the general populace.  That's just the way of this age and nothing will/can change it until Christ returns.   



(My question)
Rev 17:8 says... "The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come."

So if the beast and all it's heads are the religious/political/carnal corrupt constructs that govern the world we live in, then what does it mean that it "once was, now is not, and yet will come"?

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page