Ray’s Legacy

[Dynamo54]

I often find myself thinking about how, and why, I know the Bible truths that I know. In just thinking/meditating during the day the question will come to mind as to why should I know what I know about God, and Christ, and Their plan, and all of the things I have learned since coming to Bible truths. I mean I KNOW me, and I would not choose me to understand...but then I have to quickly remind myself that I only know what I know because it is God's will that I do, and that  it has absolutely nothing to do with ME.  It is His desire that I know. While I can't understand it....I have to accept it, and I am trying to. These thoughts really do arise frequently.


So Bible-truths is Ray's legacy...to me, and to all. Yes Dennis is owed much thanks, and of course it is all of God, but I keep going back to Ray and where he directs/teaches me in scripture and how God focuses my thinking. I wrote in my introduction (I think) when I first came onboard the Forum, that I was directed (dragged maybe) to BT in early 2019. I slowly read all of the Lake of Fire once (and certain chapters more than once) but concentrated at first mostly on the emails to Ray and his answers. I learned a lot from those questions and answers. It was some months before I even realized there were the you tube videos, and I spent many hours rewatching watching all of those over and over.

So for four and a half years I have been basically studying with Ray, as well as gaining useful insight from Forum posts and answers. You know, being called of God is a pretty lonely gig. I have prayed and wondered if God would move my wife of 42 years to this understanding. She too is an escapee from the WWCG. But so far it doesn't seem to be the case. I wonder if it is rare for God to call husband and wife in this age? Seems so to me.

In reading back about the early church in the New Testament we see that there were many called in contiguous areas, and they could depend on each other. It was also a very physically dangerous time to be called, which doesn't seem to be the case in this church age (at least not so far). So we pretty much study and progress alone.

I remember Ray discussing Hebrews 10:25, and how "fellowshipping more as the end days approach" (me paraphrasing here), was really talking about our Fellowshipping with Christ and not necessarily with each other, seeing how we can't really get together. I was able to find it on the forum:
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http://bible-truths.com/lake11.html ---------------------------------
 
In Hebrews 10:25 were are admonished as follows:
 
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching."
 
That this is speaking of believers congregating together to worship and study God's Word, there can be no doubt. However, there is a much deeper meaning to this "assembling" that few have ever seen. I never saw it myself until I read a paper by J. Preston Eby, entitled: "FORSAKE NOT THE ASSEMBLING."
 
I will quote an excerpt or two from his paper:
 
"The Greek word for 'assembling' is EPISUNAGOGE. The word, literally, is a verb meaning to synagogue. It is a compound of the Greek prefix EPI with the word SUNAGOGE from which we get our transliterated English word Synagogue. EPI means super – imposition – that which is above, higher than, highest, upon. SUNAGOGE means a meeting, assembly, or gathering. Putting these two words together, EPI-SUNAGOGE means THE ABOVE SYNAGOGUE, THE HIGHER MEETING, THE HIGHEST ASSEMBLY, THE HIGHER-THAN-ALL-GATHERINGS!
 
It bespeaks of something far greater than merely collecting so many breathing bodies together in one place.
It is a meeting in a higher realm, on a higher plane, in the high places of the Spirit, and in the heights of Truth. It is a gathering together in a dimension above. It indicates an assembling IN THE SPIRIT..."
 
(All Caps belong to Mr. Eby).
 
This Greek word episunagoge is used only one other time in Scripture, and that is in II Thes. 2:1:
 
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together [Gk: episunagoge] unto Him."
 
In Hebrews 10 we are admonished to "assemble" in an high meeting, a meeting in the SPIRIT! In II Thes. 2 this meeting in the Spirit will become a literal meeting with our Lord.
 
And so, back to our question once more: Which denomination should we join? Where should we go to Church? Where should we "forsake not the assembling of ourselves together?" In a physical building of some physical denomination? No. WE are to episunagoge (assemble) on a higher plane, in a higher realm, in a spiritual assembly, IN THE SPIRIT!
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I look at where I think I have come in understanding (eye to see and ear to here) and believe that God has shown me much through Ray and BT. Maybe I should be farther along in four and half years...sometimes I feel that way.

I think about the topics and understanding that God revealed through Ray. I am really fascinated about Ray's teachings about time, and "eternity", and the creation fitting just fine within scientists' beliefs of a very old earth and universe. Some topics I am interested in and Ray mentioned that he would talk about them more later...and then evidently never did. But I feel like those are not the key things I need to focus on.

I think about the really fairly short ministry of Ray, and what God wanted him to convey. The many called and few chosen, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His messages in Revelations how it is all one. His message about what is God's will....be, act, and think just like Christ. Oh how I have struggled with that! Christ is preparing His "government" and rulers, and when they are ready the whole of creation will be blessed by His coming.

Not really sure why I wanted to post this. I have been thinking a lot about Ray lately. I didn't even know him, but feel like in fact I do. So thought I would just talk about Ray's legacy. You know there are a couple of sites that you tube prompts me on that all they seem to do is post Ray's videos...uncut and unchanged. Amazing.

[Rene]

http://bible-truths.com/lake11.html ---------------------------------

WE are to episunagoge (assemble) on a higher plane, in a higher realm, in a spiritual assembly, IN THE SPIRIT!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

When Ray taught this lesson about "Assembling together in the Spirit, I remember feeling that another "nugget" of truth was just revealed.  It made so much sense to me considering that most of us did not live near anyone else who was like-minded in worship.  I did, however, take much pleasure in attending the Bible Conferences Ray and Dennis organized in those few short years of Ray's ministry. 

[mike kyner]

I think i speak for all that don't have a physical "church" that we don't feel completely comfortable with that I don't know maybe loneliness but remember "they will cast you out of their synagogues"..."i will smite the shepherd and scatter the flock"..."gather together his elect from the four winds" etc. (maybe that makes some kind of sense)

[Dynamo54]

Yes Mike, your thought on gathering from the four winds does make sense. Had not placed that scripture in this context.

Rene, I agree it was another nugget (of golden truth).

Over the years in following Ray/BT I think have come across various "golden dust" that eventually amalgamates into a golden nugget of Truth for me. Ray's teachings on who is Christ, Christ afflicted and diseased, and does God learn really fall into that sprinkling of golden dust that brought me into much greater appreciation of the Father's and Christ's love for me, and for all.

[Musterseed]

Ray reminded me of Elijah. He mocked the Bales .

You call down your god and we will call down ours.
Maybe your god is asleep or sitting on the toilet. 

What is our God doing?

1 Sam. 2:10.... The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against
them He will thunder in heaven ( s) there will be peals of thunder.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth, He will give strength to His King
and exalt the horn of His annointed.

Jesus is the annointed. Guess what so are we, quote from Ray from the Gospel
of the Kingdom.

peals of thunder,,, Rev. 16:18, Psalm 18:13, 2Sam. 22:14

As He is, so are we in this world.  Following in the very footsteps, WOW
what an honor, what a blessing.  However, Our Lord and Paul lived a pretty
hard life. And we too must enter the Kingdom through much tribulation.

Matt.24:9 and Mark 13:24

[arion]

I greatly appreciated Ray but in truth he taught me nothing nor any of us.  Ray was the instrument that God used to present biblical truth to us and God himself opened our understanding in his time.  I stumbled across (or so I thought) Ray's tithing paper and was astounded and as much as I wanted I couldn't argue with it.

Several months later I came across the website again and started reading the LOF series and less than a quarter of the way through the first installment I clicked off the computer in disgust when Ray claimed that the teaching on hell taught by the churches was false as Jesus himself taught much about hell.  I thought Ray to be just another cultist and heretic and reckoned (on tithing) that even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then.

But months later I came back and started with the LOF and the scales started to fall away.  The difference was it was God's time for me to understand some things.  Since Ray passed many years ago now at times I have been disappointed that there are few to any teachers of the truth today.  But in truth we have no need for any man to teach us 1 Jn2:27 as God himself teaches us and leads us into all truth.


Ray was the instrument and almost every time I reread an article or listen to a teaching I glean something new but in truth God was the one that taught us and opened our eyes.

[Rene]

I greatly appreciated Ray but in truth he taught me nothing nor any of us.  Ray was the instrument that God used to present biblical truth to us and God himself opened our understanding in his time.

Ray was the instrument and almost every time I reread an article or listen to a teaching I glean something new but in truth God was the one that taught us and opened our eyes.

Yes, it is ALL of God.  God "gifted" Ray with the knowledge and ability to "teach" these amazing truths, and it was God who gave us the "eyes" to see and the "heart" to believe.  All praise and honor to our heavenly Father and Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. 

[indianabob]

Thanks for sharing your experiences Dynamo, very helpful and encouraging.
Indiana Bob

[larrylynndavis]

I have been studying Ray's teachings for a few years now. I more I study the more clarity I get.  Just recently I stopped going to a bible study in where they were using teachings of Tony Evans.  I noted how Mr. Evans in teaching on John 17 added to scripture and no one there except me picked up on it.

Rom_11:8  just as it is written [in Scripture], "GOD GAVE THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES THAT DO NOT SEE AND EARS THAT DO NOT HEAR, [a spiritual apathy that has continued] TO THIS VERY DAY." [Deu_29:4; Isa_29:10]
2Ti_4:3  For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God's truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold,
2Ti_4:4  and will turn their ears away from the truth and will wander off into myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the unacceptable].