willieH: Hi Arcturus...
Hi WillieH
You ask about the "last day"...For me that would be the last day of that age.
But that is NOT what
CHRIST said... we must take Him at His WORD without adding any thoughts to those WORDS...
CHRIST spoke of the "end of the age"... In
Matt 28:20... So He displayed by this example, that when He meant to say AGE, ...He SAID "age"...
This is NOT the case in either
John 6:44 OR John 12:48 which are the 2 places He mentioned the LAST DAY... the word
AGE is absent in both of these verses... And in both places, the context is not speaking of the consumation or "end" of an
AGE...
The last day of the decade. The last day of puberty. The last day of the teen teenager. Not meaning the last day of the life of the teen teenager but the last day of that era.
These are true statements Arc... but notice in your "last day" examples... other words following "last day" DEFINED what the "last day" was, i.e. decade, puberty, teenager...
But this is NOT the CASE in what
CHRIST was speaking of... He was talking about
RESURRECTION, and
JUDGMENT in these 2 verses, and no other words followed His mention of the LAST DAY... which may have further defined what "LAST DAY" He was speaking of... He STOPPED at LAST DAY, no further words... and IN that LAST DAY, was contained RESURRECTION and JUDGMENT!
So we are left with this... He said, what He said, ...without adding words to what He said...
He was giving a picture of the END... End of what? END of TIME...
And at the END of TIME shall the RESURRECTION and JUDGMENT take place.
RESURRECTION is the DEATH of DEATH... and JUDGMENT is REVEALING and CONSUMATION of EVIL found within ALL men... These events are to occur on and during the LAST DAY... these verses do NOT say LAST DAY "of the AGE", so we cannot ASSUME it to be referring to an "AGE"...
CHRIST just said LAST DAY...
period!As for Christ, did you refer to Christ as not knowing? ...if so...then re consider Ray's latest teachings that Christ knows all that the Father knows and that the Father keeps nothing from the Son because unto Him is given All Things by the Father which will be returned to the Father by Christ and then God will be all in all.
I am not sure what you are referring to... I didn't mention that
CHRIST did not "know" something...
CHRIST has access to ALL KNOWLEDGE... we do not...
If you are referring to Ray not being sure if time will or will not end, then sorry, I do not know where or how or why you have come to this conclusion.
I quoted where it was stated that RAY had said this:
Here is an email from Ray.
http://www.forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,2123.0.html -----
Dear Jeffrey:
I am not so sure that time ever ceases to exist. The "eons" of time cease to exist, but time itself may never cease. I have seen lately that dictionaries totally contradict their own definitions of eternal and eternity. I will write a new paper in the near future entitled "RETHINKING ETERNITY" [Does time cease at the consummation of the eons?].
God be with you,
Ray
RAY here is saying he is "
NOT SO SURE that time ever ceases to exist"... He also says "time itself
MAY never cease" ...these two statements say to me, that he is either NOT SETTLED on this matter, or QUESTIONS have arised in his observation of TIME and ETERNITY, and the involvments they will or will NOT have, forward of this LIFE... which concerns itself with TIME...
As to the "first day" proving to be the "first day" again, I look to the meaning of aionian as age not absolute as in first and last limited thinking. Who knows what came before the first day. The scriptures are silent.
I dont agree the Scriptures are silent...
JESUS said:
BEFORE Abraham [member of time] was [element of time] ...I AM... [member of ETERNITY]CHRIST was not just saying here that He preceeded Abraham... He was laying a definitive line between HIMSELF and ALL the FINITE members of TIME... including TIME itself, for THE WORD (
CHRIST) spoke into existence the FIRST DAY and all that was found within it... preceeding the FIRST DAY, and ALL that was found within it! ...
Col 1:17 -
He is BEFORE ALL things...
Just as Ray has noted where God states, that He is the GOD of Abraham, Issac and Jacob... does not limit GOD to just those 3 persons... He is the GOD of ALL...
There were NO DAYS (time) prior to the FIRST DAY, otherwise, the FIRST DAY was NOT the FIRST DAY...
Where you quote Ray as saying that he is not sure, I do not see this to mean that Ray is NOT SURE but that Ray offers the alternative to this limited frame of mind and answers with the insight that is unveiling the deeper truths that God is revealing and not error of previous thinking. Quite a difference don't you think
I don't see that REVELATION means one was in ERROR... and I did not infer this... ONE that is VEILED in ANY SPIRITUAL vision, just does not "see" the TRUTH... and FAITHFULLY abides in what he sees... continuing to SEEK the light... and waiting upon its further REVELATION...
I guess we'll have to wait and see what RAY's upcoming paper "RETHINKING ETERNITY", actually encompasses... instead of speculating one way or the other...
GOD has CONCLUDED ALL in UNBELIEF... and His Complete LIGHT is NOT REVEALED to anyone... it is given to each, to be known and taught, as it fits according to HIS PURPOSE...
I believe THAT is what RAY, and any other SEEKING believer does...
Peace be to you
Arcturus
And to you dear Arc...
peaCe...
In
...willieH