Did Jesus teach using only parables or not? Is the sermon on the mount for the Elect or not? I'm seeing some contradictions from what I've learned on bible-truths.com, so it's confusing to see all this talk of Jesus teaching in a literal sense. I'm not pointing my finger at anyone, as I'm sure I've done the same at one time or another. It's not good or bad, just something that confuses and bothers me sometimes.
I've wondered for a long time now if Jesus ever really left, considering some verses that state He would never leave us. Spirit is invisible, so maybe He just disappeared and will reappear again in the future?
I've also noticed how much Ray grew in the spiritual knowledge of the Lord. Early on in his writings, it often seemed as though Ray gave literal meanings to certain teachings, but later in his writings, he strongly taught in the spirit. It was confusing until I realized this.
I'm not asking for perfect interpretations from anyone, just a baseline of understanding for the foundation we are building on. I'm willing to meet anyone at their personal level of understanding, please do the same for me.
Here's a quote from Ray about "the hour which no one knows". Was Ray wrong, or is there something there? Does "as Christ is so are we" apply to this also? It's from the same audio transcription that Dennis linked.
https://bible-truths.com/forums/index.php/topic,5815.0.htmlBUT…. JESUS NEVER SAID WHEN HE WOULD RETURN
Mark 13:32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
So do you think that Jesus Christ doesn’t know when He will come back? Well that verse says so, right. But now we’ve got to ask ourselves, how little does Jesus know about His Father, His plan and prophecy? Apparently not very much. He doesn’t even know when He going to come back. Well I have a different take on that.
I just can’t believe Christ doesn’t know when He’s suppose to come. I don’t believe that. But I also believe that this Scripture is true. I know it sounds like a contradiction and it’s only an apparent contradiction, until you put something together. I did put something together.
Why didn’t Jesus know when He was in the flesh, when He would come back to rule the world? Why didn’t He know? His Father didn't tell Him... so only the Father knows? I don’t know, the angels in heaven don’t know. Only the Father knows... but now I’m saying that Jesus Christ knows. Well if He didn’t know it then, He must have learned it later on someplace. Well I believe He did.
Rev 1:1 A Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God GAVE to Him to show to His servants things which must shortly (quickly) come to pass. And He signified it by sending His angel to His servant John,
Rev 1:2 who bore record of the Word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all the things that he saw.
Rev 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads and hears the Words of this prophecy, and the ones keeping the things written in it, for the time is at hand.
Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia. Grace to you and peace from Him which is and which was and which is to come; and from the seven spirits which are before His throne;
Rev 1:5 even from Jesus Christ the faithful Witness, the First-born from the dead and the Prince of the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
Rev 1:6 and made us kings and priests to God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion for the eons of the eons. Amen.
Rev 1:7 Behold, He comes with the clouds, and every eye will see Him.
This is a revelation of Christ coming, but it’s a revelation of how it comes to us. But He’s coming back to the world. So now this is a two edged sword.
All these intricate prophesies and then you get back when Babylon is burnt and destroyed. We know our Babylon is destroyed, but the real Babylon out there is going to be destroyed, Mystery Babylon the Great the mother of harlots and whores, it is going to be destroyed and so on.
This is His testimony and He doesn’t know when these things are going to happen? He knows. There is no doubt in my mind, He knows. Because His Father has now shown Him. Remember He said in the book of John. I have many things to shows you, but you can’t receive them yet. Not YET. Now who wrote that? Is that in Matthew? No. Mark? No. Luke? No. Where do we find that? In John. John is the only one that records that Christ said, that I have many things to show you. Why would John write that in his gospel? Remember the other gospels were written in the 60’s or so. But John apparently didn’t write until later, at least the late 60’s or some say all the way into the 90’s.
Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the synoptic gospels. That’s because they all kind of have a chronological story flow of Christ and His ministry and His parables. John’s is different. That’s why he’s not included with the other three. Matthew, Mark and Luke are the synoptic gospels, John has his own gospel.
John is tying up the loose ends that are not covered in the other gospels. I mean we’ve got 5 pages on just what Christ said at the last supper in John. You go to Matthew or Mark and you’ve got maybe 5 sentences. See there is a lot of things being said and one is “I have many things to show you.”
John 16:12 I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
Many things! John wrote that. Because John is the one that God showed “many things” that have to come to pass. John remembered that, the other apostles and writers they didn’t include that. They didn’t see that being fulfilled, Mark and Matthew didn’t see themselves fulfilling that. John did. By the time John is writing his letters and his gospel, he’s putting together these things. You don’t read this anywhere except John’s account.