The way I have seen here lately, there's no point in posting the contradictions I see because they already have explanations for all of them, and they won't be persuaded. Why? Because they lack spiritual discernment!
Sad, but that is "
generally" true. What's that old expression?
"When you're a Hammer, everything looks like a nail!"
The point is to examine the item first to see if it really is a nail, because perhaps it is just the pattern of a nail. Here is the patience of the saints. Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus to defer to the "
authority" of the
word of God to define terms. Whether stones, trees, a city, a temple, a tabernacle, the promised land, bread, wine, or anything else, it's not always as it seems. God defines His own terms. As Christ Himself so ably illustrated in the Healing/Restoration of the Blind man spoken of in the book of Mark. While he was blind, men appeared ὁράω or [
horao], as trees. That is to say, until that man was healed by Christ, and it was then that He said that the trees were actually men. Where once he was blind and saw mysterious imagery, now he saw the truth of what they were. Selah!
Mark 8:23-25
- "And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
- And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
- After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly."
This is a whole Spiritual lesson in itself! To be blind is to be in spiritual darkness where you cannot see things as they actually are. They are seen as a mystery/secret. But once we are healed by Christ, our spiritual eyes are opened, and we can understand that the tree is actually a man. ...as in Revelation chapter 7 again. For example:
Revelation 7:3
- "Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads."
God is not speaking about saving the physical earth, the sea, and the trees "
until" all his servants are saved. It "appears" that way, but the truth is, the imagery in this context is of the world/creation. God is saying this judgment cannot come upon the
people of the world (
earth, sea, trees) that they are hurt UNTIL after He has saved His People from out of this world. For example, God is long-suffering, not willing that any of
His elect are lost. Those who receive the seal become His people. The earth, sea, and trees represent the
unsaved of the world (remember, a tree is known by its fruits?). The earth and sea, clearly represent the people of the world who are not spiritually healed. That's why they cannot be hurt
until God patiently restores every single elect who is to be saved first. His servants must be sealed first before the loosening of the beast and the Great Tribulation. In other words, a great apostasy, a falling away from the faith is going to take place upon the world, but
not until all Israel (the 144,000) are sealed FIRST! This is the mystery of God to reveal secrets to many, and blind others, as is His divine good Sovereign will.
...all that to say, not everyone is going to understand that the
stones of the city and Temple represent people. These things are
spiritually discerned. We can but pray for their understanding. However, whether they do or not see is all according to the will of God.
And when they don't, they fall back on the "it's a paradox" to explain how it is not actually true.
Well,
indoctrination is a strong thing. Or others will play the dueling Scriptures game as if that will make your scripture null and void. Do they really think all God is interested in is the physical stones of a building falling down? Is a falling building the judgment that God speaks of concerning Israel? Is our Lord's interest in having them see their physical Temple fall, or is it in having them
see their own fall? To have them (and us) consider God's Word "carefully" and understand what's really important is not physical--not meat and drink? It's what meat and drink represent!!
Luke 19:43-44
- "For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
- And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation."
Did God discuss with a literal/physical City? Who are the
city's children in this context? Right there we
should understand the judgment of the city falling and being laid even with the ground,
are the people! I mean, if we're being honest with ourselves, which is difficult to do when you are indoctrinated. A little spittle on the eyes and we can see this clearly! In this context, it is
perfectly clear Christ is talking about the city
representing the congregation, and
it's children as the stones laid even with the ground. It's the
people of his Old Covenant congregation and
not the physical stones of a literal Jerusalem. The judgment is on the people as the spiritual city representing the house of the Lord, not the literal Jerusalem. He will lay the people even with the ground "as if" they were literal stones, not every literal stone in 70 AD as the
misguided proponents of Josephus imagine! It's the "
imagery" of total destruction in the fall of Israel at the cross. Not 70 AD, at the cross! And its restoration in the Resurrection of Christ. Just as with the Temple:
John 2:19-21
- "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
- Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
- But he spake of the temple of his body."
The Romans did NOT destroy the Temple of prophecy; the people of Israel did! The Jewish people asked for a "
Sign" that Christ had authority to cast out these buyers and sellers out of the Temple, and Christ replied, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up!"
That was the Sign, but as the people of the congregation today, the people of the congregation then missed it; because they were so busy looking toward the literal Temple rather than the one God actually had in view. Selah. And Christ rebuilt it, stone upon stone, through His resurrection. Selah.
Romans 11:11
- "I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy."
That's how the Old Testament representative congregation Israel fell, and this is how it was restored in the New Testament or Covenant with Israel representation; the church. As I said before, both the Temple and the city represented the Lord's congregation.
Luke 13:34-35
- "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
- Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
Can a Physical/literal city kill the prophets, can it stone those sent to it? ...or is the Lord Jesus Christ speaking to a congregation, to a spiritual city? The people's house was left desolate because they didn't know the time of their visitation, and rejected their Messiah. May we pray that God will show mercy and give many the wisdom to discern THE TRUTH of His Most Holy Word instead of being decevied with 70 AD nonsense! More example on the next post...
@rwb
