Ephesians

[Ziggy]

It makes me wonder . . . what exactly are you thinking they were worshipping? The Creator God? Or no?

Much love!

Not sure:

Eze 8:1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.
Eze 8:2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
Eze 8:3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
Eze 8:4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
Eze 8:5 Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
Eze 8:6 He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.
Eze 8:7 And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.
Eze 8:8 Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.
Eze 8:9 And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
Eze 8:10 So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.
Eze 8:11 And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.
Eze 8:12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
Eze 8:13 He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.
Eze 8:14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
Eze 8:15 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.
Eze 8:16 And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
Eze 8:17 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
Eze 8:18 Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

Jaazaniah = "Jehovah hears"

Shaphan = rock badger, coney, the hyrax
a species of rock-rabbit (from its hiding), i.e. probably the hyrax:—coney.

Tammuz = "sprout of life"
Tammuz, a Phoenician deity:—Tammuz.

branch to the nose:
NLT: “Have you seen this, son of man?” he asked. “Is it nothing to the people of Judah that they commit these detestable sins, leading the whole nation into violence, thumbing their noses at me, and provoking my anger?

 

[Ziggy]

Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Of Cain:
Gen 4:12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

vagabond:
H5110 - nuwd
to shake, waver, wander, move to and fro, flutter, show grief, have compassion on

vagabond:
G4022 - perierchomai
to come all around, i.e. stroll, vacillate, veer:—fetch a compass, vagabond, wandering about.

And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
Sceva = "mind reader"
a certain chief priest residing at Ephesus
Root Word (Etymology)
Apparently of Latin origin
left-handed; Scevas (i.e. Scævus), an Israelite:—Sceva.

Rev 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
Rev 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Rev 2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Rev 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Rev 2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Nicolaitans = "destruction of people"
a sect mentioned in Rev. 2:6,15, who were charged with holding the error of Balaam, casting a stumbling block before the church of God by upholding the liberty of eating things sacrificed to idols as well as committing fornication

I'm going to leave this here...
for now..
I think Sceva meant to do well by casting out the evil spirit.. but what is the first work? Faith?
We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth... and have tried those..

Argh.. always Paul ..
moving on..

 

[DPMartin]

This is a "STUDY" on how Paul was able to preach to a people totally engulfed in idolatry.
According to Acts Chapter 19, The Goddess Diana has been controlling the ideology and worship of not only that City but according to Demetrius, "All of Asia, and the whole world" .
This was a universal system that Paul had come to fight.
I believe the book of Ephesians is what Paul wrote to combat this system and help those escaping it to overcome.
I have not studied the book of Ephesians in this light. In fact, I have not studied it at all.
So, with this context in mind.. of Idolatry and Idol worship and how to draw one out through scripture,
That is what this study is about.
I will be looking at Historical accounts through other sources.. best I have at the moment is wikipedia or other sources I may come across.
I will be looking into this Diana itself from where it roots came, what the belief system was and how it became so entrenched in the Greek culture and became world renown.
Today the location is known as Turkey.
Ephesus = "permitted"
a maritime city of Asia Minor, capital of Ionia and, under the Romans, of proconsular Asia [see Ἀσία], situated on the Icarian Sea between Smyrna and Miletus. Its chief splendor and renown came from the temple of Artemis, which was reckoned one of the wonders of the world. It was burned down B. C. 356 by Herostratus, rebuilt at the common expense of Greece under the supervision of Deinocrates (Pausanias, 7, 2, 6f; Livy 1, 45; Pliny, h. n. 5, 29 (31); 36, 14 (21)), and in the middle of the third century after Christ utterly destroyed by the Goths. At Ephesus the apostle Paul founded a very flourishing church, to which great praise is awarded in Revelation 2:1ff. The name of the city occurs in Acts 18:19, 21, 24; Acts 19:1, 17, 26; Acts 20:16; 1 Corinthians 15:32; 1 Corinthians 16:8; Ephesians 1:1 (where ἐν Ἐφέσῳ is omitted by the Sinaiticus manuscript and other ancient authorities, [bracketed by T WH Tr marginal reading; see WHs Appendix at the passage; B. D. American edition under the word Ephesians, The Epistle to the]); 1 Timothy 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:18; 2 Timothy 4:12; Revelation 1:11, and (according to G L T Tr WH) Revelation 2:1. Cf. Zimmermann, Ephesus im 1. christl. Jahrh., Jena 1874; [Wood, Discoveries at Ephesus (1877)].

"Spiritual Warfare"

Paul says it in a nut shell here:

1Co_2:4　 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

that's how its done.

no one was convinced when Moses said God said this or that, they were convinced when the Lord God demonstrated His Power in their presence that most of the time effected their lives. when the Almighty sets things in a certain direction in the affairs of man. He makes sure those involved know its from Him. in Paul's day Rome was as big and powerful as they come, and within a certain amount of time Christianity was officially placed as the religion of the empire and church of the state that was actually enforced at one time or another.


I do believe in acts there is a story about Peter and friends concerned about the ineffectiveness of the ministry and prayed for the Lord to demonstrate power, or something to that effect, and not long after that people were diving into Peter's shadow to be healed.

listen to what Paul says here:

Rom 1:16　 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.　
Rom 1:17　 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.　

revelation is to know to experience is to know the revelation of the Lord God is to experience therefore know. Abraham's faith isn't blind.

how many that left Egypt and made it to the promised land, basically the reason for leaving Egypt. two, two from all those men actually made it to the promised land. because they believed and trusted God's Word. and yet all that power was demonstrated.

 

[Ziggy]

Artemis Generation

The space agency is calling this class astronauts the Artemis Generation, which is the name of the latest lunar program and the Greek goddess of the moon who is the twin sister of sun god Apollo. ... It's an expedited training program, as NASA hopes to blast the new astronauts to the International Space Station in 2020.

What is the Artemis Generation?


It’s hard to believe it was only six months ago that NASA was called to accelerate our plans to land astronauts on the Moon by 2024, and establish sustainable lunar exploration by 2028. In doing so, we also accelerated our plans for our next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.

We committed to making these goals a reality, and soon after, I announced the name for our efforts: the Artemis program.

Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo, and a goddess of the Moon. And she now personifies our path forward in more ways than one. With the Artemis program, we will land the first woman and next man on the Moon. Many have asked why we’re focused on sending the first woman. And I often say because it is about time! Our astronauts represent the best of us, and to do so, we must be able to see ourselves among them.

Not since Apollo has there been this much momentum to return to the lunar surface. Many other nations are interested in the Moon so this time, we’re not going alone. With Artemis, we will go forward to explore the Moon and beyond with innovative commercial and international partners.

And we will go to the Moon this time using modern technology and systems in ways that will allow us to return time and time again. This too is different with the Artemis generation – we will see long-term robotic and human exploration of our nearest neighbor. Then we will take what we learn at the Moon, and head to Mars.

What is the Artemis Generation? – Administrator Jim Bridenstine


I just put this here because they chose the ones today 12/9/2020

I wonder what we will learn "at" the moon??

Artemis, such a perfect name to go with this thread...
Interesting timing too.. LOL
where's my hat.. you know, the tin foil one..

 

[Ziggy]

Ephesians 6

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise; )
That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:
Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.
Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

 

[Ziggy]

Ok, so working with Ephesus.. There is a verse in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. But I have to add before and after for context in which I have a couple questions.. no doubt I'll need my shield.. nevertheless..


1Co 15:29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
1Co 15:30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
1Co 15:32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
1Co 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
1Co 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
1Co 15:35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
1Co 15:36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
1Co 15:37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
1Co 15:38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

So the conversation is regarding the resurrection and baptism.

Apparently Paul ran into some trouble in Ephesus and had to fight with the beasts.

First.. those that are baptized for the dead.

NLT: If the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptized for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again?

NIV: Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?

That's a good question..
Are we supposed to be baptized for other dead people??

I understand baptism that when you are baptised, your old man is as in a grave under the water, dead and raised to new life.
I get this.

And the only one I can think of who had a watery grave was all those who drowned in the flood, and possibly Jonah.
Even if Jonah died in the belly of the fish God revived him on the beach..

So, who are people baptised for other than themselves? Who are these dead that people are baptised for??

I'm not Mormon bashing, but I can find nothing in the OT laws or prophets or psalms to support this.
However I found 1 website that helps me to understand this as more of {aul questioning the Corinthians practises, then something we as christians should practise. There is nothing in the law or the testimony about baptism for other dead people. Except for Christ himself.
Any whooo. This is the website, that I could agree with.

“Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?” (1 Corinthians 15:29 NIV)

This is one of the most difficult verses to interpret in all of the Bible. It is believed that this single verse of Scripture has been interpreted in as many as 200 different ways. Much of the difficulty with its interpretation stems from the preconceived notion of interpreters that any explanation of this verse must somehow conform to an orthodox understanding of baptism. A careful reading of this verse, however, will prove that no such interpretation is required, since Paul clearly distinguishes his own practice from that being referred to here.

Corinthian converts to Christ were notorious for bringing the baggage of their former pagan practices into the church. This is easily seen in both of Paul’s epistles to the Corinthians. A substantial portion of both letters is devoted to Paul’s rebuking of the Corinthian Christians for their retaining of pagan practices.

The heretical practice of proxy baptism—baptism for the dead—can be traced back to the second century. It is still practiced today by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though only in temples dedicated by Mormons for such usage. In spite of the fact that we can’t clearly trace the heretical practice of proxy baptism back to first century Corinth, having no track to trace it there apart from this lone verse of Scripture, it doesn’t require any stretch of the imagination to believe that the carnal Corinthians had espoused such superstition, especially in light of the teachings of a popular pagan cult of the day.

Just across the Saronic Gulf from first century Corinth was Eleusis, which served as the center of a popular and ancient mystery religion. This pagan cult, of which Homer was a fan and Cicero an initiate, taught that eternal bliss in the hereafter was contingent upon one’s observance of its initiation ritual, which included a ceremonial washing and purification in the sea. That the carnal Corinthians brought this popular pagan idea into the church and applied it to baptism is certainly plausible; and that they further instituted the heretical practice of proxy baptism on behalf of their unbaptized, deceased loved ones is nothing more than the predictable outcome of such a plausibility.

The context of this controversial verse is critical to its proper interpretation. Paul is attempting in this passage to prove the reality of the resurrection. One of the arguments he employs is this pagan practice of proxy baptism. Ironically, some of the deniers of the resurrection were practitioners of proxy baptism. Thus, Paul simply asked to what purpose people were being baptized for the dead if there was no resurrection from the dead. This inspired question of the Apostle Paul’s to the practitioners of proxy baptism pulled the rug out from under their feet when it came to their denial of the resurrection.

In no way was the Apostle Paul affirming the validity of proxy baptism. Instead, he was simply pointing out the futility of such superstition, especially for anyone denying the reality of the resurrection. Notice, Paul refers to “those” who are baptized for the dead, not “we” who are baptized for the dead. While some of the Corinthians denied the resurrection and practiced proxy baptism, the Apostle Paul defended the resurrection as a central tenet of the Christian faith and slammed the door of the Christian church on proxy baptism and all other pagan practices.

“Baptism for the dead is the only way that men can appear as Saviors upon Mt. Zion…man, by actively engaging in rites of salvation substitutionally, become instrumental in bringing multitudes of their kin into the Kingdom of God.”
(The teaching of Joseph Smith)

BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD
I haven't even gotten to the beasts of Ephesus yet..

this is why I study..
I learn something new everyday.

 

[Ziggy]

1Co 15:32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.

Luk 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

not a house, not a building.. nope, it had to be a tower.

well Paul wasn't sufficient enough.. but by the grace of God.. he will build that tower, amen?

NO..
Paul is building a church..
The world is building a tower...

beasts of Ephesus:

first everybody has to come together and speak the same language..
they have to make a name for themselves...
then they have to build it together...

Gen 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

oh I have to back up and check out this new world order ready?

Gen 11:1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
Gen 11:2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
Gen 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

Shinar = "country of two rivers"
the ancient name for the territory later known as Babylonia or Chaldea

Chaldeans:

Hab 1:1The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
Hab 1:2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
Hab 1:3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.
Hab 1:4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.
Hab 1:5 Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
Hab 1:6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.
Hab 1:7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
Hab 1:8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
Hab 1:9 They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
Hab 1:10 And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.
Hab 1:11 Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.
Hab 1:12 Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.
Hab 1:13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?
Hab 1:14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?
Hab 1:15 They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.
Hab 1:16 Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.
Hab 1:17 Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?

Chaldea, also spelled Chaldaea, Assyrian Kaldu, Babylonian Kasdu, Hebrew Kasddim, land in southern Babylonia (modern southern Iraq) frequently mentioned in the Old Testament.

Not too far from Turkey where Ephesus was.. hmmm

What God did the Chaldeans worship?
Marduk, in Mesopotamian religion, the chief god of the city of Babylon and the national god of Babylonia; as such, he was eventually called simply Bel, or Lord. Marduk. Originally, he seems to have been a god of thunderstorms.

Oh look the seven thunders.. And the seven sons of Sceva.. shhh.. write them not..

 

[Base12]

The space agency is calling this class astronauts the Artemis Generation, which is the name of the latest lunar program and the Greek goddess of the moon who is the twin sister of sun god Apollo.

First, the Esoteric Meaning:

The Pictorial Key to the Tarot - by A.E. Waite (1910)

XVIII The Moon

"The distinction between this card and some of the conventional types is that the moon is increasing on what is called the side of mercy, to the right of the observer."

"It has sixteen chief and sixteen secondary rays."

"The card represents life of the imagination apart from life of the spirit."

"The path between the towers is the issue into the unknown."

"The dog and wolf are the fears of the natural mind in the presence of that place of exit, when there is only reflected light to guide it."

"The last reference is a key to another form of symbolism."

"The intellectual light is a reflection and beyond it is the unknown mystery which it cannot shew forth."

"It illuminates our animal nature, types of which are represented below--the dog, the wolf and that which comes up out of the deeps, the nameless and hideous tendency which is lower than the savage beast."

"It strives to attain manifestation, symbolized by crawling from the abyss of water to the land, but as a rule it sinks back whence it came."

"The face of the mind directs a calm gaze upon the unrest below; the dew of thought falls; the message is: Peace, be still; and it may be that there shall come a calm upon the animal nature, while the abyss beneath shall cease from giving up a form."

Now for a few Exoteric Meanings:

“The distinction between this card and some of the conventional types is that the moon is increasing on what is called the side of mercy, to the right of the observer.”

If we compare this to the High Priestess, we see that the so called ‘Mercy’ side on the right is Jachin…

1 Kings 7:21
“And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.”

Note that the High Priestess is *inside* God's Temple.

Ezekiel 8:3
"And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy."

Behind her is the exit.

“The card represents life of the imagination apart from life of the spirit.”

BAM! We know what the Moon means now…

Genesis 6:5
“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

“The path between the towers is the issue into the unknown.”

Because we know that Jachin and Boaz represent the exit from God’s Temple, the ‘Path’ is referring to the one that leadeth to destruction…

Matthew 7:13
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:”

Next..

“The dog and wolf are the fears of the natural mind in the presence of that place of exit, when there is only reflected light to guide it.”

Again, the ‘place of exit’ is leaving God’s Temple. The Dog and Wolf will be the ‘tour guides’…

Revelation 22:15
“For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”

Next…

“It strives to attain manifestation, symbolized by crawling from the abyss of water to the land, but as a rule it sinks back whence it came.”

Out of the Abyss comes a “Nameless Creature”…

Revelation 17:8
“The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”

The Beast manifests and returns to Perdition from whence it came.

BONUS INFO!

The “Nameless Creature” is the symbol for Cancer.

“In astrology, Cancer is the cardinal sign of the Water trigon, which is made up of Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio.”

“It is one of the six negative signs, and its ruling planet is the Moon.”

“Though some depictions of Cancer feature a lobster or crayfish, the sign is most often represented by the crab, based on the Karkinos.”

Cancer (astrology) - Wikipedia

 

[Base12]

Why is that Eagle building a nest among the Stars?

Oh, right...

Obadiah 1:4
"Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD."



In other news...

 

[Jane_Doe22]

Ok, so working with Ephesus.. There is a verse in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. But I have to add before and after for context in which I have a couple questions.. no doubt I'll need my shield.. nevertheless..


1Co 15:29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
1Co 15:30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
1Co 15:32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
1Co 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
1Co 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
1Co 15:35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
1Co 15:36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
1Co 15:37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
1Co 15:38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

So the conversation is regarding the resurrection and baptism.

Apparently Paul ran into some trouble in Ephesus and had to fight with the beasts.

First.. those that are baptized for the dead.

NLT: If the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptized for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again?

NIV: Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?

That's a good question..
Are we supposed to be baptized for other dead people??

I understand baptism that when you are baptised, your old man is as in a grave under the water, dead and raised to new life.
I get this.

And the only one I can think of who had a watery grave was all those who drowned in the flood, and possibly Jonah.
Even if Jonah died in the belly of the fish God revived him on the beach..

So, who are people baptised for other than themselves? Who are these dead that people are baptised for??

I'm not Mormon bashing, but I can find nothing in the OT laws or prophets or psalms to support this.
However I found 1 website that helps me to understand this as more of {aul questioning the Corinthians practises, then something we as christians should practise. There is nothing in the law or the testimony about baptism for other dead people. Except for Christ himself.
Any whooo. This is the website, that I could agree with.

“Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?” (1 Corinthians 15:29 NIV)

This is one of the most difficult verses to interpret in all of the Bible. It is believed that this single verse of Scripture has been interpreted in as many as 200 different ways. Much of the difficulty with its interpretation stems from the preconceived notion of interpreters that any explanation of this verse must somehow conform to an orthodox understanding of baptism. A careful reading of this verse, however, will prove that no such interpretation is required, since Paul clearly distinguishes his own practice from that being referred to here.

Corinthian converts to Christ were notorious for bringing the baggage of their former pagan practices into the church. This is easily seen in both of Paul’s epistles to the Corinthians. A substantial portion of both letters is devoted to Paul’s rebuking of the Corinthian Christians for their retaining of pagan practices.

The heretical practice of proxy baptism—baptism for the dead—can be traced back to the second century. It is still practiced today by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though only in temples dedicated by Mormons for such usage. In spite of the fact that we can’t clearly trace the heretical practice of proxy baptism back to first century Corinth, having no track to trace it there apart from this lone verse of Scripture, it doesn’t require any stretch of the imagination to believe that the carnal Corinthians had espoused such superstition, especially in light of the teachings of a popular pagan cult of the day.

Just across the Saronic Gulf from first century Corinth was Eleusis, which served as the center of a popular and ancient mystery religion. This pagan cult, of which Homer was a fan and Cicero an initiate, taught that eternal bliss in the hereafter was contingent upon one’s observance of its initiation ritual, which included a ceremonial washing and purification in the sea. That the carnal Corinthians brought this popular pagan idea into the church and applied it to baptism is certainly plausible; and that they further instituted the heretical practice of proxy baptism on behalf of their unbaptized, deceased loved ones is nothing more than the predictable outcome of such a plausibility.

The context of this controversial verse is critical to its proper interpretation. Paul is attempting in this passage to prove the reality of the resurrection. One of the arguments he employs is this pagan practice of proxy baptism. Ironically, some of the deniers of the resurrection were practitioners of proxy baptism. Thus, Paul simply asked to what purpose people were being baptized for the dead if there was no resurrection from the dead. This inspired question of the Apostle Paul’s to the practitioners of proxy baptism pulled the rug out from under their feet when it came to their denial of the resurrection.

In no way was the Apostle Paul affirming the validity of proxy baptism. Instead, he was simply pointing out the futility of such superstition, especially for anyone denying the reality of the resurrection. Notice, Paul refers to “those” who are baptized for the dead, not “we” who are baptized for the dead. While some of the Corinthians denied the resurrection and practiced proxy baptism, the Apostle Paul defended the resurrection as a central tenet of the Christian faith and slammed the door of the Christian church on proxy baptism and all other pagan practices.

“Baptism for the dead is the only way that men can appear as Saviors upon Mt. Zion…man, by actively engaging in rites of salvation substitutionally, become instrumental in bringing multitudes of their kin into the Kingdom of God.”
(The teaching of Joseph Smith)

BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD
I haven't even gotten to the beasts of Ephesus yet..

this is why I study..
I learn something new everyday.

That's quite an involved post @Ziggy! Let me know if you want an LDS Christian (aka "Mormon") to comment on anything at all.

 

[Jane_Doe22]

Actually looking through this thread overall, it appears extremely thoughtful. I applaud @Ziggy .

 

[Base12]

Just, lol...

"This year’s #Vatican Nativity scene, revealed tonight, comes from a town in the Abruzzi region of Italy famous for its ceramics."

"Its creators say it’s meant to have a contemporary and unconventional look influenced by ancient Greek, Sumerian and Egyptian art."

https://twitter.com/EdwardPentin/status/1337465840841658369