"Thank you for replying. However, I have to ask you, do you believe Noah's ark and the global flood was a true story? Do you also believe Sodom & Gomorrah that git destroyed was also a true story? Then why would you apply that to mean a metaphorical message instead of an escape from earth?"
The parable is a parable. All parables are metaphors that teach a spiritual truth. The stories of the flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah were real events. They both occurred on Earth and no one was "raptured" to escape them.
"Thank you for sharing, but I disagree. It is those with the oil that lit their lamps when the Bridegroom had come was why they were ready whereas the others had to go to the market to get the oil. When they arrived at the door, they were too late. They have the oil, but too late. So the message here is why Jesus is warning believers to be ready to go or else miss out on the Marriage Supper in Heaven."
Disagree all you want, but Jesus identified the parable as being like the kingdom of heaven, not the marriage Supper of the Lamb. That's an addition to the word of God to create a fiction.
"I believe the point about the oil for why they were out to the market is referring to those who believe they can receive the Holy Spirit again apart from salvation thus seen as out to the market whereas those that are ready, knowing they are always Spirit-filled since salvation, shall have their faith & thus their light shing when the Bridegroom comes."
This sounds reasonable but the parable is about entering the kingdom of heaven, not about the marriage Supper of the Lamb. Jesus spoke this parable to those outside the faith as with all His parables.
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
Matthew 13:10-11
"Although those shut out are still part of the kingdom of Heaven as Matthew 25:1-2 addressed them as such, they missed out on the reception in that kingdom of Heaven. This is what they get for being workers of iniquity, denying Him as if they need to go out to the market to continue to get the oil, for why they were not ready to go to face that fire coming on a third of the earth that Jesus ( Luke 12:40-49 ) & Peter ( 2 Peter 3:3-18 ) & John had warned about in Revelation 8:7-13."
This whole argument is based upon the notion that Christ divides the church into 2 sets of saints, the super duper really faithful ones, and the unfaithful ones left behind to minister to a dying world, a complete and biblically unsupportable fantasy. When the Apostle says that the dead in Christ will rise first and that those who are alive will be changed in an instant to meet them in the air, that's because there is one body of Christ, not 5 or 10. The idea of separate tribulation saints is pure fiction to justify the cowardice of fearful men who have no place in the city of God.
"Luke 17:26-37 in the KJV has a different message as opposing the ESV that you can compare here at
Luke 17:26-37 KJV;ESV - And as it was in the days of Noe, so - Bible Gateway
Vultures would give a different message than eagles, for why you would think the bad guys are the ones being taken away, but let us consider the Greek.
Go to Strong's Concordance at this site to see the Greek in blue in parallel with the words in English in the KJV & go to Luke 17:37 The left column you will have to scroll down to select on 17 in Luke and it should bring it up on the main page. Then scroll down to the last verse. You can click on the blue words in Greek to see various definitions underneath the main page.
The last Greek word aetos is defined as "from the same as ahr - aer
109; an eagle (from its wind-like flight):--eagle.'"
I own a hard copy of Strong's Concordance and I haven't found an online version that gives the same definitions.
I've known for over 20 years that the correct translation is "where the body is, there the Vultures are gathered".
This is because faith is derived from hearing and believing the scripture. Power is derived from believing the promises of God and praying according to His will.
If you don't believe scripture, you will remain without His power to do anything, but this is the prophetic fate of the Holy people.
“For the Lord will judge His people
And have compassion on His servants,
When He sees that their power is gone,
And there is no one remaining, bond or free. Deuteronomy 32:36
(I recommend that every Christian study the song of Moses. It gives a God's eye view of redemptive history as it pertains to Israel and the church.)
"But that long Greek word before that last one, is "sunago" ad it is defined as "from sun - sun
4862 and agw - ago
71; to lead together, i.e. collect or convene; specially, to entertain (hospitably):--+ accompany, assemble (selves, together), bestow, come together, gather (selves together, up, together), lead into, resort, take in."
So the good guys are being taken in while those left behind on earth as far as that third part of the earth ( the western hemisphere ) will die. I discern this with Him, for why the rest of the world's armies in prophesy are still around in marching against Jerusalem at the end of the great tribulation."
The kingdom of God on Earth is the body of Christ, a fellowship of believers meant to support each other and rejoice in His grace. You don't have to be removed from the Earth to do that. You just have to join a congregation of Spirit filled believers and worship God with them. The real experience is rapturous, the fake is tedious.
"I do not like how KJV dd not really convey that truth in translating the Greek to English, but modern Bibles have not done it better. Indeed, you & I get the opposite message for why He is warning believers to be ready to go or else. Otherwise, why warn us if only the bad guys are being taken?"
You're missing the obvious. Jesus was addressing Jews, not Christians, in all of His teachings, and His warnings were nearly all about hypocrisy and self deception. His opposition was not from the mob that followed Him, but from the religious leaders who taught one thing and did another.
"But Jesus never said that about the 7 Churches in Revelation. And so one cannot say that about any church or any believer on earth. We have been warned not to grieve the Holy Spirit in us Ephesians 4:30 & warned not to defile the temple of God with iniquity or works of the flesh ( heresy is one ) or else be denied by Him from attending the Marriage Supper in Heaven & to die left behind 1 Corinthians 3:10-17 & Revelation 2:18-25."
All the New Testament books were written to the church specifically except the book of Hebrews (which was written to Hebrew believers as opposed to gentiles), and the gospels.
Context is everything in the sound exegesis of scripture and in the book of the Revelation, Jesus specifically addresses the church, not unbelieving Jews or gentiles.
There is no point in warning the church to be ready for His return when the premise of our communion ordinance is to remember His sacrifice for us until He returns. Do you see how much you've missed just by believing one cultic doctrine?
"Important note; ESV switched out the word defile with destroy as if man destroys the temple of God, but it is man that defiles the temple of God for why God would destroy it, physical death, while the spirit is saved ( compare at this link :
1 Corinthians 3:10-17 KJV;ESV - According to the grace of God which is - Bible Gateway ) & shall be with the Lord in heaven waiting for their resurrection after the great tribulation."
I'm sorry, but I can't decipher this grammatical mine field. That's the spirit of error in conflict with the Holy Spirit and this seems to happen every time a believer in Christ tries to use scripture to justify error.
Keep studying brother and :
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6