What are we really dealing with here?

[amadeus]

It was in response to the quote you made on post #63 viz.

"And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh." Ecc 12:12

It was NOT to be taken as a personal attack upon you my friend, merely a statement in response to the quote.

Which is not explaining anything at all unless I were to push which I won't. I understand how, in my experience, many Bible students study. So that's it then...

 

[Harvest 1874]

Oh, I get it. So if I don't belong to whatever it is that you do, then I'm part of the Antichrist system. So...which particular cult do you belong to? You've just outright admitted you don't belong to any of the Orthodox Churches. That leaves...well...the cults. JW's? SDA? Mormons?



Well, you have it all worked out then, don't you?

I'm non-denominational I don't belong to any sect. Likewise if you had read what I stated correctly I said you were being deceived by the Antichrist, I didn't say anything about you personally being a part of the Antichrist.

 

[Harvest 1874]

Which is not explaining anything at all unless I were to push which I won't. I understand how, in my experience, many Bible students study. So that's it then...

Obviously you do require an explanation barring this post therefore I should like to explain. You quoted Eccl 12:12, I believe with the intent to substantiate your position that study is not the most important thing that as the text implies "to much studying is wearisome", this may be true to some extent, however as noted in the text I quoted some chose not to study at all and thus live in ignorance, after all ignorance is bliss isn't it?

If you took this as a personal attack upon yourself, I apologize that was not my intent at all.

 

[Naomi25]

I'm non-denominational I don't belong to any sect. Likewise if you had read what I stated correctly I said you were being deceived by the Antichrist, I didn't say anything about you personally being a part of the Antichrist.

Come, now, that's just nit-picking, isn't it? You think the RCC is the Antichrist system. You think it's fingers are reaching into the Protestant denominations which are also spreading it's false doctrines. Therefore if I belong to one of those denominations it becomes a fine line between being deceived and being part of, does it not? Especially if I am propagating my faith.
So you may hide behind your precise wording, but your implication is quite clear.
I still disagree...with your diagnosis and your thesis.

 

[aspen]

Snort! Sorry about that! It's just that sometimes it's hard to know what your point is, or if you're even talking to me...or the other person, or if you're for the point, or against it! It's so hard to get the idea when it's only a single sentence!

So...I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I follow you here. What has 'giving my word' and letting it guide me got to do with scripture? What has a 'human who has assumed a place of authority' have to do with it either. I'm not following. Sorry.

And...there's nothing wrong with "starting out believing that the Bible is the Word"? Are you saying that, once you get along a bit, that it isn't? Because, there, my friend, we come up against a wall...hard. If you don't believe the Bible is the Word of God, what on earth are you following? Who on earth are you following? What on earth is the basis of your faith? And if you say all you have/know comes from the HS alone, please insert the biggest eye roll from me.


Mmmm. He's fairly left. And...well...as much as I normally don't have much quibbles against Catholic people in general, the Pope is someone I question. The mouthpiece of God? Please. If I pop on a bed sheet and find a throne, can I make that claim too? Where does he get that authority? There's nowhere in scripture, that I can see, that gives one particular man that authority. Jesus came to break down the wall that divided man and God. We don't need a mouthpiece...we have Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. To me, that makes the power and wealth the upper echelons the Catholic church demands just a little suspect.

The Pope is not the mouthpiece for God. He is the guy who speaks the same truth, even when the world rejects it. If the person who is acting Pope speaks new revelation or different ideas from orthodoxy he is an antipope.

 

[brakelite]

Come, now, that's just nit-picking, isn't it? You think the RCC is the Antichrist from Catholicism system. You think it's fingers are reaching into the Protestant denominati continue to continueons which are also spreading it's false doctrines.

Hi Naomi. The core of the problem is that the protestant churches never fully distanced themselves from Rome. They have retained some of the foundation beliefs of Rome and continue to practice and believe errors they should have discarded years ago. Because they retain many of those basic doctrines, they are still a part of Babylon and therefore still subject to the same fate as is Babylon. Now Rome is challenging the protestants and asking, if what you believe is the same as us, why are we so divided?
Which is a fair question. However, not all of us believe the same as Rome. But most on this thread do. They are defending Rome and calling the RCC a Christian denomination. The only reason any non Catholics can do that is because they agree with her. They are therefore already deceived by the antichrist and will accept the mark of the RCC when it comes into force.
The purpose of this thread is to encourage protestant and/or non-Catholics into taking a closer look, or scrutinising more closely what they and Rome believes, and working out whether or not they need to move further away than they already are. Claiming Rome has the basics right but you disagree on a few minor issues is going to get you into ak load of trouble down the track.

 

[brakelite]

The Pope is not the mouthpiece for God. He is the guy who speaks the same truth, even when the world rejects it. If the person who is acting Pope speaks new revelation or different ideas from orthodoxy he is an antipope.

Offering indulgences for following the pope on Twitter is hardly orthodox. But then indulgences never were orthodox.

 

[Stranger]

“Without any desire to treat lightly the opinions of others, we nevertheless feel it necessary to point out to all a few of the absurdities connected with the common view concerning Antichrist, that thereby the dignity and reasonableness of the truth on this subject may be properly estimated, in contrast with the narrow claim that all which the Scriptures predict concerning this character will be accomplished by someone literal man.

This man, it is claimed, will so charm the whole world that in a few short years he will secure to himself the homage and worship of all men, who will be so easily imposed upon as to suppose this man to be God, and, in a rebuilt Jewish temple, to worship him as the Almighty Jehovah. All this is to be done at lightning speed--three and a half years, say they, misinterpreting the symbolic time, even as they misinterpret the symbolic "man."

Tales of fiction and the most absurd imaginations of childhood furnish no parallel to the extreme views of some of God's dear children who are stumbling over a literal interpretation of Paul's language, and thereby blinding themselves and others to many precious truths, which, because of the error on this subject, they are unprepared to see in an unprejudiced light. No matter how much we may sympathize with them, their "blind faith" forces a smile as they seriously tell over the various symbols of Revelation which they do not understand, misapplying them literally to their wonderful man. In this, the most skeptical age the world has ever known, he will, they claim, in the short space of three and a half years, have the whole world at his feet, worshiping him as God, while the Caesars, Alexander, Napoleon, Mahomet and others sailed through bloody seas and spent many times three and a half years, without accomplishing the one thousandth part of what is claimed for this man.

And yet those conquerors had all the advantages of dense ignorance and superstition to aid them, while today we live under conditions most unfavorable to such a development of deceit and fraud: in a day when every hidden thing is being manifested as never before; in a day when fraud of the sort claimed is too preposterous and ridiculous for consideration. Indeed, the tendency of our day is toward a lack of respect for men, no matter how good, talented and able, or what offices of trust and authority they may occupy. To such an extent is this true, as never before, that it is a thousand times more likely that the whole world will deny that there is any God, than that they will ever worship a fellow human being as the Almighty God.”

You say it is absurd to believe there will be a literal man who is the antichrist due to the shortage of the time element and skepticism of the age. You forget that the Holy Spirit no longer resists the work of the 'mystery of iniquity' . (2 Thess. 2:7-8) This I believe is the removal of the Church and the Holy Spirit in her. But in any case, the Holy Spirit will cease to resist this march of the 'mystery of iniquity' and thus it will move at incredible speed.

You forget also that this antichrist and the work of the mystery of iniquity will be done none with miraculous signs and wonders. (2 Thess. 7-9) This will destroy much of the skepticism you speak of.

You will find that man is incurably religious and will always worship something.

Stranger

 

[Harvest 1874]

Come, now, that's just nit-picking, isn't it? You think the RCC is the Antichrist system. You think it's fingers are reaching into the Protestant denominations which are also spreading it's false doctrines. Therefore if I belong to one of those denominations it becomes a fine line between being deceived and being part of, does it not? Especially if I am propagating my faith.
So you may hide behind your precise wording, but your implication is quite clear.
I still disagree...with your diagnosis and your thesis.

You are correct it was my mistake

I fear in my haste to appease flesh I was untruthful to the Lord and his truth, I didn’t want you to be upset with me so in answering your reply I compromised the truth for the sake of peace, this was a mistake which has pricked my conscious all night and therefore I feel I must amend my last statement.

The children of light (those begotten of the truth), are to make no compromise when it comes to the truth, as it is written,

“The wisdom which comes from above is FIRST pure, THEN peaceable, gentle, willing to yield to reason (but not to error)…” James 3:17

NOT peace first, but purity first, truth first. God first, his will, his plan, his way. It is earthly wisdom, which suggest “peace at any cost”, which commands the conscience to be silent when others are promoting errors so that selfish peace may be promoted. We have not enlisted into the Lord’s army merely to be on the defensive to be used as a battering ring against the assaults of the Adversaries deceived servants, if so why are we admonished to wear armor? “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God…” (Eph 6:11)

Unfortunately even some of the Lord’s dear one who profess spirit begettal are being used by the Adversary to promote errors, chiefly the idea that in order to insure peace among the brethren there must be some compromises, some give and take with respects to our faith in order to insure peace, unity, NOT SO the Apostle was quite admit in his statement when he stated that the wisdom which comes from above (i.e. the truth) was first to be pure, truthful, unvarnished by worldly attempts to make it palatable to all, it was never intended for all (not presently) only for a specially called out class who would put the Lord first, his truth first before all others.

We are to love in this order, the Lord first, then the truth, then the brethren.

So then I was wrong to say that you were not a part of the Antichrist but merely deceived, if you are a member of the system which promotes the doctrines of men and of devils, the church nominal whether that be a member of the “Mother” system (the Catholic Church) or a member of one of the “daughter” systems (the Protestant branches of the church) you are a part of the Antichrist.

As for those not joined to any of the various orthodox churches (independent Christians), even yet if you still believe and or promote any of their erroneous doctrines you are a part of the system, the system of error, the Antichrist. As it is written your master is the one with whom you render service.

Now you say, ‘well if you’re not a member of one of the orthodox churches (the common or acceptable branches of Christendom) then you must be in a “cult”’. In your haste to accuse you left out one other option, the “true Church”, that is unless you don’t believe there is a true Church. Oblivious if the Lord considers both the Mother and the daughters (for she is not called the Mother of all harlots for no reason) to be a part of “Babylon the Great” then it’s for certain that none of these are the true church. The very fact that the Lord is calling his people (his true followers) to flee Babylon, to come out of “her” (Rev 18:4) confirms this.

The Antichrist, the Mother of Harlots, Babylon these are all titles given to the great system of error and deception devised by the Adversary to entrap the Lord’s people, the apostate church which the Lord has condemned, and implores his people to flee.

But one may ask, ‘Where shall we flee?’

“For wheresoever the carcass (the truth, the food) is found, there the eagles (the Lord’s true people, those keen of vision and appetite) will be gathered together (brought together by the mutual apprehension of the truth, as eagles are drawn to their food)” Matt 24:28

The truth is not to be found in Babylon, she has been cast off by the Lord, you will have to venture outside the realms of orthodoxy to find the truth and the Lord’s true people, the true Church has long since heeded the Lord’s call to come out of Babylon, all that remains of the Lord’s people in Babylon are “babes in Christ” malnourished and undeveloped Christians, starving for food (truth).

As for Babylon, “The light of a lamp (the Bible, the truth) shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom (the Lord) and bride (the true Church) shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants (the clergy, the religious leaders) were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery (deceptive errors) all the nations were deceived.” Rev 18:23

The implication of this scripture is rather straight forward it clearly states that the true Church (those near or fully grown) are no longer to be found in Babylon, and that the Lord’s voice (his word, the truth) is no longer heard there either, why? Because the light of the lamp has gone out. Therefore it is imperative that any of the Lord’s true people left there depart as soon as possible, because if they linger to long they will suffer the plagues coming upon Great Babylon.

 

[bbyrd009]

That is an excellent explanation of the meaning of Anichrist. And it fits the Papal church in every respect...all its doctrines...all its dogmas...its entire mindset is one of displacing Christ from His rightful position as Lord of Lords and King of kings. Just as the original picture in the thread reveals.

well, i have to agree that Catholicism--as opposed to Catholics--is a good fit, but so are other institutions. i don't really perceive Established Protestantism to be any closer to God, personally.

"displacing Christ from His rightful position as Lord of Lords and King of kings" can be accomplished in many ways i guess, and at the end of the day it becomes about what one does personally imo.

these institutions also serve God, so it is pertinent to ask at what point are you opposing God here?

 

[bbyrd009]

Actually, I agree with you, mostly, here. While I think there will be a final manifestation of the AC, I don't know that I think it has to be an individual person. In fact, the more we understand about how utterly implausible it seems that all people will be able to unite under a single person, the more it suggests to me, at least, that we could be looking at a government, or technology, or something. But I'm not sure that it matters what form it will come in. That it seeks to draw people away from God, persecute those already connected to him, and seek out adoration and worship for itself...to me...seems the big points made in scripture.

why this is coming to me i don't know, but it occurs to me that an alien monitoring us from space might believe that we worship 16 oz plastic bottles, that being something that we universally embrace. i can hear the report back to the home planet even; "they seem to love these things, all different colors, different fluids being consumed from them, they even like to fill their oceans with them after they are empty, they cast them beside their roads and walkways, i mean they are everywhere boss."

 

[bbyrd009]

Snort! Sorry about that! It's just that sometimes it's hard to know what your point is, or if you're even talking to me...or the other person, or if you're for the point, or against it! It's so hard to get the idea when it's only a single sentence!

well, you might read a post or two above that one for context, i was basically commenting on them. But bam test everything against the Book too, don't get me wrong. They heard the Word, and then read the Book to verify it, so "verifying via the Word" just struck me funny

What has 'giving my word' and letting it guide me got to do with scripture?

it has to do with incorrectly labelling Scripture as Word, i was just suggesting mental exercises that might illuminate the difference. But let me reiterate that this is not a big deal to me, and if you want to believe that the Book is the Word (even though you cannot Quote that) then i am fine with that

What has a 'human who has assumed a place of authority' have to do with it either.

well, how did you come to believe that the Book is the Word? Scripture did not teach you this, right. Some Guy did. Nice guy too, i'm sure, don't get me wrong. Had good intentions, etcetc. Quite probably a better person than me even, by many measures. i am not interested in judging the guy, but the info.

 

[bbyrd009]

And...there's nothing wrong with "starting out believing that the Bible is the Word"? Are you saying that, once you get along a bit, that it isn't? Because, there, my friend, we come up against a wall...hard. If you don't believe the Bible is the Word of God, what on earth are you following? Who on earth are you following? What on earth is the basis of your faith? And if you say all you have/know comes from the HS alone, please insert the biggest eye roll from me.

lol, i get you, ya. Word will never violate the Book, ok. But Book will never breathe the truth right onto your neck, either. I am a terrible example of a witness for Word though, but i have heard just enough that it makes me cringe when you say the Book is the Word, simply bc that means you cannot, by definition, be still seeking Word, or wondering what Word is, right.

so iow i am being codependent basically, pls don't take this as some kind of "placing you"
my guess is you have heard Word plenty of times, that whisper, and have just labelled It differently

 

[bbyrd009]

Mmmm. He's fairly left. And...well...as much as I normally don't have much quibbles against Catholic people in general, the Pope is someone I question. The mouthpiece of God? Please. If I pop on a bed sheet and find a throne, can I make that claim too? Where does he get that authority? There's nowhere in scripture, that I can see, that gives one particular man that authority. Jesus came to break down the wall that divided man and God. We don't need a mouthpiece...we have Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. To me, that makes the power and wealth the upper echelons the Catholic church demands just a little suspect.

well i am sure you have as much authority as he does, yes, but an important point is that not near as many ppl believe it, right. Fwiw i bet the pope would agree with all of this, at least on some level. My understanding is that he is a pretty humble guy.

 

[bbyrd009]

I'm a little tired today for some reason..stumbling over my words a bit...

I checked out/scanned the link you posted. I would be cautious in swallowing the entire article as the truth.

Just reading the concept of being anointed and applying it to Christ..
It says: "Christ or Messiah (same word but in Hebrew) was never meant to be used exclusively for Jesus (the word משיח, mashiah, occurs forty times in the Old Testament). A follower of Jesus is someone who operates according to the principle of being anointed, that is: having no earthly superior. "

Now what is wrong with these words? ".. operates according to the principle of being anointed..." + having no earthly superior. " The words do itch the ears don't they. It is a lie.

The article is using deceptive logic to equate a follower of Christ as being a type of Christ; well one can deduce this idea.

Are you a Messiah, anointed with a special service of God, like working for a King? Of course not. We are moved to do God's will and to grow fully into Christ. We are the bride of Christ. The article suggests we are much more... little Christs, or Messiah(s) running around.

Jesus is the Messiah for God, the only one, not just because he was set aside to complete the plan of salvation for mankind, he was also given the POWER of God in 'full' and given increasing authority that he possessed today....

I rest my case....

There's more in this article I disagree with .....

APAK

yes, it is not Gospel, but nonetheless we are told to pick up our crosses and follow also, so i find his pov compelling. Who are the Sons of God? See, it seems that when we go and look, there are suddenly "Sons," where in your perspective Scripture should only recognize one Son, right?

Bible Search: sons of god NT

 

[bbyrd009]

“Without any desire to treat lightly the opinions of others, we nevertheless feel it necessary to point out to all a few of the absurdities connected with the common view concerning Antichrist, that thereby the dignity and reasonableness of the truth on this subject may be properly estimated, in contrast with the narrow claim that all which the Scriptures predict concerning this character will be accomplished by someone literal man.

This man, it is claimed, will so charm the whole world that in a few short years he will secure to himself the homage and worship of all men, who will be so easily imposed upon as to suppose this man to be God, and, in a rebuilt Jewish temple, to worship him as the Almighty Jehovah. All this is to be done at lightning speed--three and a half years, say they, misinterpreting the symbolic time, even as they misinterpret the symbolic "man."

Tales of fiction and the most absurd imaginations of childhood furnish no parallel to the extreme views of some of God's dear children who are stumbling over a literal interpretation of Paul's language, and thereby blinding themselves and others to many precious truths, which, because of the error on this subject, they are unprepared to see in an unprejudiced light. No matter how much we may sympathize with them, their "blind faith" forces a smile as they seriously tell over the various symbols of Revelation which they do not understand, misapplying them literally to their wonderful man. In this, the most skeptical age the world has ever known, he will, they claim, in the short space of three and a half years, have the whole world at his feet, worshiping him as God, while the Caesars, Alexander, Napoleon, Mahomet and others sailed through bloody seas and spent many times three and a half years, without accomplishing the one thousandth part of what is claimed for this man.

And yet those conquerors had all the advantages of dense ignorance and superstition to aid them, while today we live under conditions most unfavorable to such a development of deceit and fraud: in a day when every hidden thing is being manifested as never before; in a day when fraud of the sort claimed is too preposterous and ridiculous for consideration. Indeed, the tendency of our day is toward a lack of respect for men, no matter how good, talented and able, or what offices of trust and authority they may occupy. To such an extent is this true, as never before, that it is a thousand times more likely that the whole world will deny that there is any God, than that they will ever worship a fellow human being as the Almighty God.”

ah, nice. linked from where? ty

 

[tabletalk]

You are correct it was my mistake

I fear in my haste to appease flesh I was untruthful to the Lord and his truth, I didn’t want you to be upset with me so in answering your reply I compromised the truth for the sake of peace, this was a mistake which has pricked my conscious all night and therefore I feel I must amend my last statement.

The children of light (those begotten of the truth), are to make no compromise when it comes to the truth, as it is written,

“The wisdom which comes from above is FIRST pure, THEN peaceable, gentle, willing to yield to reason (but not to error)…” James 3:17

NOT peace first, but purity first, truth first. God first, his will, his plan, his way. It is earthly wisdom, which suggest “peace at any cost”, which commands the conscience to be silent when others are promoting errors so that selfish peace may be promoted. We have not enlisted into the Lord’s army merely to be on the defensive to be used as a battering ring against the assaults of the Adversaries deceived servants, if so why are we admonished to wear armor? “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God…” (Eph 6:11)

Unfortunately even some of the Lord’s dear one who profess spirit begettal are being used by the Adversary to promote errors, chiefly the idea that in order to insure peace among the brethren there must be some compromises, some give and take with respects to our faith in order to insure peace, unity, NOT SO the Apostle was quite admit in his statement when he stated that the wisdom which comes from above (i.e. the truth) was first to be pure, truthful, unvarnished by worldly attempts to make it palatable to all, it was never intended for all (not presently) only for a specially called out class who would put the Lord first, his truth first before all others.

We are to love in this order, the Lord first, then the truth, then the brethren.

So then I was wrong to say that you were not a part of the Antichrist but merely deceived, if you are a member of the system which promotes the doctrines of men and of devils, the church nominal whether that be a member of the “Mother” system (the Catholic Church) or a member of one of the “daughter” systems (the Protestant branches of the church) you are a part of the Antichrist.

As for those not joined to any of the various orthodox churches (independent Christians), even yet if you still believe and or promote any of their erroneous doctrines you are a part of the system, the system of error, the Antichrist. As it is written your master is the one with whom you render service.

Now you say, ‘well if you’re not a member of one of the orthodox churches (the common or acceptable branches of Christendom) then you must be in a “cult”’. In your haste to accuse you left out one other option, the “true Church”, that is unless you don’t believe there is a true Church. Oblivious if the Lord considers both the Mother and the daughters (for she is not called the Mother of all harlots for no reason) to be a part of “Babylon the Great” then it’s for certain that none of these are the true church. The very fact that the Lord is calling his people (his true followers) to flee Babylon, to come out of “her” (Rev 18:4) confirms this.

The Antichrist, the Mother of Harlots, Babylon these are all titles given to the great system of error and deception devised by the Adversary to entrap the Lord’s people, the apostate church which the Lord has condemned, and implores his people to flee.

But one may ask, ‘Where shall we flee?’

“For wheresoever the carcass (the truth, the food) is found, there the eagles (the Lord’s true people, those keen of vision and appetite) will be gathered together (brought together by the mutual apprehension of the truth, as eagles are drawn to their food)” Matt 24:28

The truth is not to be found in Babylon, she has been cast off by the Lord, you will have to venture outside the realms of orthodoxy to find the truth and the Lord’s true people, the true Church has long since heeded the Lord’s call to come out of Babylon, all that remains of the Lord’s people in Babylon are “babes in Christ” malnourished and undeveloped Christians, starving for food (truth).

As for Babylon, “The light of a lamp (the Bible, the truth) shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom (the Lord) and bride (the true Church) shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants (the clergy, the religious leaders) were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery (deceptive errors) all the nations were deceived.” Rev 18:23

The implication of this scripture is rather straight forward it clearly states that the true Church (those near or fully grown) are no longer to be found in Babylon, and that the Lord’s voice (his word, the truth) is no longer heard there either, why? Because the light of the lamp has gone out. Therefore it is imperative that any of the Lord’s true people left there depart as soon as possible, because if they linger to long they will suffer the plagues coming upon Great Babylon.

You said: "...the Lord’s true people,..."
"...if you are a member of the system which promotes the doctrines of men and of devils, the church nominal whether that be a member of the “Mother” system (the Catholic Church) or a member of one of the “daughter” systems (the Protestant branches of the church) you are a part of the Antichrist."

Can someone who is 'a part of the Antichrist' (say a typical Protestant) be saved? Or maybe you think only you and the 'Lord's true people' can be saved?

 

[APAK]

yes, it is not Gospel, but nonetheless we are told to pick up our crosses and follow also, so i find his pov compelling. Who are the Sons of God? See, it seems that when we go and look, there are suddenly "Sons," where in your perspective Scripture should only recognize one Son, right?
telty
Bible Search: sons of god NT

Sons of God were/are heavenly beings such as angels....Jesus is the son of God made human with a human nature and for a completely different purpose in mind....as we know...gooday bbyrd009

APAK

 

[bbyrd009]

Sons of God were/are heavenly beings such as angels....Jesus is the son of God made human with a human nature and for a completely different purpose in mind....as we know...gooday bbyrd009

APAK

k then, manana
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus
for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God
For the Spirit himself giveth testimony to our spirit, that we are the sons of God
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in
he gave authority to become sons of God -- to those believing in his name
for ye are all sons of God through the faith in Christ Jesus
'Happy the peacemakers -- because they shall be called Sons of God

 

[amadeus]

Obviously you do require an explanation barring this post therefore I should like to explain. You quoted Eccl 12:12, I believe with the intent to substantiate your position that study is not the most important thing that as the text implies "to much studying is wearisome", this may be true to some extent, however as noted in the text I quoted some chose not to study at all and thus live in ignorance, after all ignorance is bliss isn't it?

If you took this as a personal attack upon yourself, I apologize that was not my intent at all.

Thank you for taking the time to explain yourself.

I still believe that study is NOT the most important thing. The most important thing is Love or Charity as per I Cor 13 for without it nothing else, including knowledge gained through the study of the scriptures, is worth anything at all.

As to ignorance being bliss, that is a statement that men have made, but I would go slow with applying it to people who in any measure strive to walk with God. Not every believer is the in depth Bible student that you may be, but how important is that to God? Do we suppose that God would bless good Bible students more than those who simply love Him with all that they have? Not everyone is various reasons is, or is even able, to be a good student.