What I hate

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Mr E

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Thought about your post this morning. A word that stood out while reading this morning was: adulterating the Word of God. I had never heard “adulterating” used in that way.

2 Corinthians 4:2 Lexicon: but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

Strong's Greek: 1389. δολόω (doloó) -- to ensnare, fig. to adulterate

properly, to lure (or snare) by using bait – holding out the worm and concealing the hook!; to handle deceitfully; "primarily, to ensnare; then to corrupt –

2. to corrupt, (βδελλιον and λίβανον, Dioscor. 1, 80. 81); τόν οἶνον, Lucian, Hermot. 59) τόν λόγον τοῦΘεοῦ, divine truth by mingling with it wrong notions, 2 Corinthians 4:2.

divine truth mingled with wrong notions. Thought of “wrong notions” with how often is the Word mingled with wrong notions; with your response of “almost always.” To me “wrong notions” make it so hard to trust yourself or anyone else who says “it is the God Honest Truth”! Afraid it is a worm held out concealing the hook…

Not only disguises, but sugar-coated. Sweet in the mouth, bitter in the stomach— but preferred. They want their ears tickled and their hearts undisturbed.
 

VictoryinJesus

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Not only disguises, but sugar-coated. Sweet in the mouth, bitter in the stomach— but preferred. They want their ears tickled and their hearts undisturbed.
For the sake of conversation @Mr E “a tickling of the ears” could also be bitter and not sweet in the sense of: a bitter spirit. What tickles the ears of a bitter spirit where it will heap teachers unto it; to have its desires met?

Bitter: (of people or their feelings or behavior) angry, hurt, or resentful because of one's bad experiences or a sense of unjust treatment.
Im thinking of the Pharisees. It isn’t always flowery-words that we want to tickle ours ears but it could be coming destruction upon others that tickles our ears. Especially if we are bitter. For example “I can’t wait till they get what is coming to them.” In thinking about what tickles the ears of mankind, is it peace, mercy, or truth? Or do we drool after a cover up and revenge? The verse pertaining to the tickling of the ears…I don’t really see where it speaks of a desire for tenderness is what tickles the ears …but instead “a tickling of the ears” after our own desires, after our own lusts. That could be for bloodshed. What gets men (mankind)excited? What is the desire most often sought after? …is it weakness and tenderness and softness that perks up the ears? Or authority, power, war and vengeance? Could those things be the topic of “heaping teachers together unto themselves” that study on destruction?

Just questions. To me 2 Timothy 4:3 doesn’t really say what is the tickling except that they (heaping teachers unto themselves); they want their own desires. But I have to ask, what is more commonly desired? What is more commonly panted after? Because there are some things no man wants but is instead cast out as not sought after nor desired. “Spit on that. That looks poor. That looks weak. That looks unattractive.” Which to me goes back to: mingled with wrong notions.
 
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Adventageous

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How it is ok for them …for instance “you must eat my flesh and drink my blood” to then be “Spiritual”.
Read the context:

1.John 1:19-25 (John the Baptist as Elijah)
2.John 2:19-22 (Temple of His body)
3.John 3:1-21 (Nicodemus, Born Again)
4.John 4:7-15 (Woman a the Well, Water)
5.John 4:31-34 (Meat to Eat, Water to Drink)
6.John 5:6-7 (Will you be made whole, Pool)
7.John 6:50-52 (Eat my Flesh, Word)
8.John 7:38-39 (Water out of the belly, Spirit)
9.Matthew 16:5-12 (Leaven, Bread)
10. Luke 22:36 (no sword, sell garment, buy one)

The disciples, and Jews, constantly misunderstood Jesus' spiritual words for physical or natural things.
 
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VictoryinJesus

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Read the context:

1.John 1:19-25 (John the Baptist as Elijah)
2.John 2:19-22 (Temple of His body)
3.John 3:1-21 (Nicodemus, Born Again)
4.John 4:7-15 (Woman a the Well, Water)
5.John 4:31-34 (Meat to Eat, Water to Drink)
6.John 5:6-7 (Will you be made whole, Pool)
7.John 6:50-52 (Eat my Flesh, Word)
8.John 7:38-39 (Water out of the belly, Spirit)
9.Matthew 16:5-12 (Leaven, Bread)
10. Luke 22:36 (no sword, sell garment, buy one)

The disciples, and Jews, constantly misunderstood Jesus' spiritual words for physical or natural things.
Thank you for the references. You said “The disciples, and Jews, constantly misunderstood Jesus' spiritual words for physical or natural things.”
Agree. Still the same question though. How often do we (also) misunderstand Jesus’ spiritual words for physical or natural things?
 

Adventageous

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Thank you for the references. You said “The disciples, and Jews, constantly misunderstood Jesus' spiritual words for physical or natural things.”
Agree. Still the same question though. How often do we (also) misunderstand Jesus’ spiritual words for physical or natural things?
For many Christians, it is a lot. For instance, see Revelation, which is hyper-literalized. There are Christians that actually think that 'locusts' with the description given in Revelation 9, are actually going to come out of the earth looking like that description. They think that the two witnesses of Revelation 11 are human beings, and so on.
 
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VictoryinJesus

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For many Christians, it is a lot. For instance, see Revelation, which is hyper-literalized. There are Christians that actually think that 'locusts' with the description given in Revelation 9, are actually going to come out of the earth looking like that description. They think that the two witnesses of Revelation 11 are human beings, and so on.
I get what you mean. that was why I originally posted the OP. Not to debate locusts or the two witnesses. But I was asking how and who decides for instance the two witnesses will for so many days wear sackcloth. If it is taken literally (two men), then the days are also (taken literally) then it would also be taken literally their “wearing” of “sackcloth”. For me “wearing sackcloth” is more significant than a type of clothing (literally worn) but speaks of “to mourn”. I don’t understand how we can take a verse and make one part of it literal, the next words Spiritual, and then the next literal again. Picking and choosing wherever; sometimes in the same verse.

The same with: you must eat my flesh and drink my blood. If it is literal then also is literal “they became offended” and “all left and went away from Him”. If it is Spiritual then what is “they became offended” and “they all left Him.” The literal stood only for those men right then when Jesus said those words “they will become offended at Me”. Those who heard were offended and went away. But the second…you must eat my flesh and drink my blood; they all became offended and left, walked away from Him…transcends time (in my opinion) to how many become offended and hate their brothers. Or many become offended when they hear and leave or walk away from Him. Does that make sense….literal being only spoken of those men right them. spiritual speaking of all men throughout to even today whose ears are not tickled by what is heard; but instead they become offended in Him. Wanting teachers who tickle their ears…which He didn’t. he doesn’t. Most often they didn’t like what He said (or says) but instead walked (or walks) away offended. Paul spoke also of those returning to the world. I get that I’m struggling to make a point …to clarify: for me the significance of their becoming offended at His words and their leaving and walking away …was prophetic to something that would continue beyond the literal of just those men (only) right then. But a perpetual (of men) turning away from and leaving Him. Big difference (Imo) than “literal” which stops right there cold with the crowd of men (only) He spoke those words to.

Then when He turned to His disciples “will you go away also?” With the admired response of theirs “Nay, where would we go? You have the Word of Life”….skip over to where Jesus Christ told them “You all will become offended of Me” “this night”; (right before He was seized to be taken and crucified)…you all will go away and scatter, leaving and I will be left Alone, but I am not Alone because the Father is with me.”
 
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