Group wall: Biblical Discussions§↻

Anyone ever heard of the Berean Standard Bible? This seems like an interesting idea, and they added it to the public domain so you can pretty much use it anywhere you want for free. It is intended for easy memorization as well. Some verses that I'm looking at are easier than the ESV for sure. Thoughts?

I can ask the Holy Ghost

Here are some general areas of study that can probably answer the question for you.

Romans 14-15: How we can disagree with others but still maintain unity

Matthew 5-7: How we treat friends and enemies

1 Corinthians 13: What true love looks like

Luke 10: Defining who our neighbor is and how we treat them

Romans 2: The danger in judging others when we make the same mistakes

John 16: It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict people of sin

Read these sections and ask the Holy Spirit how to guide you in this relationship. He won't let you down.

amen, amen/ but that example part cut like a sword I am working on being consistent

I'd take a look at Hebrews 10:24, "And let us consider how to stir one another up to good works." This could refer to the '"good" peer pressure you are thinking of. Christian friends should encourage one another to present their members as instruments of righteousness unto God, not instruments of unrighteousness unto sin (Romans 6:13). As the friendship gets closer, your love for God and others should grow as well. If it does not, then something is wrong. This "good" peer pressure cannot be in word only, but you must exemplify good works in what you do. Paul told Timothy to, "Be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, [and] in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). As you look into the Bible, communicate what you find in the Scriptures with your friend and seek to live out the truths together. Just my thoughts!

okay, in love one another as Jesus has loved us, shouldn't we encourage our in loving way ''friends'' to do the right things like Jesus did? cus wouldn't it be more of a enemy to not encourage someone you call a friend to do the right thing🫠

https://learnscripture.net/verse-set/love-one-another/

any with " love one another" "encourage one another" build each other up" You can search when you make a verse set

Anybody else/ asking because I have been thinking and praying about some things🙃 and really could use some guidance from the word of JESUS involving a friendship of mine🙏😀

Aoutocorrect *mmmmm mmmmm mmmm

Mommy mmmm mmm.

I don’t know any verses

yall know some verses on positive peer pressure/ and what standards for a GOOD Christian friendship should be?

Thank you for the clarification. I completely understand your place in Rev. It is a very difficult book to think about. Very interesting idea in the asteroid.
I do agree with you on the topic of how serving God should be changed when it comes to this. I have been working on it myself. Again, thank you for what you do.
Jappel

Hi Jappel,
I noticed your comment about me, so I thought I'd respond as it might be helpful.
I had for many years been afraid of reading and discussing Revelation because the events described are scary, and also it's hard to be sure of the meaning of many things.
The time of the Lord's return is not something I have mentioned, or predicted.
I wouldn't even speculate on when that might occur.

The things I said about the asteroid are in response to a question about whether the events in Revelation are literal or figurative, and in the future or the past.
I find it very interesting that a large asteroid is predicted by scientists to come close to earth or possibly hit the earth in 2029 or 2036.
Also, Revelation's mention of a burning mountain being cast into the sea sounds like it would match this.

If the asteroid could be the fulfilment of this, how might this affect us today?
If we knew that we only had 6 years left, might we use our time more efficiently to serve the Lord?

I'm only asking these questions in the hope that they might motivate someone to serve the Lord sooner rather than later and not be complacent.

TTYL

Well, I have to go. Bye

Yup.

Wow.

I got adopted.

I have no siblings so I don’t know how that feels.

Just fine. Growing up.

How is ur sis?

Thanks! I will pray for u to! 🙏

Well, I am not in college yet. Will be going this fall. Sorry to here about your grandpa. Will be praying.

How has it been in college? Meet any friends?

Lol, no it’s fine to say that. My grandpa has been in the hospital now for the 3 time this month and is getting surgery today.

Well, when College is about half a year away, family issues, work, Life gets chaotic. Is it wrong for me to say I am glad I am not the only one? ;)

I know that this year has been hard on many people including myself and friends.

Well it’s nice to talk to u again.

I know I haven't been very talkative lately, but I feel that I should point out something in Saintman's chat. Do I believe that our time is getting short. Duh. It's been getting shorter since Jesus ascended to Heaven. Will it be soon. Would not surprise me one bit. But I would be careful with putting a relative date out there. The Bible does say that no man knoweth the time of the return. -Jappel's Paraphrase Version. So I would be careful of putting a year out there. Even though there are usually 365 days in it. That's just my two pence on this.
Have been reading the through the past several chats and it seems to be a very deep and interesting subject. :)

This is a thought I have never thought about!!!

……..

My impression is that most of the events described in Revelation are going to occur in the future, but perhaps sooner than we would like, as I mentioned for the mark of the beast.

Here is another one to think about.
In Revelation 8:8 it talks about a burning mountain being cast into the sea.
Could this be an asteroid?
There is a Christian man who believes it is and that it will hit the earth in 2029.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEgzqq9YMLU

If it doesn't hit us in 2029, it might in 2036.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqjUAB0TwJU

So we might have less time left than we thought and we should use what time we do have to serve the Lord!

I agree, it seems to me that Revelation is kind of a mixed bag. Some of it is simply spiritual, other parts are speaking of the past, while others are prophesying future events that haven't yet happened.

I've been on the futurist side ever since I've known about Revelation, but nowadays it has left a bitter taste in my mouth. There are so many "newspaper futurists" these days, those who try to correlate events in Revelation with things that are happening around us. It seems like these kinds of people always have their noses in the news, rather than the Word of God. Many preachers seem to talk more about current events in their sermons rather than Christ! I cannot blame this problem on the Word of God, but I feel that our interpretation of Revelation has been part of it.

To your question. Both! I believe the correct interpretation is that these letters were made for ancient churches, but we can make a wide variety of applications from that fact. I've been studying the seven churches recently, and it's amazing how many political, spiritual, and cultural facts are in the text. We have spent centuries trying to pick apart the seven letters because we did not live in those ancient times. I'm sure the churches would have understood the small nuances right away! If it was only meant for us, why would Christ mention the Nicolaitans or Antipas the martyr, both of which we know so little about? Are Paul's letters relevant for us today, or were they directed to ancient churches that no longer exist? Well, both! As in the case of the young lady, God uses writings that weren't even directed at us to teach, correct, and exhort us to become more like His Son. It truly is incredible!

I would say none of those are entirely correct.
If you spend time thinking about each event, place and character, you can determine whether these are literal, symbolic, past, present or future.

For example, I've been thinking about Babylon which is mentioned many times.
Most commentaries fall into the trap of describing ancient Babylon with all it's historical details.
However Rev 18:24 is a huge clue that it's not a physical place. Because all the saints and prophets were not slain in ancient Babylon.
I would suggest it's a spiritual place that is connected to events taking place on earth. (like a parallel dimension)
In the same way that in Ephesians 2:6, we are seated in the heavenly realms, but physically we are present on earth.
I have not read this in any commentary or in any theological book, but to me it's the only way to make sense of everything said about Babylon in Revelation.

Also, there has never been a "mark of the beast" required to buy and sell as in Revelation 13:17, so I would say that's a future, literal event.
We are heading towards a cashless worldwide economy with microchip transactions, so that seems more likely than ever to be possible, and may be sooner than we expect. Look up the Aadhar Digital ID in India, which is government issued biometric IDs.

I think the biggest danger of the Preterist position is being lulled into a sense of false security, that the dramatic events of Revelation are all in the past, and the future is rosy.
This results in Christians being unprepared for the trouble and persecution that's going to come.

There are many problems with the idealist position. If you think the mark of the beast is just some abstract symbol, you might be willing to get a microchip in your hand or forehead to buy food.
The consequences of accepting the mark of the beast are severe, so I think we would be wise to take it literally and refuse to get microchipped.

Here is a question to consider:
Do you think the first three chapters of Revelation are relevant to us as believers today? Or are these chapters directed to ancient churches that no longer exist?
I saw a testimony of a young lady on youtube, and she prayed to the Lord asking Him which church she is in.
The Lord answered by giving her a dream in which she met someone who told her she was in Philadelphia.
I find that fascinating, as it shows these chapters are totally relevant to us today, not past or future, and not literal, but spiritual.

Hi everyone!

I wonder, what is your understanding of the correct view of the book of Revelation? Preterist? Historicist? Idealist? Futurist? None of these? Somewhere in between?

I'm trying to figure it out myself and I'm curious what you all think!

There is always a tendency for our natural minds to try to boil down a complex problem into the most simple answer, because that's the way we have been taught to think.
But when trying to understand God and his nature, trying to apply this method doesn't work.
For example, the Oneness doctrine fails in many situations in the Bible,
eg. When Jesus was praying to the Father, especially in the Garden of Gethsemane.
If Jesus was the same person as the Father, why would there be a tension in their wills?
"Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."
(Luke 22:42)

Also, the persons of the Trinity don't share all their knowledge.
Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

Or if you consider the point of time when Jesus was a newborn baby, who was in charge of the angels and the running of the universe?
It was God the Father in heaven.
Jesus, as God the Son, had taken on a role of messiah, which involved giving up much of the power He had prior to his incarnation.
Jesus became a vulnerable human being who needed the care of a mother and could be killed.
In doing so, God the Son became human and experienced what it's like to be weak and tempted. (eg. in the wilderness)
But as God the Son, Jesus was in subordination to the Father and was an obedient servant, doing the Father's will and ultimately being crucified as the plan of salvation required.

The first three verses of Hebrews explains much about the fundamental nature of God.

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

Hebrews 1:3 describes the Son as the "express image of his person".

Jesus Christ was God in the flesh and demonstrated God's perfect nature.
Jesus demonstrated God's love in an immediate way to those He healed, taught and fed, and ultimately by suffering and dying for us.
Jesus demonstrated God's perfect nature by never sinning.
Jesus Christ is God, but He is also a unique person.

I'm sure it will be far easier to understand when we are with him in the future.
The Bible is God's Word and is our best source of information to understand God's nature.
And there are hundreds of verses describing God and his nature as the Trinity.
This points to the complexity of God's nature, and that it's not a simple concept.

Muslims have much difficulty with this, and reject the Trinity. I think they have trouble because the Koran presents God as being very simple, and that concept of God is what they have been taught their whole lives.

Jehovah's Witnesses also reject the Trinity and they have created their own Bible to exclude or distort the verses which support Jesus as God the Son.
John 1:1 is probably the best example of this.

I am leaning towards the doctrine of oneness and that God and Jesus are the same person, and that God or Jesus can be the father, son and, holy spirit/ Like a guy can be a brother father and uncle

and Jesus even says, I and my father are one