Bible Study Seattle

Going through the famous art galleries of Europe one notices a curiosity: many sculptures and paintings with female breasts and male privates but none of female privates. The occult idol Baphomet comes to mind – a human figure with a goat head, horns, and a pentagram and female breasts and male privates. Someone could argue that artists considered it unseemly to detail female genitalia, but wouldn’t this also be true of male genitalia? Is this art a nod to occult religion? Also, why are all the babies male? There are plenty of paintings of female figures with male babies, but none with female babies. Why?

The Tabernacle and Temple faced East.

“Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east.” Ezekiel 47:1

“Then He brought me into the inner courtyard of the Lord’s house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the Lord while their faces were toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun.” Ezekiel 8:16

“Then He brought me into the inner courtyard of the Lord’s house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the Lord while their faces were toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun.” Exodus 26:22

Yet all the Cathedrals of the world face west. Isn’t that interesting? Are they worshiping a different God?

Will Satan come disguised as Jesus? Wouldn’t that be the ultimate con? Then he could build up Israel and invite all Jews and God fearing people to Israel. Then, at just the right time when they least expect . . . he turns on them! Kind of like a whodunit where the nicest guy you’d never suspect is the killer. Then while his armies are slaughtering the faithful the REAL Messiah comes down from the clouds to avenge his people.

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.  No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

“And in the latter period of their dominion,
When the wrongdoers have run their course,
A king will arise,
Insolent and skilled in intrigue.
And his power will be mighty, but not by his own power,
And he will destroy to an extraordinary degree
And be successful and do as he pleases;
He will destroy mighty men and the holy people.
And through his shrewdness
He will make deceit a success by his influence;
And he will make himself great in his own mind,
And he will destroy many while they are at ease.
He will even oppose the Prince of princes,
But he will be broken without human agency.
And the vision of the evenings and mornings
Which has been told is true;
But as for you, keep the vision secret,
Because it pertains to many days in the future.” Daniel 8:23-26

“Who is the liar except the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.” 1 John 2:22

Martin Luther, John Huss, John Wycliffe, and other reformers saw the papacy as the antichrist. Thus it was a system that opposed Christ down through the years. This makes sense because Satan is the greatest antichrist of them all. No single pope or man could do as much damage as an entire system. But there obviously will come a time around Armageddon when there will be a leader of the evil people who desire to kill the faithful.

“For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be taken, the houses plundered, the women raped, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be eliminated from the city.  Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.” Zechariah 14:2-3

Will a pope lead the nations against Israel? Will that person be possessed by Satan? Will Satan have a miraculous human incarnation? Will he do miracles?

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.  Behold, I have told you in advance.” Matthew 24:24-25

“Then that lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will eliminate with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not accept the love of the truth so as to be saved.  For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8-11

“Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.” Luke 3:1-2

Some seek to cloud Luke’s dating by claiming he was dating from the coregency of Tiberius and his father Augustus late in Augustus’ reign. But by the easiest and plainest understanding Luke counts from Tiberius’ full reign starting at Augustus’ death September 17th 14 AD. His fifteenth year is thus September 18th 28 AD to September 17th 29 AD. John the Baptist started his public ministry in the Spring of 29 AD and Jesus started his six months later in the Fall of 29 AD. Since Jesus started his ministry at 30 years of age, his birth was in the Fall of 2 BC, or 1.25 years before the zero point. The Fall of 29 AD is roughly 28.75 years after the zero point. (There is no zero year, merely a point). Jesus’ crucifixion was 3.5 years after the Fall of 29 AD or Spring of 33 AD. This was 32.25 years after the zero point.

Since Jesus was sinless, would he have lived forever if he didn’t die on the cross? The short answer is … no. Although he was sinless, he was in a sinful world and didn’t have access to the trees of life. This of course didn’t matter because God’s will was for him to die on a cross. Adam & Eve likewise would have died without the trees of life even in their sinless, pre-fall state.

“Out of the ground the Lord God caused every tree to grow that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Genesis 2:9

“And by the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.” Ezekiel 47:12

Many apparent bible contradictions can be solved by adding the element of time.

“but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” 2 Timothy 1:10

If Jesus abolished death at the cross why are people still dying?

“The last enemy that will be abolished is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:26

So we see that death may have been destroyed at the cross but its elimination will be delayed till the end.

Is something else necessary to the elimination of death? Are there smaller sacrifices needed in addition to Jesus’ foundational sacrifice? That does seem to be the case as patterned in the Temple sacrifices.

“you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Peter 2:5

Is Jesus immortal?

“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.” John 5:26

“but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:” 2 Timothy 1:10

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-53

“No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” John 10:18

Do these scriptures answer yes? What about these:

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17

“I direct you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without fault or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:13-16

Do these scriptures answer no? If we seek to harmonize the most contradictory scriptures (John 5:26 and 1 Timothy 6:16) the only solution is time. 1 Timothy 6:16 declares that only God the Father is immortal and was written after Jesus rose back to the Father in heaven. Therefore, at that time he was not immortal. But it is possible that at some future point God will confer immortality to Jesus and his followers (John 5:26 & 1 Corinthians 15:51-53). Time will tell!

2,000 years ago it was a dangerous thing to say that Jesus is Lord. Caesar was Lord and that was official policy. It is a difference similar to worshipping the creation not the creator. Many even in the church today make the same mistake. Pantheism is a useful tool for Satan. The extremes of the environmental and climate change movements are the same. They are excuses to give Caesar (the government) more power. We are not to worship Caesar. Those that want government to solve everything (including conservatives) will always be disappointed. Jesus really is Lord even if we don’t see him. “And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?  And he answered, Fear not; for they that are with us are more than they that are with them.  And Elisha prayed, and said, Jehovah, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:15-17

“If He were to pass by me, I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.” Job 9:11

“Behold, I go forward but He is not there,
And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
When He acts on the left, I cannot see Him;
He turns to the right, but I cannot see Him.
But He knows the way I take;” Job 23:8-10

“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and people will not see his shame.” Revelation 16:15