Bible Study Seattle

Ephesians 5:21 is a very popular marriage verse to many.
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Since comments about wives follow, it is assumed that this is talking about marriage. But does this make sense? The husband submits to the wife? Could we also say Christ should submit to the church? No way! If the husband submits to the wife, then he does not have to lead her. Have you ever seen a ship with two captains? It doesn’t work very well! A better rendition of Ephesians 5:21-22 is:

“[Church members] Submit to each other out of reverence for Christ, and wives [do likewise] unto your husbands as unto the Lord.”

Jesus gave the example of washing each others’ feet. I would argue that the church should serve each other when necessary; they are actually only to submit to Christ. The mutual submission fallacy is one of those teachings that our itching ears want to hear. It is an improper reading of scripture. For a more thorough discussion: http://www.wordsofhealing.org/2000/12/is_mutual_submission_biblical/

“Then Martha said to Jesus: ‘Lord, if you had just been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. And yet, now I know that whatever you ask of God, He’ll give to you.’
And Jesus told her: ‘Your brother will stand again!’
Then Martha said: ‘I know that he’ll stand again in the resurrection on the Last Day.’
But Jesus said to her: ‘I am the resurrection and the life; so, whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live. And all the living who believe in me won’t remain dead through the age. Do you believe this?’
And she answered: ‘Yes Lord; I have believed that you’re the Anointed One, the Son of God, and the one who was to come into the world.'” John 11:21-27

This is from 2001translation.com. Notice it says believers will not remain dead through the age. They will live through the Millennium and beyond it. Jesus is promising Martha a resurrection after she dies.

“And the Judeans replied: ‘We aren’t stoning you for good deeds, but for blasphemy! Why, although you’re just a man, you’re making yourself a god!’
Then Jesus asked: ‘Isn’t it written in your Law, I say that you are gods? So if He called those who were spoken against in God’s Word, gods (and you can’t void the Scriptures); how can you tell me (one who was made holy and sent into the world by the Father) that I blaspheme because I say that I’m God’s Son?
‘If I’m not doing my Father Will, don’t believe me. But if I am… why, even if you don’t believe me, believe in what I’m doing! Then you will come to know (and keep knowing) that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.'” John 10:33-38

Later on, Jesus prays that the disciples would be one as Jesus and the Father are one. Clearly, one in purpose, not person. The bible speaks of the one God, but also other gods, or mighty ones. These even include angels.

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”
The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”
I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?”
He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
“From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.
“As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.” Daniel 12

This passage covers a longer period of time than most people realize. A time, times, and half a time is three and a half prophetic years or 1260 days. It’s also 1260 years. There are multiple fulfillments to this. The first started with the ten tribes destroyed by Assyria in 722BC. 1260 years later Papacy gets involved with civil affairs using military force to put down the nontrinitarian Arians at Ravenna in 539AD. 1260 years later, the pope loses much power at the hands of Napoleon in 1799AD. 1335 years after 539AD is 1874AD, which is exactly 6,000 years after the fall of Adam. There’s also a period of 1260 years from Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Palestine in 603BC to 658AD when Sunni Muslims dominate civil power in Palestine. From there, 1260 years lead to 1918AD when the Turkish resistance collapses and Islamic Arabs are no longer in total control of Palestine. 1290 years from 658AD is 1948, the start of the war for independence where Israel becomes a modern nation. 1335 years from 658 is 1993, when Israel and the PLO sign the Declaration of principles on interim self government and the Vatican officially recognizes Israel. The 2300 years of Daniel has a couple fulfillments. The lesser known is from May 334BC when Alexander the Great attacked and overthrew Persia. 2300 years later is 1967 when Jerusalem was restored to Israel. These insights are courtesy of Paul Mezera.

“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:39-43

“Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.

After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.

When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”

“We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”

Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”

“This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”

When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

“This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”

Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand— but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.” Genesis 40:1-22

Just as there were two criminals beside Jesus, there were two criminals beside Joseph. In both cases, one was punished, and one was rewarded.

The other day I noticed a rash on my daughter’s arm. I asked my wife what it was. She said she didn’t know. As it turns out, she was lying. She got her a shot without telling me. Four years ago the same thing happened. Abby’s personality instantly changed, she had a huge rash all down her leg, and she developed serious constipation. My wife told me then that she was sorry and she wouldn’t lie to me again. NOT! Evidently she feels that her daughter’s health is more important than her marriage. She told me she had to go behind my back because she “feels I can’t have a conversation with you about it.” Maybe… except that for six years I’ve been trying to get her to read both sides of the debate. She won’t. She barely listens to me, and she won’t read any of the several books I have or DVDs. She’s not honest. She reasons: if 97% of the population is doing something, how could it be bad?

Yet, Jesus says enter through the narrow door – be in the minority. For broad and wide is the gate that leads to destruction.

I have had several discussions with the pediatrician. She keeps telling me she’s going to show me studies proving the efficacy of vaccines. She never does. I can out debate her every time. Isn’t that sad? I do not have an MD.

So now that my wife has proven to be an obstinate lier who only wants to follow the crowd, what am I to do? I pray for judgment. For God wants everyone to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Joseph’s handling of his brothers is instructive. He met their basic needs during the famine. Yet he put Simeon in prison. Why? Because Simeon was probably the one to treat Joseph the worst as they left him for dead in the pit. What goes around comes around! It appeared that Joseph was being harsh on Simeon, and he was. Yet he still fed him. It was not until the brothers were completely undone and repentant that Joseph revealed himself. So it will be with my wife. Fake apologies are worthless. Actions speak louder than words. She will be shown the results of her actions, perhaps In the second life. She will be given all the self awareness she may currently lack. And God will be as hard and unrelenting as he needs to be to hammer home the truth, while not destroying her spirit. Notice how God rebuked Job. He was very stern yet always edifying.

Health Condition Prevalence in Vaccinated Children Prevalence in Unvaccinated Children
Allergies 36.71% 11.25%
Asthma 14.23% 2.26%
Hay fever 17.86% of German children 3%
Neurodermatitis (an autoimmune disorder) 23.9% 7.5%
Attention deficit disorder (ADD) 14.94% 1.28%
Middle ear infections 20.84% 7.5%
Sinusitis 12.14% 2.5%
Autism 7.43% 0.49%

A great biblical discussion:
http://www.tetrahedron.org/articles/vaccine_awareness/Vaccination_UnGodly_Practice.html