1 corinthians 15 | Paul the Poke

Archive for 1 corinthians 15

Resurrection: The Atheist Always Demanding Proof

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gospel, Prophecy, Resurrection, Spring Feasts with tags 1 corinthians 15, 1 John, A Treatise on the Law of Evidence, Apostle Paul, apostles, atheist, Cleopas, First Fruits, James, jerusalem, Jesus Christ, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Passover, Simon Greenleaf on April 16, 2022 by paulthepoke

The atheist, always wanting proof. The arguments are all the same. The Bible does not count as evidence so they say. Jesus is imaginary. The Bible is a fairy tale and just a book of stories. Religion is for the weak minded. Insert next cliché here…

You all spend a lot of time on “imaginary things” as you see it.

The atheist claims to have read the Bible. They usually studied the Bible at a liberal university and read it cover to cover of course. They took a class under a liberal, tenured professor. And they were brainwashed and told what to think.

Here is my challenge to the atheist. Sit down by yourself. Read. Comprehend… and think. Stop regurgitating what somebody told you. Be an independent thinker. Stop acting like the collective Borg.

As an introductory to Jesus, I recommend the book of 1 John. This will not take more than 10 minutes.

So you want proof…

Eye Witness Accounts

1 Corinthians 15:6-8 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

In the passage above, there are 512 plus eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

John 20:11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb;

Luke 24:10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.

Salome is included with this group in Mark 16:1 for a total of at least 4 women.

Luke 24:13-15 And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them.

Cleopas and friend are two other witnesses.

Matthew 27:54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

And to close out the list, a Roman atheist and his fellow guards. Seeing was believing for these boys.

But Jesus was not the only person resurrected. He was the first but there were others.

Matthew 27:52-53 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

The events took place during Passover. Jews were required per Mosaic Law to come to Jerusalem for the holiday. Tens of thousands of people would have been in the city visiting in addition to the population.

The evidence provided in Scripture would stand in a court of law. Harvard Law Professor Simon Greenleaf wrote A Treatise on the Law of Evidence. The document is viewed as “the greatest single authority in the entire literature of legal procedure.” The United States judicial system functions on the rules of evidence established by Greenleaf.

Professor Greenleaf, an atheist, took up the issue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The facts changed his mind.

Professor Greenleaf’s legal standard of proof is not the issue. The case for the resurrection of Jesus is legally tight. Who cares if the facts stand in a man-made court of law??? The issue is this…

DO YOU BELIEVE THE RECORD?

Your eternal destination is in the balance.

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

Leave a comment »

How Do You See? -Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags 1 corinthians 15, believer, Eternal Life, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, John 6 on January 17, 2021 by paulthepoke

Believers in Christ have access to both the old and new natures. The old nature is blind and deaf. It sees darkly and its outpouring is negativity, sin, and death.

The new nature walks in the Spirit, in the light; it operates in glory. It sees light and its outpouring is everlasting life and words of reconciliation, which are words that restore people to the Father in Christ; they are words that restore us to glory.

1 Corinthians 15:45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

John 6:33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

The new nature is a life-giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45) and the words it speaks are Spirit and life (John 6:33). It is optimistic, confident, and courageous. It can see the way past a problem to the other side where it overcomes, where the glory of the Father is released through our words and works that match the Holy Spirit’s, turning every negative condition into light. This happens through speaking the promises of God that we received revelation on. These words cut with precision in a spiritual “laser light surgery” that refuses the evil and chooses the good, separating the precious from the vile, and bringing glory to the Father through a manifested work by His Word that came to pass.

“But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Wake up O sleeper, arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:13-14)

“Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.” (Isaiah 7:15)

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

“Therefore thus says the LORD: “If you return, Then I will bring you back; You shall stand before Me; If you take out (separate) the precious from the vile, You shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you, But you must not return to them.” (Jeremiah 15:19)

Leave a comment »

Rapture: Be Careful What You Wish

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Culture, Prophecy, Rapture, Trend Update with tags 1 corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4, death, Jesus Christ, President Donald Trump, Resurrection, sin on August 14, 2020 by paulthepoke

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

There has been a rapture cartoon circulating social media for the past few months. Essentially, people politically opposed to President Donald Trump are yearning for the rapture. See the text below.

Something for those folks to consider… You may live to see the day. However, things will not turn out as you think.

The issue is not “IF”. The concern should be “WHEN”.

1 Corinthians 15:51-57 Behold! I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Leave a comment »

Dear Bride of Christ: Resurrection… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Resurrection, Rodna Epley with tags 1 corinthians 15, Bride of Christ, church, Jesus Christ, John 11 on March 11, 2020 by paulthepoke

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live (Resurrection Christian—he dies and lives again). And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die (Living Christian—he lives and never dies). Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26

Are you a Resurrection Christian who dies and lives again? Or are you a living Christian who lives and never dies?

“Behold, I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.
O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?” – 1 Corinthians 15:51-55

We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.
∞∞∞
All those who are in Christ are in the activated state of the Father’s glory. That’s what “in Christ” means. From this perfect position in the Father, who is the perfect one in us, the Bride is also made perfect. She is transformed (transfigured) into the image of the glory of her Lord Jesus Christ. All of these images (and more) throughout the Bible are the same thing—the activated state of the Father’s glory:

In Christ
• Put on Christ
• Put on the armor of light
• Put on the robe of righteousness
• Put on the garment of praise
• Put on the wedding garment
• Put on the coat of many colors
• Put on immortality

Expect the activated state of the Father’s glory in you and on you because Jesus restored us to the Father in Himself NOW… not some day after we die.

Christ is in us—the hope of glory. We all believe that. But how many people know we also must step into Christ—where He is our Lord of glory? We do that simply by knowing Jesus went to be with the Father. We now have access to greater works. Christ (the activated state of the Father’s glory) is in us and we are in Christ. We have the “shine on”! We are the light of the world as Jesus said we are. From the position of the Father we have access to “greater works”. Our minds are transformed from this position.

Without knowing this we don’t grow very quickly at all. We still act like the world because we aren’t connected to the transforming power of Christ which puts to death the old nature and brings to life the new.

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” – John 3:8

Well whoever is born of the Spirit DOES know where the wind comes from and where it’s going. It comes from the Father of glory and it goes back to the Father of glory! So does everyone born of the Spirit!

Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” – John 10:9

In and out of what? In and out of the Father’s Presence as we release His glory in the earth realm through our words and works we say and do that match the Father’s! Technically we speak and do what the Holy Spirit says and does, because the Holy Spirit declares to us all that Jesus has and all that Jesus has is everything the Father has, because the Father gave everything He has (which is Himself and all things possible, including the resurrection and the life) to Jesus, the Son of His love. But the Father loves us in the very same way He loves Jesus (John 17:23). Now we’re all sons of His love, and “it’s time to wake up” and “shine”!

Blessings to you Bride of Christ. Come out of darkness and into His glorious light…the Father and Jesus love you as ONE and there is absolutely no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

(“It’s Time to Wake Up” is a prophetic command phrase given to Larry Thompson by the Holy Spirit to wake up the body of Christ. I borrowed it. The Holy Spirit gave me the command “Shine!” along with a vision that prompted this writing.)

Leave a comment »

Atheists and Their Death Bed… Phil Kulis

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Culture, Hell, Phil Kulis with tags 1 corinthians 15, atheism, atheists, God, Gospel, Heaven on May 29, 2019 by paulthepoke

When men feel that the day of their death is far off, they find it easy to adamantly maintain that there is no God. They may indulge in all kinds of sophistry in order to promote their unbelief. But its very interesting to know what some famous skeptics have said on their deathbed, just before dying.

Caesar Borgia: “While I lived, I provided for everything but death; now I must die, and am unprepared to die.”

Thomas Hobbs, political philosopher: “I say again, if I had the whole world at my disposal, I would give it to live one day. I am about to take a leap into the dark.”

Thomas Payne, the leading atheistic writer in American colonies: “Stay with me, for God’s sake; I cannot bear to be left alone, O Lord, help me! O God, what have I done to suffer so much? What will become of me hereafter? I would give worlds if I had them, that The Age of Reason had never been published. 0 Lord, help me! Christ, help me! …No, don’t leave; stay with me! Send even a child to stay with me; for I am on the edge of Hell here alone. If ever the Devil had an agent, I have been that one.”

Sir Thomas Scott, Chancellor of England: “Until this moment I thought there was neither a God nor a hell. Now I know and feel that there are both, and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of the Almighty.”

Voltaire, famous anti-christian atheist: “I am abandoned by God and man; I will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six months’ life.” (He said this to Dr. Fochin, who told him it could not be done.) “Then I shall die and go to hell!” (His nurse said: “For all the money in Europe I wouldn’t want to see another unbeliever die! All night long he cried for forgiveness.”

Robert Ingersoll: “O God, if there be a God, save my soul, if I have a soul!” (Some say it was this way: “Oh God, if there be a God, save my soul if I have a soul, from hell, if there be a hell!”

David Hume, atheist philosopher famous for his philosophy of empiricism and skepticism of religion, he cried loud on his death bed, “I am in flames!” It is said his “desperation was a horrible scene”.

Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor, and who, like Adolf Hitler, brought death to millions to satisfy his greedy, power-mad, selfish ambitions for world conquest: “I die before my time, and my body will be given back to the earth. Such is the fate of him who has been called the great Napoleon. What an abyss between my deep misery and the eternal kingdom of Christ!”

Sir Francis Newport, the head of an English Atheist club to those gathered around his deathbed: “You need not tell me there is no God for I know there is one, and that I am in His presence! You need not tell me there is no hell. I feel myself already slipping. Wretches, cease your idle talk about there being hope for me! I know I am lost forever! Oh, that fire! Oh, the insufferable pangs of hell! …Oh, that I could lie for a thousand years upon the fire that is never quenched, to purchase the favor of God and be united to Him again. But it is a fruitless wish. Millions and millions of years will bring me no nearer the end of my torments than one poor hour. Oh, eternity, eternity forever and forever!, Oh, the insufferable pangs of Hell!”

Charles IX was the French king who urged on by his mother, gave the order for the massacre of the French Huguenots, in which 15,000 souls were slaughtered in Paris alone and 100,000 in other sections of France, for no other reason than that they loved Christ. The guilty king suffered miserably for years after that event. He finally died, bathed in blood bursting from his veins. To his physicians he said in his last hours: “Asleep or awake, I see the mangled forms of the Huguenots passing before me. They drop with blood. They point at their open wounds. Oh! That I had spared at least the little infants at the bosom! What blood! I know not where I am. How will all this end? What shall I do? I am lost forever! I know it. Oh, I have done wrong.”

David Strauss, leading representative of German rationalism, after spending a lifetime erasing belief in God from the minds of others: “My philosophy leaves me utterly forlorn! I feel like one caught in the merciless jaws of an automatic machine, not knowing at what time one of its great hammers may crush me!”

In a Newsweek interview with Svetlana Stalin, the daughter of Josef Stalin, she told of her father’s death: “My father died a difficult and terrible death. God grants an easy death only to the just. At what seemed the very last moment he suddenly opened his eyes and cast a glance over everyone in the room. It was a terrible glance, insane or perhaps angry. His left hand was raised, as though he were pointing to something above and bringing down a curse on us all. The gesture was full of menace. The next moment he was dead.”

Anton LeVey, author of the Satanic Bible and high priest of the religion dedicated to the worship of Satan. One of his famous quotes is, “There is a beast in man that needs to be exercised, not exorcised.” His dying words were, “Oh my, oh my, what have I done, there is something very wrong…there is something very wrong….”

It does not have to be…

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…

1 Comment »

Resurrection Consequences

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Prophecy, Resurrection, Spring Feasts with tags 1 corinthians 15, Acts, Easter, God the Father, Jesus Christ, Psalm 16 on April 19, 2019 by paulthepoke

There are two words used for the concept of “resurrection”. Here is how the words can be translated from the original Greek. The first example is in the verse below.

1 Corinthians 15:13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised;

The Greek word for “resurrection” is αναστασισ/anastasis. It means: raising up, rising (e.g. from a seat); a rising from the dead; that of Christ; that of all men at the end of this present age. -Strong’s Concordance

The second example is “raised”.

1 Corinthians 15:4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…

The Greek word for “raised” is εγειρο/egeiro”. It means: to awake, to arouse from the sleep of death, to recall the dead to life. -Strong’s Concordance

With the resurrection of Christ, Psalm 16:10 was prophetically fulfilled.

Psalm 16:10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

With His death, Jesus did not stay in Sheol or Hades or the grave (see Ephesians 8-10). There was no decomposition of His body.

Acts 2:31 Foreseeing this, David spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His body see decay.

Without Jesus’ resurrection, our faith is described as “vain” and “worthless”.

1 Corinthians 15:14b …your faith is also in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

The Greek word for “vain” is κενοσ/kenos. It means: empty, devoid of truth; contains nothing; empty handed; without a gift; fruitless; no purpose.

The Greek word for “worthless” is ματαιοσ/mataios. It means: devoid of force, truth, success, result; useless, of no purpose. -Definitions per Strong’s Concordance

This is our faith without the resurrection of Christ. Without Jesus’ resurrection, there is no hope for our bodies. We are dead and buried, a corrupt and purposeless mess, an empty shell.

If we are not resurrected in the future, then Christ’s resurrection in the past did not occur. We have historical proof of Jesus overcoming death with hundreds of witnesses. We know what happened to Jesus. This observation is stated at least twice by Paul. That’s the security and truth of our future resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised…

1 Corinthians 15:16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;

The resurrection of Jesus is the power of God. The resurrection validates and authenticates Christ’s death on the cross which is the payment for sin. The resurrection is dominance over death. It proved Jesus was Deity. Jesus was literally raised out of, from among the dead. He is the first of the resurrection. Without the Jesus’ resurrection, there is no hope for our bodies. He is the guarantee our resurrection. Without it, our faith is pointless. The promise of the resurrection is the re-connection of our body, soul, and spirit into a glorified body.

God the Father will judge the world through His Son Jesus. Based on what, the fact of the resurrection.

Acts 17:31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Leave a comment »

Jude: Our Common Salvation

Posted in Gospel, Jude with tags 1 corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 5, burial, Colossians 1, cross, death, good news, Jesus Christ, Messiah, Resurrection, Romans 1, salvation, soteriology on November 3, 2018 by paulthepoke

Jude 1:3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation…

Beloved… This is the noun form of the word αγαπαο/agapao or “love”. In this case, it is the Greek word Ἀγαπητοί/agapetoi. Per Strong’s Concordance, it can be translated as: beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of love. Simply put, loved ones.

Jude is addressing “loved ones” in Jesus Christ. Believers in Jesus are loved.

…while I was making every effort to write you… Jude wants his audience to know he is focused. As a mindset, Jude has been continually intent to make it known to fellow believers. Jude also wants to communicate with σπουδή/spoude. The word can be translated as: haste, earnestness, diligence; earnestness in accomplishing, promoting, or striving after anything; to give all diligence, interest one’s self most earnestly. σπουδή/spoude is where we get the English word “speed”.

Jude is in a hurry to give it all he has to write and write and write to fellow believers.

Write about what??? This is the original, urgent intent of Jude’s letter …our common salvation…

Salvation or σωτηρία/soteria in the original Greek… Soteriology is the field of study of our “salvation”. Defined by Strong’s as: deliverance, preservation, safety; deliverance from the molestation of enemies in an ethical sense, that which concludes to the soul’s safety or salvation.

Messianic salvation as the present possession of all true Christians.

Future salvation is the sum of benefits and blessings which Christians, redeemed from all earthly ills, will enjoy after the visible return of Christ from heaven in the consummated and eternal kingdom of God.

A.W. Pink stated this is a fourfold salvation: saved from the penalty, power, presence and most importantly the pleasure of sin.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is our salvation. The Apostle Paul offers what many believe to be the definitive statement on the gospel. This is of the utmost importance as stated by the Apostle Paul. This is the priority. As believers in Jesus Christ we should draw a line in the sand and stick a flag in the ground over this issue. If a person does not get the issue of the gospel of Jesus Christ right, big time eternal problems.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…

Jesus Christ died. He was buried. And He was raised.

This is the gospel message of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the ευαγγελιον/euaggelion. This is really “good news”.

Here is how Strong’s Concordance defines “gospel”. It is the glad tidings of salvation through Christ. This is the proclamation of the grace of God manifest and pledged in Christ. As the messianic rank of Jesus was proved by his words, his deeds, and his death, the narrative of the sayings, deeds, and death of Jesus Christ came to be called the gospel or glad tidings.

The resume of Christ is sequentially ordered in Strong’s definition of the gospel. The glad tidings of the kingdom of God soon to be set up, subsequently also of Jesus the Messiah, the founder of this kingdom. After the death of Christ, the term comprises also the preaching of (concerning) Jesus Christ as having suffered death on the cross to procure eternal salvation for the men in the kingdom of God, but as restored to life and exalted to the right hand of God in heaven, thence to return in majesty to consummate the kingdom of God.

The issue of the gospel is not an intellectual decision. The gospel is a moral issue. Does God exist and does He take the issue of sin seriously? If so, then there is accountability. The issue needs serious attention. Eternal life and eternal death are on the line. The destination of your eternal soul is at stake. This is about getting your heart, soul, and mind right with the Creator.

This good news is for everybody! God does not discriminate. The most brutal, unsavory character can be saved from eternal hell if they believe the gospel message. One can think up the vilest person in their mind and that person too can be saved with their belief in Jesus Christ. We are all equal at the foot of the cross. Even a barbaric Scythian can be saved by the cross work of Jesus…

Colossians 3:11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ…

Leave a comment »

Our Daily Bread, Choose Friends Wisely… Paul Beverly

Posted in Paul Beverly with tags 1 corinthians 15, friends, friendship, Proverbs, Psalm 1 on July 29, 2018 by paulthepoke

Surround yourself with those that are good for you. Those that you interact with the most, are who you most become like. A good rule of thumb is, if they aren’t good examples for my children they probably aren’t good for me. Heard a sermon from Pastor Craig from Life Church where he said “Show me your 5 closest friends & I’ll show you your future.” Know your worth & what’s good for you.

Proverbs 18:24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is a man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived “Bad company ruins good morals”

Have a blessed week my friends!!!

Leave a comment »

Evil vs. God… Featuring Phil Kulis

Posted in Phil Kulis with tags 1 corinthians 15, evil, Genesis 3, God, good, Isaiah 25, Revelation 21, satan on May 31, 2018 by paulthepoke

Genesis 3:4-5 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Evil is a necessary contrast to God.
How else would we know Good?

But how does God get rid of Evil when those who know the difference choose Him?

He gave Satan power, free will and eternal life. Can He just renege on what He gave?

Mankind may be a forum to reveal Himself, then permanently destroy Evil and Death.

It seems to me that if Evil took away God’s power, free will and life by throwing Him in prison, judging Him, nailing Him to a cross and killing Him, then God is justified in doing the same in return.

Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people He will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 21:4-6 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.

Leave a comment »

Revelation: Laodicea, Conquering through Christ

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags 1 corinthians 15, 1 John 5, 1 Timothy 2, God the Father, Heaven, Jesus Christ, nike, Psalm 8, Romans 8, throne on April 23, 2018 by paulthepoke

Revelation 3:21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

The point bears repeating. Christ repeats Himself multiple times in addressing believers. We overcome through Jesus Christ. He is victorious and by Him we are conquerors. Seventeen (17) times in the book of Revelation the word “overcome” or the Greek νικάω/nikaó is used. Eight (8) times He uses the word with regard to addressing the churches in Revelation. Every time νικάω/nikaó is written to the seven churches in Revelation, we are reminded that our victory is perpetual into eternity. This is not a one-time victory. Believers are forever conquering because of Jesus Christ. We are victorious and prevail through Him. We have ridiculous assurance. Jesus Christ is the answer.

1 John 5:4-5 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. The Apostle Paul states believers are “hyper” conquerors through Jesus!

I will grant him to sit with me on my throne… As believers and overcomers, we will rule and reign with Jesus Christ. Believers will be appointed to authority. Believers will be political rulers in the future Millennial Kingdom. This is not an honorary position. He says so. This concept is stated repeatedly in Scripture. Even in the Old Testament, David made this statement 1,000 years before the birth of Jesus. The author of Hebrews quoted the Psalmist in Hebrews 2.

Psalm 8:4-6 …what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet…

1 Timothy 2:12 …if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

…as I also conquered… This is the last time Jesus uses the word νικάω/nikaó within the context of the seven churches in Revelation. It is a reminder; He is the conqueror. Christ prevailed and that is an established fact of history.

…and sat down with my Father on his throne. Notice the chain of command and structure with rulership. It starts with God the Father. The Father hands authority to the Son. And the Son shares it with believers who are in Him. Believers will rule and reign with Jesus Christ in the Millennial Kingdom and into eternity.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/731160