Archive for Acts

Resurrection Consequences

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Prophecy, Resurrection, Spring Feasts with tags , , , , , 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.”

FAILED COUP: Turkey’s increasingly dangerous Islamist President Erdogan returns to power. UPDATE: Nearly 3,000 arrested, 265 dead, 1,400 wounded.

Posted in Ezekiel 38-39, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on July 16, 2016 by paulthepoke

It would appear the coup has failed in Turkey. President Erdogan is likely to emerge from the event with more power. Turkey is a country that has a significant place in the Bible. All churches in the Book of Revelation are in modern day western Turkey. There are four references to Satan in those letters to the churches. The Apostle Paul started many churches on his missionary journeys (Acts) in what is modern day Turkey. New Testament books of the Bible are written to churches in what is modern day Turkey (Galatians, Ephesians for example). Ezekiel 38-39 focuses on a future invasion of Israel from the north. Areas of modern day Turkey are included in the list of nations. Modern day Turkey is a key piece to the end times scenario in the Bible.

 

Trend Update: I am the Christ…July 2015

Posted in Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 29, 2015 by paulthepoke

Matthew 24:5 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

See also Luke 21:8, Mark 13:6.

scarshands

Here is a list of people since the 18th century who claimed to be Jesus. Most have proven to be finite. They are dead.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_claimed_to_be_Jesus

In recent years, Australia has been a hot bed for the second coming of Christ. The latest (July 2015) is Brian Marshall. He is married and 71 years old.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3175600/He-believes-guy-Jesus-Christ-Concerned-man-says-American-father-law-tricked-abandoning-family-selling-home-moving-Australia-follow-self-proclaimed-messiah.html

In 2013, AJ Miller of Australia claimed to be the incarnation of Jesus. His girlfriend, Mary Luck, is allegedly Mary Magdalene incarnated. He is around 50 years old.

http://www.wnd.com/2013/07/man-claims-hes-jesus-girlfriend-is-mary-magdalene/

Jesus has only one bride, the body of believers or His church. He is the head of the church (Colossians 1:18). Jesus has a contract to be married to His bride. The contract was paid with His blood on the cross (Acts 17:11, Acts 20:28, 1 Corinthians 6:20). See Ephesians 5 for the relationship between Jesus and the church. Jesus provides the model for marriage.

John 20:27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

After reviewing pictures of these two imposters, there were no scars on the hands or feet. They did not offer any evidence of a puncture wound to midsection. No scars were observed around the head from a crown of thorns.

Zechariah 14:4 In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.

I am still waiting for any of these hucksters to have a controlled descent out of the clouds without a parachute or safety device. Touch down safely on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, Israel. And mark your arrival with an earthquake. Crack the mountain in two pieces and create a new geographic feature. This would be guaranteed to make the news. It would go viral on YouTube.

Revelation 1:7 BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

Resurrection Witnesses

Posted in Gospel, Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , , on May 11, 2014 by paulthepoke

The Sadducees of Jesus’ day did not believe in the resurrection. Acts 23:8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.  This reference in Acts is after Jesus rose from the dead. The Sadducees were around when the event took place. They saw and talked to witnesses who acknowledged the resurrection, and they still did not believe. Some people will not let facts or history get in the way of their beliefs or religion.

What does the Bible have to say about witnesses to resurrection events. There are multiple examples.

The first example would be the resurrection of Jesus Himself. What proof is there? Are there any witnesses to this event? The first witnesses were likely the Roman soldiers standing guard over the tomb. The religious leaders of the day were suspicious and pestered Pilate to the point where guards were appointed to stand at the tomb of Jesus. A Roman guard was usually four men. These men were skillfully trained military assassins. Here is what they saw. Matthew 28:2-4 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. This would be an attention getter first thing in the morning.

Women saw Him at the tomb (Matthew 28:8-10).

Jesus was not the only person resurrected. After Jesus rose, there were others raised from the dead. They were alive again and walking around Jerusalem. They were seen by people in the city. Matthew 27:52-53 and 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. I imagine this would promote a scene of chaos and fear.

Jesus showed up and was observed by more than 500 people at one time. 1 Corinthians 15:6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep…

Jesus also made appearances to the apostles as a group of eleven (John 20:26-31, Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15-18). He made individual appearances to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11, John 20:10-18), Peter (Luke 24:34, 1 Corinthians 15:5), and James (1 Corinthians 15:7). Jesus appeared to two travelers on the road in Mark 16:12-13 and Luke 24:13-35. Jesus was also viewed by many at His ascension into Heaven (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:44-49, Acts 1:3-8).

Is it likely 1,000 plus people conspired the story of resurrections and the story stuck?

At some point in the future (currently May 2014), two witnesses in Jerusalem will be left dead and unburied in the street. The world will rejoice and send gifts to others. They are finally dead. They will be on display, dead, to rot. They will not be allowed a proper burial. Revelation 11:11-12 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. This event will convince many…

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?

BE a Berean

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , on August 13, 2010 by paulthepoke

Be a Berean!!

Acts 17:10-11 But the brothers at once sent both Paul and Silas to Berea during the night; who having arrived went into the synagogue of the Jews. And these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Word with all readiness, daily examining the Scriptures if these things are so.

This is the point of the blog. Don’t take my word for it, look it up, and verify. The culture loves to say, “Well that is just your interpretation.” Personally, that is code for “I really don’t know what it says.”  This is a cop-out. The culture loves to say, “My God would or would not do …” Is that the God of your mind or is that the God of the Bible? If one’s ethics and morals are not consistent with Scripture, then that mindset becomes idolatry and it is not the God of the Bible. What do you think about Scripture? Make a decision based out of knowledge and not somebody’s opinion or personal ignorance.

1 Chronicles 12:32a And of the sons of Issachar, having understanding of the times, to know what Israel should do.

The sons of Issachar are one the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. Issachar is a son of Jacob (Genesis 30:18). His name in Hebrew means “he will bring a reward.” The sons of Issachar are the descendants. These sons read the Word. They knew what the times had to offer because they read and believed in God’s promises through His Word.

Matthew 16:1-3 And having come the Pharisees and Sadducees tempting, asked Him to show them a sign out of the heaven. But answering, He said to them, Evening coming on, you say, Clear sky, for the sky is red. And at morning, today a storm, for the sky is red, being overcast. Hypocrites! You indeed know how to discern the face of the heaven, but you cannot the signs of the times.

Jesus held the religious leaders of His day accountable to know His arrival was here. The Bible foretold in prophecy the arrival of the Messiah and His character and deeds. One prophetic example is Isaiah 7:14 So, The Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold! The virgin will conceive and will bring forth a son; and she shall call His name Immanuel (meaning “with us is God”).

The same is true for us today. God has not changed. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever (yes, Jesus is God). We are accountable to what is stated in the Bible. What does the Bible say about the times we are living? Does it have anything to say?

Welcome and please feel free to comment and share with others. God praises those who verify His Word. Look it up, does the Bible really say … ?

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, so that the man of God may be perfected, being fully furnished for every good work.

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