Archive for rock

Trend Update: Ancient Church Discovery Manbij, Syria, June 2018

Posted in Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 19, 2018 by paulthepoke

Matthew 16:17-18 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it…”

ISIS continues to be removed from the land scape of the Middle East. This time in Manbij, Syria. ISIS previously used a site as a place to dump trash. Little did they know…

See video link for geography of site.

The location was a hiding place for ancient Christians. Archeologists think the site may have been an ancient church. The “hidden church” is believed to be from the 3rd or 4th century. The site is located 18 miles west of the Euphrates River. Christian symbols and writings were cut into the stone. Tunnels, places of worship, and escape routes were contained. Inscriptions were written in Greek.

“Greek was the common language of the Eastern Roman Empire, which explains why the New Testament is written in Greek during the Roman period,” John Wineland, Professor of History and Archaeology at Southeastern University.

A complete and thorough dig and study is not expected until later due to mines placed from the civil war in Syria. A possible second location may have been found as well.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2018/05/01/ancient-christian-ruins-discovered-under-former-isis-held-territory.html

 

Cross Symbols Fox News
photo: Fox News

These verses above hold much controversy. Ignore the divisiveness these arguments have brought. Read the text for yourself and understand. Jesus is talking to Peter. And He clarifies that He is talking to Peter. Jesus makes the point to use two different words.

Look at the two key nouns: Peter and rock. These are two distinctive terms in the Greek. They are not the same terms. They are distinctive in gender and definition.

Peter: Πέτρος/Petros, masculine in gender. It means: a detached stone or boulder; properly, a stone (pebble), such as a small rock found along a pathway.  Peter, a Greek name meaning rock. Petros is small in stature.

Rock: πέτρα/petra, feminine in gender. It means: a mass of connected rock; solid or native rock, rising up through the earth; a huge mass of rock (a boulder), such as a projecting cliff. Petra is large in stature.

Definitions provided by Strong’s Concordance and HELPS Word Studies.

 

Greek Rock Fox News

Photo: Fox News

 

The “rock” is connected together as the church is the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:26-27 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

“Petros” is isolated and individual. Peter is not a big deal in comparison to the corner stone of the church. “Petros” pales in size relative to the “rock” of the church.

 

Jesus predicted and promised His body and bride, the “church”.

This is the Greek word used for “church” in the New Testament writings. ἐκκλησία/ekklésia means: an assembly, congregation, church; the Church, the whole body of Christian believers.

Jesus says it Himself. “…I will build my church…” Jesus is the architect and builder of the church. Jesus takes possession. He declares the church belongs to Him, hence the possessive pronoun “my”.

Oh by the way …and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it…

 

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Millennial Kingdom: Joy, Part 1

Posted in Millennial Kingdom, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , on April 17, 2016 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 12:6 Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

One of the characteristics of the Millennial Kingdom is joy. The expression of joy is not a warm fuzzy passive feeling. Fun haters and negative attitudes are not welcome. The Scripture references are consistent and clear…cry and shout with passion!

The Hebrew word for “cry aloud” is tsahal. Per Strong’s Concordance it means to cry shrilly intensively and intentionally.

The Hebrew word for “shout” is ranan. It means: to give a ringing cry in joy, exaltation, or distress; to cry aloud in summons, exhortation of wisdom.

Zion is Jerusalem. They are to emphatically know with passion there is to be joy in Zion.

The Holy One of Israel is a term that is used scores of times in the Old Testament. The Holy One of Israel is equated with the Lord. The Holy One is the creator God. He is in control and has a plan. Isaiah 45:11 Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: “Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons, and you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.

The New Testament confirms the identity of the Holy One of Israel. It is Jesus. Colossians 1:15-17 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

 

Isaiah 9:3 You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; they will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

The grammar in the Hebrew says, God will magnify and make great their gladness. The concept with gladness is joy, mirth, gaiety, and pleasure. He (Jesus) will be in their presence. The pleasure will be like the ultimate bumper crop of fresh home grown tomatoes. The original grammar indicates the mirth will be like winning the greatest all time lottery, resources galore.

Isaiah 30:29 You will have songs as in the night when you keep the festival, and gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute, to go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.

The Millennial Kingdom is described as a concert type atmosphere. There will be singing at night and gatherings with lots of food.

The Hebrew word for “heart” is lebab. Culturally, the lebab is viewed as the inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding. The lebab will be giddy with joy. The people will have an extra hop in their step when they go to the mountain of the Lord or the Temple in Jerusalem. The place is going to be rocking.

Who is the Rock of Israel? The Apostle Paul in the book of Romans quotes Isaiah 8:14 and 28:16 to identify the Rock. Romans 9:33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

If you believe in the Rock, you will be saved.

Isaiah 8:14-16 The Rock

Posted in Gospel, Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 27, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 8:14 “Then He shall become a sanctuary; but to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, and a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

In Romans 9, the Apostle Paul is quoting from Isaiah 8:14 in the initial half of the verse. Then Isaiah 28:16 is quoted in the back half of the verse. Romans 9 tells us who this “rock” or “stone” is. It is Jesus. Paul connects the dots of the two verses.

Romans 9:33 just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

He is sacred and holy like a sanctuary. The phrase “a stone to strike” was prophetic when written by Isaiah. The grammar of the phrase in Hebrew refers to the stone being struck a fatal blow.  He is an obstacle to the Jewish people.  Jews by and large do not believe He is their Messiah. They remain hostile to His name.

The Hebrew word for “snare” is pach. According to Strong’s Concordance, it literally is a bird trap. Figuratively, it can mean an agent of calamity. He is the bait for the destructive trap to the people of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 8:15 Many will stumble over them, then they will fall and be broken; they will even be snared and caught.” 

Verse 15 restates the outcome of the Jewish people. Jesus will be an obstacle. Great numbers will trip over “the rock”. They will be crippled and crushed, shattered into pieces.

Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.

The “stone” is tested and tried. The cornerstone is described as yaqar in the Hebrew. Yaqar can mean: valuable, prized, weighty, precious, rare, splendid, costly, or glorious. The syntax in the original Hebrew language states the “rock” was firmly, intentionally, and intensively placed. We know today, He was sent and set by the Father. The condition is the same whether it is the New Testament or the Old Testament. Believe in “The Rock”. 

Isaiah 8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. 

This is an official, sealed, and legal document as far as God is concerned. It was completed once in the past and the results are binding today and forever more.

“It is finished,” Jesus (John 19:30).

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