The GENTILES were generally considered to be non-Jews. [“GENTILES”-Greek: “ethnos: -heathen, people, and nations other than Israel]. From Adam to Abraham there were only GENTILES in the world. From Abraham to Christ there were believing Jews (righteous remnant- true Israelites) and Hebrews or Israel (not just Judah) and GENTILES in the world.
From Christ onward in history there are unbelievers and believers ‘Christians” (believing Jews and believing Gentiles) in the world. After 70ad the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles are the same as far as God’s people are concerned. After the resurrection of Christ, the believing Gentiles were included in the chosen, elect, people of God (the new nation of spiritual Israel).
“Now when the GENTILES heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” – Acts 13:48
“Therefore, know that only those who are justified by faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the GENTILES by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” -Gal 3:7-8
“For you are ALL sons of God through FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS. For as many as you were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is NEITHER JEW NOR GREEK (GENTILES) there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for YOU ARE ONE IN CHRIST JESUS. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE” -Gal 3:26-29
My thoughts: No matter the religion, Judaism, Islamic, or Christianity and all their cohorts, neither male nor female, no matter weather in bondage to O.T or set free in N.T. all are ONLY set free in CHRIST! We must take all things to and through the finished works of the Cross (the crucifixion upon the tree that sets us all free!)
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]. – John 10:10
Painfully, Jews and Muslims denounce and deny the cross (the crucifixion that defeats the power of legalism, sin and spiritual death). It is only by the tree of life lifted up (Christ on the Cross) that the penalty is paid in full for any breaking of religious law, for all sin, and for the judgement seat of eternal death! For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death. – Rom 8:2
Do we see that the gospel needs to be preached to all creation! It isn’t ANY form of religion that saves, but it is our perception of Our Messiah and Who HE IS! And HE is the GOD THAT SAVES! And we need to walk in the Power thereof!!
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues’ they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.” -Mark 16:15-18
All my preaching to every creature kind of LOVE, ❤ Diana xo 🙂
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though that Day will not come unless the FALLING AWAY comes FIRST, and the man of sin is REVEALED, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” – 2 Thess 2:1-4 (Apostle Paul 52ad)
The FALLING AWAY or “apostasy” of some of the followers of Christ occurred as the persecutions by the Jews and the Romans began to increase in intensity so that they could not or would not endure. All believers in the first century leading up to the day of Christ’s return had to suffer such persecutions.
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus WILL SUFFER PERSECUTION.”– 2 Tim. 3:12
Jesus told His disciples in 30ad about some of the signs of His second coming in judgement on Israel, resulting in the end of the Jewish age. He said that even among themselves there would be betrayal and hatred for one another.
“And then many will be offended, will BETRAY on another, and will HATE one another.”- Matt 24:10
Paul’s last letter before his death was written to Timothy 2 Tim 4:6-7 He said, “ALL WHO DESIRE TO LIVE GODLY IN CHRIST JESUS WILL SUFFER PERSECUTION.”-2 Tim 3:12
This FALLING AWAY would occur prior to the Parousia of Christ in 66-70ad. It would be especially evident as the Neronic persecutions became more and more extreme between 63-66ad. It would be during the period just before the Jewish revolt officially began.
Paul told Timothy in late 63ad that the time would soon come when many would not endure sound doctrine but would FALL AWAY to follow the Judaizers and other false teachings. The FALLING AWAY was already in progress in the first century when the last books of New Testament were being written. -2 Tim 4:3-4; 4:10; 4:14-16
During the transition period prior to Christ’s second coming Parousia, the saints did not yet have salvation fully consummated. If anyone professing belief in Christ FELL AWAY, it was impossible to renew them to repentance, since they would crucify again themselves to Jesus, and put Him to an open shame – Heb 6:4-6 (written in 62-63 ad).
The issue of FALLING AWAY did not involve those genuine believers in Christ, who remained faithful until the Parousia. It also does not apply to born-again Christians who live after 70ad. Our salvation has been fully consummated at the Parousia of Christ by faith. Our standing is in God’s hands and is manifested as the Holy Spirit works in and through us in His kingdom. [SEE: MAN OF SIN].
The MAN OF SINaka: son of perdition sitting in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is God, had to occur before Christ’s second coming Parousia. the MAN OF SIN is usually connected with the ‘antichrist”. However, the spirit of the antichrist was already at work in the first century by c.61 ad. Apostle Paul wrote about this in his first and second epistles.
“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard the ANTICHRIST is coming, even now MANY ANTICHRISTS have come, by which we know that is the last hour.” – 1 John 2:18 *Note: they were in the ‘last hours’ IN THAT GENERATION.
“Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is ANTICHRIST who denies the Father and the Son.”-1 John 2:22 *Note: anyone who denies Jesus is the Messiah & to not confess that Jesus was God come in the flesh and that He was the Father, and the Son is antichrist! ((WE SERVE ONLY ONE GOD, MESSIAH, LORD & SAVIOR EVERYTHING ELSE IS ANTICHRIST TEACHING! KEEP IN MIND WE CANNOT SERVER TWO MASTERS!)) bOOM!
“and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the ANTICHRIST, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”- 1 John 4:3 *Note: Anyone that claims Jesus is NOT God in the flesh is antichrist!
“For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an ANTICHRIST.”- 2 John 1:7 Note: anyone who does Not confess Jesus is God come in the flesh is a deceiver and antichrist!
It is difficult to identify exactly who the MAN OF SIN actually was in this context. But we know that he or it was certainly first century figure or figures. The statement that “he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” -2 Thess 2:4 provides some clues for us. The only ones who sat as God in the holy of holies of the temple before it was destroyed were leaders of the factions of the Jewish Zealots during the Jewish-Roman war ending in 70ad.
*Note: the religious leaders were antichrist !!
Some of these Jewish Zealot leaders were John of Gischala, Simon b. Giora, Eleazar b. Ananias, Eleazar b. Yair (the leader at Masada), and the High Priest. This MAN OF SIN would have been revealed before the Jewish-Roman war before the destruction of the temple in 70ad. Josephus wrote extensively about this war. He described in detail the abominations, defilement, blasphemy, murder, and sinful actions of the Jewish Zealots in and around the temple during the war. See: Josephus website: http://www.Josephus.org
Josephus wrote: “Now, as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder, because there remained none to be objects to their fury (for they would not have spared any, had there remained any other such work to be done), Caesar gave orders that they should demolish the entire city and temple.” (Wars 7.1.1).
*My thoughts: Can we see how inserting ourselves into the scriptures as the audience is clearly a misfortune and mistake that has, can and will continue to ultimately lead to nothing but deception and so many more future antichrists’- so many put themselves in the seat of God by simply inserting their generation as the generation scripture is speaking of.
No, the generation that scripture is speaking of is the generation that was writing, living and being persecuted in that day and hour. We can continue to say, “no man knows the day nor the hour” but the very words of Christ states that it was going to be within THAT GENRATION that ALL THOSE THINGS WOULD TAKE PLACE.
“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [the people living when these signs and events begin] will not pass away until all these things take place.”- Matt 24:34
There is no simpler way to understand the scriptures then to allow the scriptures to interpret the scriptures. I pray that we quit inserting current world events into the scriptures! This is the utmost diabolical deception religion has ever created. I pray we repent and turn from our wicked ways period! I’m pleading with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to Stop adding to and taking away from the very perfectly written and fulfilled word of God! The very word of God that became FLESH (the living Messiah Christ) who lived perfectly, died to shed His blood for our forgiveness and to sanctify us wholly,(defeating the power of law and sin)- resurrected to defeat spiritual death (the temporal body) and raise up unto spiritual life (the glorified body) and ascended to HIS rightful position of ALMIGHTY GOD (from Father-to son- to Abba) all so that He can send HIS helper (the Holy Spirit). All this so that we can continue HIS legacy of preaching the Gospel and defeating the wiles of the enemy! WE bind the strong man by preaching the Gospel. The enemy was bound because Jesus arrived on the scene, and He was the Gospel in the flesh; therefore, we ought to be doing the great commission!! “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”- Matt 28:19
Jesus is a 3 part being and if we ‘take away from that or add to that’ we are preaching another Gospel and we are considered ‘antichrist’.
He did His part, now may we do ours! May we NOT ever give glory to another false doctrinal hearsay that speaks any other gospel other than the one Paul preached! Let any man that preaches another gospel be accursed! OUCH & YIKES! However, that is why we are NOT to ADD to nor TAKE AWAY from CHRIST AND HIS FINISHED WORKS! Anyone contributing to anything less is seriously antichrist.
“I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one, we preached to you, let him be under a curse! As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!” – Gal 1:6-9
All my baptizing love in the name of Jesus our 3 part Abba -Everlasting Father, Almighty God & Prince of Peace! ❤ Diana 🙂 xo
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