Question-Comment:

I am a Pastor/Elder in the Assemblies of God Church here in Zimbabwe and I am very saddened to hear that they are many bogus Writers from Africa who request Free Bibles when the aim is to gain financialy. I think people take advantage of the situation here in Africa that many are hungry for the Word of God. I think checking all correspondence to verify wether they are genuine or not is very important for example one needs to Give most information that is required.

I also pray that this move should not hinder you to perform you noble duty of distributing the Word of God to those who need it, the most important thing is they do not burn the Bibles but they distribute , God will act on them while they are doing a service to the needy at the same time.

Don Wrote:

Hello Pastor,

Thanks for taking the time to WRAP with us.

I agree that it is disturbing to think that someone might get Bibles under false pretenses for the sole purpose of burning them--however, that need not be the case. Before I explain, let me make a point. I see a problem with "checking all correspondence": i.e., WHO is going to do the checking???

If you have gone very far into our site, then you are aware that we feel a majority of the problems in today's world have been brought about by the various denominations/divisions of the visible church--each with their own addition of man-made dogma with its inherent distrust of all denominational dogma other than their own! We say this because the varying man-made dogmas seem to have become more important to most denominational leaders than the Great Commission the Lord left for His Church. In fact, it appears that church fights have become more important to most denominationalist than attending to the Lord's harvest. As a consequence, the churches have left a bad taste in the mouth of the on-looking world--partly accounting for the "great falling away" that the church world is now experiencing. Also, because of the "proselyting approach" of most denominations, the WHO should probably be considered; for whoever gets to do the "checking" will more than likely take advantage of the situation and continue spreading the "bad taste" to yet another continent/village, etc.

How did the church world get into such a mess? How can it get back on track??? We contend that it is as simple as pastors preaching the liberty that Christ promised His followers.

John 8:
³⁶ If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Later, Paul spoke of how this liberty was to be brought to pass in the believer.

Romans 8:
¹ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: ⁴ That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit...
⁸ So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. ¹⁰ And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you...
¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Galatians 5:25
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

We know that these Scriptures are not popular with carnal pastors/denominationalist who feel that they must keep their congregation bound to them for their own well-being/continuation. Sadly, such pastors do not comprehend that it is those believers who are liberated in Christ that make churches to grow and promote stability. (We are aware that there are some pastors who do preach the Word in preference to their denomination's dogma, and that some denominations are closer to fulfilling the Great Commission than others, but these are in the minority.)

So, do we want people to send Bibles to someone who would burn them??? No! But we contend that if a child of God has learned to "walk in the Spirit," then he or she can confidently send Bibles as they are led--knowing that they will bring forth the fruit that God intended!!!

B'Ann Wrote:

A solution to this problem would be for the Christian churches all over the world to unite. If they would establish Bible Reading Room/Check Outs like a library within walking distance of most people; then, everyone could get a Bible. Duplication could be avoided by the use of a check out/receipt card. I think people should be able to get a Bible without cost or obligation if they are in a poverty area whether it is in the U. S. or elsewhere. To require that the Bible be purchased keeps many from ever having one to read. Children should have access to a Children's Bible Edition. Not having an education system stops many from reading. The first Sunday Schools ever established were for the purpose of teaching people to read the Bible. We need to get back to the basics when it comes to the Word of God.

Shalom,

As you well know, the Abrahamic Covenant with God Yahweh was/is eternal.

(Romans 2:10)
"But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:"

Therefore, this principal has been applied throughout Scripture, to the Firstfruits to receive the Gospel of Jesus, to the Firstfruits) from the Dead, to the Firstfruits to receive the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, so why would God change now with the Firstfruits of those to be Raptured (144,000 Jews)? To the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.

In addition, why is there not ‘ONE’ single Gentile name posted on any of the components (walls, gates, foundations) of the ‘New Holy City Jerusalem’, but only Jewish names, hence, ...to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.

Think on this, if these 144,000 Jews, Sealed from the Twelve Tribes of Israel, are so ‘pure’ at the beginning of the 7 year Tribulation period, (and they most certainly did not repent and get this way overnight), that they will receive the coveted ‘Seal of God’, then why will they be excluded from the alleged Pre-Tribulation Rapture that will occur just moments earlier? To the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.

Look at Scripture and see what follows the ‘Catching Up/Rapture’ of these 144,000 Jews in question.

(Rev. 14:14-16)
"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. [15] And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. [16] And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped."

The actual Greek word for ‘ripe’ in the passage above is xeraino and means "to dry up, shrivel, withered, etc." Thus, put this in perspective with what Apostle Paul revealed and ask, "Who are those being harvested and by Whom?"

(2 Thes. 2:3)
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition..."

Thus, To the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.

barney

DON WROTE:

Hello Barney,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

I'm trying to decipher just where you are coming from. Are you saying that the bloodline of Abraham is God's chosen people for our age/the Church Age and that they will be the first to be Raptured when our age comes to an end? If so, then you must be ignoring much of the Bible, especially the Words of Jesus concerning the Jews of His day on the earth. Granted, Jesus did say the Father had sent Him first to the lost sheep of Israel, and He, in turn, did the same to His disciples. However, Jesus was not sent to save the nation of Israel, but the individual Jews who wanted to do the will of God. In fact, the Bible says of the majority of the Jews of Christ's day that their hearts were far from God...and remember, these were the Jews responsible for having the Only Begotten Son of God crucified. Paul said of them:

Acts 13:
⁴⁴ And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. ⁴⁵ But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. ⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

True, the founding fathers of the New Testament Church were of Abraham's seed, but they were few and after their Word was rejected by the Jews, they turned to the Gentiles. Even though there are still some individual Jews that receive Christ as their Lord and Savior (they are known as "completed Jews"), throughout the centuries the Lord's Church has been mostly Gentiles and it is even labeled by most scholars as the Gentile Church.

As to your comments about the 144,000 Jews, apparently you have been reading the writings of man and not the Bible. There is no Scripture to support the myth that a 144,000 Jews will arise at the end of our age to evangelize the world. In fact, the 144,000 will not be sealed until after the Church is taken up from the earth. Also, as to your statement: "Think on this, if these 144,000 Jews, Sealed from the Twelve Tribes of Israel, are so ‘pure’ at the beginning of the 7 year Tribulation period, (and they most certainly did not repent and get this way overnight)." No where will you find that the Jews will be "pure" at the end of our age. In fact, the same blindness that hid the glorious light of the Gospel to the Jew of our Lord's day will still blind those at the end of our age--for like their ancestors, they, too, continue refusing to accept Jesus as their Messiah. And as to your statement about the getting "pure" overnight--you're not too far off, for they will be made pure in the twinkling of an eye when they see Jesus coming in the air for His New Testament Church!!! (Remember, the only way that anyone can be made "pure" in our age is by putting their faith in the shed blood of Christ Jesus!)

Might I suggest that you read our on-line study of the Book of Revelation and our on-line book THE CLOCK OF THE AGES. After having done so, then we will be glad to respond to any question or comment that you might have.

More importantly, you need to search the Scriptures for yourself--not to prove some idea but to let them speak for themselves. A true picture of a truth will emerge when the Scriptures remains strong from Genesis to Revelation.

Don

Question-Comment: God bless our troops and the ones who pray for them.

"Amen."

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