"I WAS RESEARCHING SHEPHERDS CHAPEL AND CAME ACROSS YOUR SITE" Parables, Election

"I WAS RESEARCHING SHEPHERDS CHAPEL AND CAME ACROSS YOUR SITE" Parables, Election, Resurrection

----- Original Message -----

From: Paul Stringini

To: Name Withheld

Sent: Friday, August 1, 2011 2:06 PM

Subject: Re: COMMENTS

Hi Name Withheld, I am familiar with many of the sentiments expressed in your question, you have expressed a view similar to my former views. But these views are different in a few ways I find perplexing.

  1. GOD IS NOT CALLING EVERYONE RIGHT NOW AS ILLUSTRATED IN YOUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PARABLES ACTUALLY HID TRUTH AT THE TIME OF CHRIST AND CONTINUE TO HIDE THE TRUTH OF GODS COMING KINGDOM ON EARTH TO MOST PROFESSING CHRISTIANS TODAY.

I would say that is right except the part expressed in the phrase "right now" God is not calling everyone. And many are called but few are chosen, some are called and rejected.

Luke 14:24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper

Of course the first objection people will make is that they rejected the call. And this is true, but I would counter by saying that the very ability to accept the call of God is a gift from God

Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

If the men that reject Christ are blind it is clear that God has blinded them, if we see the truth then it is clear that God has given us eyes to see.

1 Cor 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

THE ELECT WHO ARE IN TRAINING NOW AND WILL RULE WITH CHRIST DURING THE MILLENNIUM ARE CALLED NOW AND DO UNDERSTAND TRUTH WHEN THEY SEE IT.

That is essentially right. I would phrase that differently, the Elect are chosen, there are many called, but few chosen. The gospel is preached to many, but to some it is repugnant and to others it is sweet, and who causes this distinction?

2Cor 2: 14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

Notice, that to God both reactions are "sweet." When they reject the Gospel, it is sweet and when they receive it, it is sweet, because in either case, God's will is fulfilled, God is causing us to triumph.

GOD WILL RESURRECT ALL PEOPLE WHO NEVER UNDERSTOOD THE TRUTH TO LEARN THE TRUTH AND DECIDE WHETHER THEY WANT ETERNAL LIFE WITH HIMSELF AND JESUS CHRIST.

I do not agree with that. God will resurrect all people, but only for judgment not for Gospel preaching.

Heb 9:27 ...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

John 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

God does not owe men a chance, not even one chance, at eternal life, eternal life is a gift for God's chosen. God made man and it is already a great gift that we even exists. God gives eternal life to some whom he chooses and to us it doesn't seem fair because we did not earn it. And that is exactly right. It is not fair because God is not fair, God is much more than fair, God is gracious and these facts may be observed in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard from Matthew 20.

8...Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

It is the principle. This parable is about the principle that God is gracious in his own eyes and that man thinks he is not fair. In reality men do not consider that God is being generous in even making us to live, even the wicked.

Prov16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

God hates the wicked,

Psalm 11:5 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

yet he even gave them the great gift of themselves. They have their penny.

THIS IS OF COURSE DONE THRU REPENTANCE AND AN ACCEPTANCE OF THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST AT THAT TIME.

That is not how it works, once Christ returns everyone is going to believe in him, and there will only be judgment. If the wicked had seen the truth they never would have crucified Christ, but that is not what God wanted.

1Cor2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

The POINT of blinding the wicked is to keep them from repenting, the POINT is to destroy them.

Romans 9 :18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? (the answer is no one)
20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

(Matt 20:15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?)

22 What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

The wicked were made to be destroyed.

2Peter2:12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

SCRIPTURE IS UNCLEAR AS TO THE TIMING OF THIS EVENT OTHER THEN IT OCCURS AFTER THE MILLENNIUM

I don't know where the idea that "this event" exists comes from. This event is usually called the Great White Throne Judgment and it is pretty arbitrary judgment and it occupies the time slot after the thousand years are fulfilled.

AND IS A GENERAL RESURRECTION FOR MOST OF MANKIND.

You will have to provide me with the scriptures that lead to this opinion in order for me to properly give you an answer because this is not sound doctrine and I am having trouble figuring where to start explaining. The resurrections are fairly straightforward, people start requiring extra resurrections to accommodate their own ideas, it is best to let the bible teach us what to say rather than to try to teach the bible what it is trying to say.

THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL IS PART OF THIS GENERAL RESURRECTION AND THAT LITERAL EVENT IS DESCRIBED IN THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES PROPHECY.

I don't know, I don't see how one can wrap that all up together like that. Ezekiel's prophecy may have foreshadowed the resurrection but it speaks directly to the return of Israel in the days of Nehemiah

Eze38:11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

The bones represented the then LIVING house of Israel who were despairing at their captivity. The valley of dried bones represented the state of Israel in captivity.

12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

GOD DOES NOT PREDESTINE INDIVIDUALS FOR DESTRUCTION. HE JUST KNOWS WHO WILL CHOOSE DESTRUCTION.

That is not a biblical sentiment. That is man's sentiments. This is what I call: "Teaching the bible" By that, I mean that the bible becomes the pupil and man becomes the master. The wisdom of man dictates to the word what wisdom is rather than taking from the word the wisdom contained in it. There are other words for that.

Man may say, "GOD DOES NOT PREDESTINE INDIVIDUALS FOR DESTRUCTION. HE JUST KNOWS WHO WILL CHOOSE DESTRUCTION." But God's word says otherwise

Romans 9: 22...the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

God does not merely sit by and wait for man to chose him. What a pathetic image of a god that creates.   God elects us. We are HIS elect. If it was otherwise then HE would be OUR elect.

Our Elect, our God whom we have chosen!

And if some are chosen to life then it follows that the rest are left to destruction, indeed chosen for it, because that is what they were created for in the first place.

Hath not the potter power over the clay?   Hath the potter power over the clay or not?   Or does the clay mold itself and the potter is just a bystander with psychic abilities.

BUT HE DOES NOT CONTROL THE EVENT- EACH INDIVIDUAL CHOOSES LIFE OR DEATH. THANKS IN ADVANCE

No, that is not true. God is in control, not man. God is our savior, not merely our salvation facilitator.

My advice to you is that you get some sound instruction in the word and I recommend my free line by line studies http://oraclesofgod.org/studies/studies.html

I know these things can be hard to swallow because we have been conditioned to think about God from man's perspective and to read the bible with man's wisdom.   If you have further questions I will try to answer them, but I must say there is nothing I said here that I have not said elsewhere of in my studies, I had to wait years to obtain understanding before revelation finally came so be diligent and the truth will be revealed. But if you have follow up questions that cannot wait then I will try to answer them in as swift a manner as my schedule allows.

Sincerely,

Paul Stringini