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TODAY'S BLOG
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31 Let all malicious bitterness and anger and wrath and screaming and abusive speech be taken away from YOU along with all badness. 32 But become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as also by Christ freely forgave YOU.”

Yes, in situations where we feel strongly about something and we disagree with someone else, What may help calm ourselves is if we stand back from the situation and remember what this scripture is saying – that through has forgiven both yourself and the person that you disagree with. That you are actually in the same boat together as the person. You are both imperfect sinners, who have the same general problems.

So why is it important that you and I evaluate our situation? Matthew 5:13 sermon on the mount. 13 “YOU (insert your name there) are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its strength, how will its saltness be restored? It is no longer usable for anything but to be thrown outside to be trampled on by men.”

was saying there that you – you are ’s salt, preserving the little bit of righteousness that is left in this world. You are doing this by your ly conduct – you are ’s representatives, but if you loose the your strength – in other words, if we loose the very thing that makes us ’s representatives, what good is our service? What is there left that we are preserving? No, let us make sure that our worship is not in vane and settle any disputes – not with violence, not with abusive speech – for these are works of the flesh… but with qualities such as self-control, kindness and above all else love which is the key factor for recognizing christ’s followers today.


GREAT CROWD THE DEVIL 144,000

One of these things on the board is the odd one out. Which one is it? By the end of the talk you will know which one – and you may be surprised. But for now let’s set the scene.

You’re out and you come across a man who knows his well.

Now you’re a bit stumped. From your many years of study you know that the great crowd is not going to heaven, however there it is in black and white. A “great crowd in heaven”. So you tell the man that you will research the topic further and return next week.

That week when you’re researching this topic. What do you find out? The first thing that you find out is that the greek word for great crows is used in many places in the greek scriptures and most of the time it has nothing to do with the great crowd of the new system.

For example Mark 5:24 ….

This is just one of many scriptures that show how the term “great crowd” was used by the early s. The term “great crowd” did not have a special significance to it. It simply meant a large group of people. If you compare that with other terms like the terms “holy spirit” or “the devil” – these terms are titles for a specific person (satan) or a specific group of anointed people. Throughout the where ever “the devil” or “144,000” are mentioned, they refer to that specific person or group of persons.

So when we read that scripture from 19:1 again, we see that was using the term “great crowd” to describe the vision that he was seeing. Just like if we had to describe to someone what a football stadium looked light, we might say that there was a great crowd of people at the football game - we are not referring to a certain distinct group or class of people, but we are using that general term as a way of describing what we are seeing.

Because we are sinners and imperfect, we want to abstain from things that would encourage us to be violent or abusive is speech. For example: (and particular young ones this is very important): Movies and Video Games constantly justify the hero in his violence. They make out that it is okay for the hero to be violent because he is fighting for a good cause. Now, we need to remember that this is satan’s system, and not surprisingly, this is satan’s message. He wants us to think like that. However, what is the greatest issue that a person can fight for? It is the issue of proving ’s sovereignty. Compared to that issue, everything is secondary. And by showing violence to anyone, that is not fighting for ’s name. It is doing the opposite.

lead the finest example of showing kindness. When he was being persecuted he actually had the power to call down fire and brimstone upon everyone, but he turned the other cheek. Can we apply this principle in our dealings with others?

The apostle used that same general term throughout . Sometimes he was talking about a great crowd of people on the earth and other times he talks about a great crowd of angels in heaven. But they are not the same. distinguishes between the 2 different crowds of people.

For example in REV 7:9 he describes a great crowd which no man was able to number, then he describes the angels, then the 144000, then the four living creatures, and so on. So we know that the great crowd who will live on earth are a separate crowd from the 144,000 who will be in heaven because lists these groups of people separately and distinguishes to two groups by saying that the great crowd on the earth cannot be numbered.

So with that research you return to the man that you met in the ministry and you share this information with him. You also read him the hope for the great crowd who will be on earth from Rev……..