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originally posted by: lord sword
What I learned though my study of the truth. That some people want to be told what truth is, but the only way to truth, is for you to seek it.
Truth is not a teaching, Truth is a person… “ ~ Jan Sjoerd Pasterkamp
Truth is not a thing for which we must search, but a Person to whom we must hearken! In the New Testament, multitudes came to Jesus for physical help, but only rarely did one seek Him out to learn the Truth. The whole picture in the gospels is one of a seeking Savior, not one of seeking men. The Truth was hunting for those who would receive it, and relatively few did, for "many are called, but few are chosen." A.W. Tozer
When Jesus said “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” he was not making any general statements about the power of truth to improve the quality of our lives in any generic sense.
In other words, Jesus is not suggesting that the phrase, “Yes, those pants DO make your butt look remarkably huge” has any power to set us free. Truthful statements are not what makes us free. If that’s what Jesus meant he would have said, “Speaking the truth sets you free” or “Hearing truthful facts will make you free.” But that’s not what he said. He said, “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.”
So, what was Jesus implying? He was saying that Truth is a person, not a statement or a fact.
He makes it much clearer when He says:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
See? Jesus is the Truth. The truth is a person. Not a fact. Not a statement. The truth is a living, breathing person that you and I must get to know. Why would we want to get to know this person? Because if we know this person, He will set us free. How do we know Him? We start to follow Him and become a disciple. We become someone who actually tries to put his teachings into practice in our lives. Then we will know him, and then we will be set free because we have entered into a relationship with the truth. “So, if the son sets you free, you will be free, indeed.” (John 8:36)
TRUTH IS A PERSON
The Volcanic Seven Summits are the highest volcanoes on each of the seven continents, just as the Seven Summits are the highest peaks on each of the seven continents.en.wikipedia.org...
The ancient phrase "Seven seas" (as in the idiom "sail the Seven Seas") can refer either to a particular set of seven seas or be used as an expression for all the world's oceans in general.[1]
Rainbows appear in seven colors because water droplets break white sunlight into the seven colors of the spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet).eo.ucar.edu...
Just as the seven notes in the octave can be combined into chords which makes harmonious music, so too can the corresponding colors be combined to form harmonious colors.thehouseofjest.wordpress.com...
originally posted by: graphuto
Where are you getting this bizarre exegesis?
The seven churches were seven literal churches...
So, while the Historical viewpoint is VALID, it cannot possibly be the only vantage point from which to consider these messages! In other words, the messages to the Seven Churches MUST HAVE a DUAL APPLICATION -- one Historical, and one as having meaning and application to the Church as a WHOLE throughout ALL OF THE NEW TESTAMENT PERIOD. I believe that the messages to the Seven Churches have even more than a "Dual Application" (or separate applications) -- I believe they have a JOINT application. Which means that ALL the messages to the Seven Churches need to be understood by those of us who are living in this day as APPLICABLE TO US TODAY as well as Historically.
I believe that the "HISTORICAL" aspect of the messages applies to the overall predominate characteristics of the Church at that time but that the messages also speak to the varying factions within the church (in other words, Laodicea may be understood as the PREDOMINATE NATURE of the Church just prior to Christ's Second Coming but that there are those within its' fellowship which actually belong to the groups described in the messages to the other churches). While the message to the church at Ephesus may describe the predominate nature of the Church at the time of John's writing, there were, no doubt, members from the church of Philadelphia or Thyratira or Laodicea within its fellowship as well!
And the same would hold true for the Laodicean Church at the end of time -- it's predominate nature is that of being "Lukewarm", however, within the Church (as a whole) there are those who belong to the Church of Ephesus or the Church of Philadelphia, etc. Consequently, the "messages" must be understood as "a message" to the WHOLE CHURCH existing just prior to His Second Coming, and ALL SEVEN of the messages should be considered as speaking directly to the Church TODAY.
The "Seven Churches"
Exercises for Increasing Spiritual
Senses1. Spiritual eyes of self
2. Spiritual ears of self
3. Spiritual taste of self
4. Spiritual touch of self
5. Spiritual smell of self
6. Spiritual conscience.
7. Spiritual divinity.