Posted by Elana Janson on November 16, 2014 at 03:13:51:
In Reply to: Re: The words of St Paul in the letter to the Ephesians and Revelation posted by Susanne Baker on November 10, 2014 at 00:30:47:
You have put “to and fro” in inverted commas therefore taken from Scripture, but I do not know from which verse.
The Bible uses “to and fro” to mean simply moving across the earth (Zech 1:11) or water (Gen 8:7) or pacing a room (2Kings 4:35).
Moving across the earth seeking “peace and goodwill” at the present time in any land can only be a good thing.
“to and fro” can mean unsteady and easily influenced
Ps 107:27 “They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man”.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 4:14 “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”
Do you think that Christians today are unsteady and easily influenced at the present time?
According to the understanding of Revelation Christians today are warned to be wary of forgetting the fundamentals of the Christian faith, because of the deception of the ‘dragon’, ‘beasts’ and Satan that has been set loose in the short season.
The challenge for Christians today is extremely great for they have to believe that through the blood of Christ they are redeemed from sin and that that their faith is the sure way to everlasting life. On the other hand they have to promote humanitarian equality of faiths before the law in order to promote peace and goodwill among men of all nations.
I think this is what you are saying Christians are doing today, but will they find Christ this way? What you are saying is that their humanitarian struggle to incorporate all faiths will not necessarily let them see the vital importance of the message of the death and resurrection of Christ.
Can we find Christ this way today?
In history it was in the process of trying to find peace and goodwill between nations, to put an end to the wars of religion that the nations promoted and put in place an equality of faith before the law internationally. Revelation reveals that Satan saw in this and other achievements of man the opportunity to deceive mankind and turn minds away from the power of faith in their lives.
I believe we have to understand Revelation today so that we can comprehend how this situation developed through the past two thousand years. Once one is aware of the magnitude of the onslaught of Satan through the ages (within the struggle of the nations to find peace among nations) one can understand why God wants to bring a degree of understanding to our attention at the present time. God in his greatness gave Revelation to John on Patmos at the end of the first century and being a righteous God to all nations through the ages had to keep this book locked till the end of the twentieth century.
Because Revelation was made known I think it is a sure sign that it is probably extremely hard to find Christ at the present time. Society and the media just place too much accent on issues that are antichrist.
The seals of the book are now ‘loosed’ so that we are made aware and not deceived or confused by the situation that has arisen in the world and that the promotion of equality of faith before the law, the expertise of intellect of the man will not cloud the essential knowledge of the Christian Scripture.
We have to promote peace and goodwill at this late stage for this is what Christ preached. Revelation 17:17 reveals that it was predestined that a rule contrary to what God wished would come about. “God hath put it in their hearts to fulfil his will and to agree and give their kingdom unto the beast”. The understanding of Revelation casts light on the present situation and should inspire to carry on doing good and in this some will I believe still find Christ.