Why judgment is to begin at the house of God?

by Kosonen 32 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Cold Steel

  Why for God to judge his own house? Simply because His house needs a real clean up and renovation. All Christians are in different ways walking in error. And nothing but tribulation can prompt them to examine themselves and bring themselves in order for eternal life.

  That much is clear. But prophecy is clear that tribulation will not bring them to repentance. Rather, they will shake their fists at the heavens, curse God and die. One great religious leader of our day declared that when men lose the Spirit of God, they lose the ability to act in their own self interests. I think we see that in today’s world as nations continue in their own profligate spending with no way to pay their debts! We’re already seeing them adopting contentious feelings and that will lead to violence and toppling of governments.

  Must be the worship of the Christians in the Middle East is displeasing to God. And they are not listening to those who try to correct them. The first thing they should learn is that there is no trinity. But they refuse to repent from this false teaching originating from the Devil. So the best thing now is to let them come to tribulation. At least some will open their minds and hearts, when they will ask why God is not blessing them.

  I believe the tribulations will come upon the church, not because of what Christians believe or disbelieve, but in what they do or fail to do. There has never been a period in the history of the world where any civilization was destroyed or punished because of doctrine. Rather, it was how they treated their fellow man. While I am a critic of the doctrine of the Trinity, not all Christians agree on what that doctrine is. In a real sense, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are ONE in purpose, though not one in personality or substance. The Lord is more concerned in whether we love our neighbor and our God. He cares more about whether we feed and house the needy and whether we forgive others. Again, the Lord has never once destroyed a people for their beliefs, but whether they engaged in sexual orgies and infant sacrifice. He also destroyed the heathen priests who had infiltrated Israel in the days of Elijah, but He didn’t destroy the people.

  But the same awaits Christians in the “free” western world, where Christians still cling to trinity and other false teachings. Not a single church or organization teaches the pure truth to their members. Every leadership suppresses the truth. So they all need tribulation. And that’s what waits them.

  How do you know there’s not a single church or organization that teaches the pure [gospel] truth to its members? This is speculation on your part, and answer me this: If there is no religion on Earth through which God can speak, then does the Christian church even exist? Anciently, God spoke through apostles and prophets—men called and ordained by God, and having divine authority. If the tribulations are to begin with the Lord’s House, and the Lord’s House does not exist, from whence do the tribulations begin? With the state of Israel?

  In an extrabiblical scripture from my own church, the Lord states: “Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord. And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth; first among those among you who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord.”

  And Isaiah writes: “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?” (Isa. 29)

  Note that the Lord curses those who “seek deep to hide their counsel” and keep their “works” in the dark from the Lord. It says nothing about their beliefs, but their works. In the end, every knee shall bend and every tongue confess Christ. And in the Millennium the earth will be filled with knowledge of the Lord. But no one will ever suffer in an eternal Hell or fail to be resurrected because of his beliefs.
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  Christ Alone

  Kos seems to be hanging on to the majority of wt theology. Works based salvation. Those that do not believe as be does are in trouble from god. Etc... I e noticed that in many of kos's posts there is a lack of scripture, yet a large amount of grandios talk of truth. He appeals to "many scripture" that go into his understanding, yet is unwilling to discuss them. I don't even try anymore. I hate saying it...but I have to call "troll"
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  Cold Steel

  There are things that we may disagree on hence predestination or end time sequence, but we agree on essential doctrine salvation is by faith alone, Christ alone, grace alone, scripture alone, and God’s glory alone. the five solas of the reformation. My friend I choose not to debate but to discuss who Jesus is, is of the upmost importance.

  The idea of predestination, or the idea that God creates an elite group of people who will be “saved” while others will be born with the express purpose of being damned is, to me, incomprehensible. It was primarily a doctrine fostered by John Calvin, and is unfair to the person being born.

  Faith alone, Christ alone, grace alone, scripture alone, and God’s glory alone are doctrines that are highly problematic. The scriptures are clear that it’s just not that easy. Why not baptism alone? Repentance alone? Receiving the Holy Spirit alone?

  The scriptures are full of paradoxes, one of which is awfully difficult for Protestants to accept. That paradox is this: A man cannot be saved by his works, but he also cannot be saved without works.

  What works? Well, baptism for one. Baptism does not save, but a man cannot be saved without it. Repentance does not save, but a man cannot be saved without it. And so it goes. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the reality of a physical resurrection, which many people find difficult for some reasons. The Sadducees in Jesus time didn’t believe in it, and many Christians had a difficult time with it as well. Thus Paul wrote: “...Else what shall they do who are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all. Why are they then baptized for the dead.” We don’t hear much about vicarious work for the dead in our scriptures, but the early church was very much interested in it. (I Cor. 15:29) If baptism was simply optional and nothing more, why would the early Christians have vicarious baptisms for their departed relatives? Other Christians in succeeding generations told potential converts that their departed relatives were damned because they neither had the opportunity to accept Christ or to be baptized. And Jesus said, “He who believeth and is baptized shall be saved; and he who believeth not shall be damned.” Why did Jesus specifically add the part about baptism if it wasn’t necessary?

  Like I said, it’s a paradox, but it’s true. As far as predestination, one only has to consider that God is Just to prove that false. How about scripture alone? The ancient church had an open canon, so there is nothing to suggest that scripture was to suddenly stop. The same is true for revelation. The bottom line is that there have been a lot of scholars working on biblical exegesis for generations, and no one has been able to come to a knowledge of the truth.