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It doesn't need to fit, it's a hyperbole.
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Translation: Yes it's inconsistent and contradictory, but because I can't make it fit, I'll just claim Christ ddn't mean it "literally" He was exaggerating.
Which means He was overstating or magnifying beyond the limits of truth, making it seem worse than it really was. Because
that's what a hyperbole is, an exaggeration. May I remind you that Christ is the very living Word of God, the very personification of truth. Thus, for
any Bible believing Christian, when Christ says that
not one stone would be left standing one upon another in the city of Jerusalem and the Temple, you can be
absolutely sure that in some way, "NOT ONE STONE" was left standing one upon another. Thus the Old Testament city of Jerusalem and its temple was laid even with the ground where it simply doesn't exist anymore as the Lord's house, as the Holy City, as the Holy Temple or as the Holy Kingdom of God on earth. Every stone of it was thrown down. The Kingdom has all been taken from His people and given to aother. Christ is the head cornerstone of a New Testament building, a New Jerusalem, a New Covenant with Israel, a New Holy Temple, with both Jews and Gentiles as the lively or living stiones of that rebuilding. It absolutely
does need to fit, and it does, proving it's not a hyperbole. It's the truth exactly as prophesied.
Ephesians 2:19-22- "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
- And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
- In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
- In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."
There is your rebuilding. There is your Holy Temple. There are the stones of this rebuilding of the Temple. Not as the Zionists suppose, but as God always prophesied. Do you know what the term "fitly framed" in that verse means? It means joined closely together like a glove. i.e.,
it fits perfectly! It means stones placed precisely, exactly, so as to fit together seamlessly. Contrast that with your humanistic easoning that His words don't have to fit "exactly" the prophecy of the stones of this City and Temple. God says the stones fit snugly and grows into the Holy Temple. How much more His word that in the previous building, not one stone would be left standing one upon another would fit perfectly? Selah.
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It just needs to be explained so you can understand it,
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Correct, and the explanation comes from God's Holy word, not from the rantings of Tony Warren, not from the book of John Walvoord, not from the musings of Martin Luther and not from the exaggerations of Josephus. God's word is clear on the matter of the destroying of the Temple by destroying Him as its chief corner stone, and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple of God stone upon stone, Christ, apostles, saints.
1st Corinthians 3:9-13- "For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
- According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
- For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
- Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
- Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."
We in the New Covenant dispensation are the stones of the Temple rebuilding. Not as Dispensationalists imagine a rebuilt Holy Temple of Israel, but as God always intended.
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and Dr. John Walvoord does an excellent job of that.
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I'm very familiar with is books and I'm sorry to say that the late Dr. John J. Walvoord did an excellent job of ignoring Scriptures and avoiding difficult contradictions to his theories about Israel and the church. Again, we should go to the source for explanations, not to men. As righteous Joseph:
Genesis 40:8- "And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you."
Doesn't interpretations belong to God? Yes, they do. So the question is, How does God define stones of the Temple and how does God define the church as a chosen generation and how does God define the rebuilding of the city and Temple and with what corner stone? These are the pertinent questions. Not whether Josephus is a honest reprobate historian or not to be able to authoritatively interpret Scripture for us.
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What you don't understand is that all the stones didn't need to be thrown down,
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According to Scripture, not only did they need to be thrown down, but they were. The people (who were the stones of this city) were devastated so that not one of them remained standing.
John 2:19- "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
The applicatory question should be, did the Jews destroy the Holy Temple as Christ prophesied here they would, was it a sign as Christ answered them in request for one, when was this destruction of the Temple Christ spoke of, and how was this Temple risen again in three days gain fulfilling Cjhrist's prophesy? The cornerstone of their Temple was destroyed "signifying" their desolation, and it was raised up again in 3 days a cornerstone of a New Temple.
Moreover, you can't rebuild a Temple and city until the old ones are destroyed. I ask you honestly, by whose
authority do you hypothesize that it didn't have to be true that not one stone would be left standing on top of another in the City and Holy Sanctuary? You cannot just usurp authority of God's word simply because you can't "make it fit" your personal opinions about fulfilled prophesy.
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it's enough that the city was in ruins and the historical record shows it was destroyed.
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It's enough for the careless, but not enough for God who declares that
there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Look at the example of God speaking about His congregation as spiritually Babylon, and note the language of it being "thrown down" like a great millstone and
never being found again. Now that's what you would call total destruction that cannotbe repaired, as was the Old Testament Holy City of Jerusalem and the Temple thereof. It's "obviously" the exact same message of desolation of the Lord's congregation, not of a physical or literal Great city.
Revelation 18:21- "And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all."
Just as God says this great city will be thrown down and none of it to be found ever again, so the great city of Jerusalem was thrown down, and not one stone remaining there. Very same principle of the desolation of God's people because of their abominations.
Of course, you and I can do this dance until the cows come home, but God's word cannot be adulterated. The bottom line is that I didn't say not one stone, Christ said that. I am merely
faithfully testifying to "exactly" what He declared. By contrast, I can't be accused of taking away from it one single word in any sense, but you can. My point being, God's word is the authority, not our changing the meaning of it. If you have a problem with the word of accuracy in "not one stone left standing upon another," take it up with the author.
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The problem with you liberal, amillennialist, reformers is that you reject God's people Israel and their restoration.
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The problem with "us Liberal Reformers" is that we won't blindly follow Dispensationalist, Reformed, Catholic or Evangelical leaders, choosing instead to faithfully follow the "actual" word of the living God itself. I'm sure this torments many to no end, however their torment is not going to keep us from witnessing to the testimony of Christ. For in TRUTH, it's not us liberal, amillennialist, reformers that reject God's people Israel and their restoration (
as you charge), it's the Dispensational Zionists that are rejecting truth.
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Here's what John said about that...
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Never mind John. We have a more sound "authority" to go to, so here's what God says about it:
Galatians 3:28- "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."
Colossians 3:11- "Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all."
Ephesians 2:11-22- "Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
- That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
- But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
- For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
- Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
- And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
- And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
- For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
- Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
- And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
- In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
- In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."
You see, we not only read all of that, we actually believe it. Not with mere lip service to it while effectively denyingit, but in the faith of Christ where we see it as actually true.
"
nosce te ipsum"
Peace,
Tony Warren
"I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. -Psalms 32:5"