"Thy Kingdom Come"
Jan 19, 2022 16:14:27 #
January 19, 2022
[Update from 1-1-2000]
The Berean Call
"Thy Kingdom Come" is a phrase contained in the commonly titled “Lord’s prayer,” which, in fact, is not our Lord’s prayer (as found in John 17) but, is instead, His example to the disciples’ as to how they should pray. It would hardly have been appropriate for our Lord to personally pray, “Forgive us our sins...and lead us not into temptation” (Luke:11:4).
Nor is it a prayer to be repeated over and over in a mind numbing chant, but rather a pattern for prayer for the disciples: “After this manner therefore pray ye” (Matthew:6:9). When Jesus gave this pattern for prayer, He told his disciples, “use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (v. 7). Yet the “Lord’s prayer” is too often used exactly in that way - repeated by rote without thought to its true meaning.
Contrary to anyone who preaches the “prosperity gospel,” we are not to request earthly blessings for ourselves, much less luxurious riches, but for sufficient provision for each day (“Give us this day our daily bread...”); and to be kept from sin in order to live to God’s glory (“deliver us from evil...for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory”).
Lest we doubt God's ability to fulfill His promises, as written in His Word. "Thy kingdom come” is the heart of this Christ given pattern for prayer, and it should be the passion of our lives.
Remember the Y2K hysteria and how many Christians were caught up in it at the turn of the century, spending needless time, money, and effort to assure themselves of their own food supply, warmth, and earthly protection? Sadly, the Christian testimony of many were spoiled, and our Lord and His Word ridiculed as a result of their irrational fears of a mysterious computer “bug,” or glitch, which they believed had the power to shut down the world!
More recently, word - faith ministries, such as Jim Bakker's, have continued to profit from fearmongering, selling survivalist food packs that are often much more expensive than the same items purchased elsewhere. How much better to have heeded our Lord’s admonition not to be anxious, [rather than going about] saying, “What shall we eat?” or, “What shall we drink?” or, “Wherewithal shall we be clothed?...for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew:6:25-34).
Seek ye first the kingdom! Here is the pattern of life that is to accompany the prayer pattern. But what is this kingdom we are to seek, consumed by the passionate plea, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew:6:10)? What did Jesus Christ mean by His frequent references to “the kingdom”?
Christ referred both to the “kingdom of heaven” (found only in Matthew) and to the “kingdom of God.” Significantly, the same things are said about the kingdom of God in the other Gospels that Matthew declared concerning the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, it is obvious to conclude that they are the same.
For example, in Matthew:4:17+, Jesus preaches, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” while in Mark:1:15 He says, “the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” In Matthew’s presentation of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus begins with “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (5:3). But in Luke, Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with “Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God” (6:20). Study and compare Matthew:8:11 with Luke:13:28-29; Matthew 13 with Mark 4 and Luke 8; Matthew:18:1-4 with Mark:10:14-15 and Luke:18:16-17.
It is generally assumed that the “kingdom” refers to Christ’s millennial reign. He promised His twelve disciples, “when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel [ten tribes of which are not at all lost!]” (Matthew:19:28).
Surely this is not a spiritual but a literal reign that will be established at Christ’s second coming when His feet touch the Mount of Olives (Zechariah:14:4, Acts:1:11) as He comes to rescue Israel in the midst of Armageddon (Zechariah 12-14). Then “every eye shall see him” (Revelation:1:7) coming to earth “with power and glory” and the angels will “gather together his elect [i.e., the Jews, Isaiah:45:4, etc.] from the four winds” (Matthew:24:29-31) to bring them from all over the world to Israel to share in the millennial kingdom.
Having destroyed Antichrist and his kingdom at His second coming (2 Thessalonians:2:8+), Christ rescues Israel in the midst of Armageddon (Zechariah 12, 14) and in fulfillment of His promise to King David, ascends David’s throne (2 Samuel:7:13; Ezekiel:37:24-26, Luke:1:32), from which He will rule the world for 1,000 years (Revelation:20:2-6).
In many articles and books, the signs Christ gave us in the New Testament to indicate the nearness of His return to earth, have been discussed: Israel back in her land (Ezekiel:38:11-23; Zechariah 12, 14, etc.), weapons capable of destroying all life (Matthew:24:22), the technology for a world dictator to control the world militarily (Revelation:13:4,7), and to control all banking and commerce (vv. 16-17), etc. The fact that these signs already confront us surely means that the Rapture, which precedes the Second Coming, may not long be delayed.
There are no signs for the Rapture, which could, theoretically, occur at any moment! This is why Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples to be ready for His sudden return, lest, otherwise, they would be caught by surprise: "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.... Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew:24:42,44).
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord.... Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not (Luke:12:35-40).
Because, to the contrary, the Second Coming is not intended to catch anyone by surprise, it is, by necessity, a separate event from the Rapture. Therefore, it is preceded by many signs. Referring to His second coming, Jesus declares in the Olivet discourse, “...when ye shall see all these things [i.e., the signs He has given in the preceding verses], know that it [the Second Coming] is near, even at the doors” (Matthew:24:33). When all signs have been fulfilled, it will be eminent to those with eyes to see, Christ is about to return to earth. Even the Antichrist will understand, and will go out with his armies in a futile effort to repel Christ’s return from heaven:
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.... And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS....
"And I saw the beast [Antichrist], and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet.... These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Revelation:19:11-20).
Another major sign preceding the Second Coming is a revival of the Roman Empire worldwide. This is made clear in Daniel’s interpretation of the image of the giant in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2). It represented four world empires: the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman. Each of the first three had a successor, but the Roman Empire did not; it never died, and is in the process of being revived.
Rome was divided in two as the giant’s two legs foretold: politically in AD 330 when Constantine moved his capital to Byzantium, which he had captured in 328 and renamed Constantinople; and religiously in AD 1054 between the West's Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy when Pope Leo IX imperiously excommunicated Patriarch Michael Cerularius of Constantinople.
The ten toes on the feet attached to the two legs correspond to the ten horns on the fourth beast, which Daniel:7:24 says are ten kings. History had not yet recorded ten kings reigning simultaneously over Rome. Therefore, Rome, the fourth kingdom, must be revived with ten sub-rulers under Antichrist. That is the worldwide kingdom that Christ will destroy to establish His millennial reign, once again, clear from Nebuchadnezzar’s image.
Directly after its description of the feet and ten toes (Daniel:2:40-43) verse 44 declares, “In the days of these kings [represented by the ten toes] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.” A “stone cut out without hands” smashes the image, becomes a great mountain and fills the whole earth (vv. 34-35). These events are still future: i.e., in the days of these kings.
This stone is Christ, and the great mountain is His eternal kingdom. The smashing of the image by the stone clearly points to the establishment of Christ’s kingdom by His sudden personal intervention from heaven to destroy Antichrist's kingdom - and not by the church gradually taking over the world, as so many foolishly teach. What folly to imagine that the church has established the Kingdom on earth, and Christ is ruling it from heaven!
We have often warned that those who expend themselves in the attempt to clean up society and to establish God’s kingdom on earth are playing into Antichrist’s hands. In fact, a major purpose of Christ’s second coming (in contrast to the Rapture in which He takes His bride to heaven) is to destroy Antichrist and his kingdom: “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord ...shall destroy with the brightness of his coming....” (2 Thessalonians:2:4-9).
Far from the obviously evil ogre as which he is generally described, Antichrist will be charming and popular that “all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him” (Revelation:13:8). His kingdom will begin in peace and prosperity. Tragically, multitudes are already being led astray by leaders in the “signs and wonders” movement who claim to be using “miracles” to establish the Kingdom; believing only when they have done so will Christ then be able to return to rule over the kingdom they have established in His name.
Those who reject the Rapture and look for a “Christ” who comes to this earth to reign without first taking the church to heaven are setting themselves up to misidentify and embrace the Antichrist and his kingdom.
Those who believe in the Rapture cannot be enticed to look for a “Christ” who comes to rule the “kingdom” they’ve established. They expect “to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians:4:17) above earth to be taken to heaven. Critics deride this belief as a “secret rapture theory,” but Scripture says, “the dead in Christ shall be raised...we which are alive...shall be caught up together with them...” (1 Corinthians:15:51-57; 1 Thessalonians:4:13-18) to be taken to His Father’s house (John:14:1-3).
The great hopes placed in the new Millennium (which actually began January 1, 2001) only increased the satanic delusions that blind the eyes of unbelievers. With Y2K conquered, and with the new software and high-tech equipment developed, there came an explosion of technology that bolstered mankind’s belief that it no longer needed God. Ecumenism is taking giant strides and fewer believers expect the Rapture. The Pope (Catholicism denies the Rapture) has great plans for what he calls “The third millennium of Christianity.” Sadly, many evangelicals are adopting that same terminology. Ambitious plans for the new Millennium are pushing Christ’s kingdom even further back in the minds of many believers. [This perspective of the year 2000 has come to pass!]
Surprising to some, Christ’s millennial reign is not the ultimate Kingdom for which we are to pray. Christ told Nicodemus unequivocally, “Except a man be born again, he cannot [even] see... [much less] enter into the kingdom of God” (John:3:3-5). We are also told in 1st Corinthians 15:50 that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." Yet there will be many flesh-and-blood people living during the Millennium, and among them multitudes who have not been born again of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible declares repeatedly that God’s kingdom is “an everlasting kingdom” (Psalm:145:13; Daniel:4:3, 7:27); that Christ shall reign on “the throne of his father David...over the house of Jacob [Israel] forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end (Luke:1:32-33).... Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end...” (Isaiah:9:7). But the Millennium lasts only 1,000 years, and its peace ends with earth’s final war.
The Millennium, in fact, is the final proof of the incorrigible self-centered evil of the human heart. No longer can anyone complain that Adam and Eve alone had the unique opportunity of living in Paradise and that if only they (the complainers) had been there, they would not have sinned. Billions will live in an even better Paradise because Christ will rule it and Satan will be locked up for 1,000 years. Yet when he is at last released, Satan will “deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth,” and they will attack Jesus Christ at Jerusalem" (Revelation:20:7-9).
The true kingdom of God, with endless peace, will only arrive in the new heavens and new earth. Paul writes, “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to the Father” (1 Corinthians:15:24-28). Here we see that Christ did not refer to the Rapture when He said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew:24:14). Obviously, the Rapture is not “the end” to which Christ referred, but is that which Paul explains.
May what has been for many a “vain repetition” become a passion for prayer without ceasing: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” May our hearts turn from earth to seek first the ultimate Kingdom in which heaven and earth are one in the new creation, rebellion is a thing of the past and God’s will alone is truly done because it has become the will of all creatures. And as that passion grows within us, we will find that our wills are more and more in harmony with His because “every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure” (1 John:3:3).
Even so, Come. Lord Jesus!
[Update from 1-1-2000]
The Berean Call
"Thy Kingdom Come" is a phrase contained in the commonly titled “Lord’s prayer,” which, in fact, is not our Lord’s prayer (as found in John 17) but, is instead, His example to the disciples’ as to how they should pray. It would hardly have been appropriate for our Lord to personally pray, “Forgive us our sins...and lead us not into temptation” (Luke:11:4).
Nor is it a prayer to be repeated over and over in a mind numbing chant, but rather a pattern for prayer for the disciples: “After this manner therefore pray ye” (Matthew:6:9). When Jesus gave this pattern for prayer, He told his disciples, “use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (v. 7). Yet the “Lord’s prayer” is too often used exactly in that way - repeated by rote without thought to its true meaning.
Contrary to anyone who preaches the “prosperity gospel,” we are not to request earthly blessings for ourselves, much less luxurious riches, but for sufficient provision for each day (“Give us this day our daily bread...”); and to be kept from sin in order to live to God’s glory (“deliver us from evil...for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory”).
Lest we doubt God's ability to fulfill His promises, as written in His Word. "Thy kingdom come” is the heart of this Christ given pattern for prayer, and it should be the passion of our lives.
Remember the Y2K hysteria and how many Christians were caught up in it at the turn of the century, spending needless time, money, and effort to assure themselves of their own food supply, warmth, and earthly protection? Sadly, the Christian testimony of many were spoiled, and our Lord and His Word ridiculed as a result of their irrational fears of a mysterious computer “bug,” or glitch, which they believed had the power to shut down the world!
More recently, word - faith ministries, such as Jim Bakker's, have continued to profit from fearmongering, selling survivalist food packs that are often much more expensive than the same items purchased elsewhere. How much better to have heeded our Lord’s admonition not to be anxious, [rather than going about] saying, “What shall we eat?” or, “What shall we drink?” or, “Wherewithal shall we be clothed?...for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew:6:25-34).
Seek ye first the kingdom! Here is the pattern of life that is to accompany the prayer pattern. But what is this kingdom we are to seek, consumed by the passionate plea, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew:6:10)? What did Jesus Christ mean by His frequent references to “the kingdom”?
Christ referred both to the “kingdom of heaven” (found only in Matthew) and to the “kingdom of God.” Significantly, the same things are said about the kingdom of God in the other Gospels that Matthew declared concerning the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, it is obvious to conclude that they are the same.
For example, in Matthew:4:17+, Jesus preaches, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” while in Mark:1:15 He says, “the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” In Matthew’s presentation of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus begins with “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (5:3). But in Luke, Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with “Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God” (6:20). Study and compare Matthew:8:11 with Luke:13:28-29; Matthew 13 with Mark 4 and Luke 8; Matthew:18:1-4 with Mark:10:14-15 and Luke:18:16-17.
It is generally assumed that the “kingdom” refers to Christ’s millennial reign. He promised His twelve disciples, “when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel [ten tribes of which are not at all lost!]” (Matthew:19:28).
Surely this is not a spiritual but a literal reign that will be established at Christ’s second coming when His feet touch the Mount of Olives (Zechariah:14:4, Acts:1:11) as He comes to rescue Israel in the midst of Armageddon (Zechariah 12-14). Then “every eye shall see him” (Revelation:1:7) coming to earth “with power and glory” and the angels will “gather together his elect [i.e., the Jews, Isaiah:45:4, etc.] from the four winds” (Matthew:24:29-31) to bring them from all over the world to Israel to share in the millennial kingdom.
Having destroyed Antichrist and his kingdom at His second coming (2 Thessalonians:2:8+), Christ rescues Israel in the midst of Armageddon (Zechariah 12, 14) and in fulfillment of His promise to King David, ascends David’s throne (2 Samuel:7:13; Ezekiel:37:24-26, Luke:1:32), from which He will rule the world for 1,000 years (Revelation:20:2-6).
In many articles and books, the signs Christ gave us in the New Testament to indicate the nearness of His return to earth, have been discussed: Israel back in her land (Ezekiel:38:11-23; Zechariah 12, 14, etc.), weapons capable of destroying all life (Matthew:24:22), the technology for a world dictator to control the world militarily (Revelation:13:4,7), and to control all banking and commerce (vv. 16-17), etc. The fact that these signs already confront us surely means that the Rapture, which precedes the Second Coming, may not long be delayed.
There are no signs for the Rapture, which could, theoretically, occur at any moment! This is why Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples to be ready for His sudden return, lest, otherwise, they would be caught by surprise: "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.... Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew:24:42,44).
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord.... Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not (Luke:12:35-40).
Because, to the contrary, the Second Coming is not intended to catch anyone by surprise, it is, by necessity, a separate event from the Rapture. Therefore, it is preceded by many signs. Referring to His second coming, Jesus declares in the Olivet discourse, “...when ye shall see all these things [i.e., the signs He has given in the preceding verses], know that it [the Second Coming] is near, even at the doors” (Matthew:24:33). When all signs have been fulfilled, it will be eminent to those with eyes to see, Christ is about to return to earth. Even the Antichrist will understand, and will go out with his armies in a futile effort to repel Christ’s return from heaven:
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.... And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS....
"And I saw the beast [Antichrist], and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet.... These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Revelation:19:11-20).
Another major sign preceding the Second Coming is a revival of the Roman Empire worldwide. This is made clear in Daniel’s interpretation of the image of the giant in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2). It represented four world empires: the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman. Each of the first three had a successor, but the Roman Empire did not; it never died, and is in the process of being revived.
Rome was divided in two as the giant’s two legs foretold: politically in AD 330 when Constantine moved his capital to Byzantium, which he had captured in 328 and renamed Constantinople; and religiously in AD 1054 between the West's Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy when Pope Leo IX imperiously excommunicated Patriarch Michael Cerularius of Constantinople.
The ten toes on the feet attached to the two legs correspond to the ten horns on the fourth beast, which Daniel:7:24 says are ten kings. History had not yet recorded ten kings reigning simultaneously over Rome. Therefore, Rome, the fourth kingdom, must be revived with ten sub-rulers under Antichrist. That is the worldwide kingdom that Christ will destroy to establish His millennial reign, once again, clear from Nebuchadnezzar’s image.
Directly after its description of the feet and ten toes (Daniel:2:40-43) verse 44 declares, “In the days of these kings [represented by the ten toes] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.” A “stone cut out without hands” smashes the image, becomes a great mountain and fills the whole earth (vv. 34-35). These events are still future: i.e., in the days of these kings.
This stone is Christ, and the great mountain is His eternal kingdom. The smashing of the image by the stone clearly points to the establishment of Christ’s kingdom by His sudden personal intervention from heaven to destroy Antichrist's kingdom - and not by the church gradually taking over the world, as so many foolishly teach. What folly to imagine that the church has established the Kingdom on earth, and Christ is ruling it from heaven!
We have often warned that those who expend themselves in the attempt to clean up society and to establish God’s kingdom on earth are playing into Antichrist’s hands. In fact, a major purpose of Christ’s second coming (in contrast to the Rapture in which He takes His bride to heaven) is to destroy Antichrist and his kingdom: “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord ...shall destroy with the brightness of his coming....” (2 Thessalonians:2:4-9).
Far from the obviously evil ogre as which he is generally described, Antichrist will be charming and popular that “all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him” (Revelation:13:8). His kingdom will begin in peace and prosperity. Tragically, multitudes are already being led astray by leaders in the “signs and wonders” movement who claim to be using “miracles” to establish the Kingdom; believing only when they have done so will Christ then be able to return to rule over the kingdom they have established in His name.
Those who reject the Rapture and look for a “Christ” who comes to this earth to reign without first taking the church to heaven are setting themselves up to misidentify and embrace the Antichrist and his kingdom.
Those who believe in the Rapture cannot be enticed to look for a “Christ” who comes to rule the “kingdom” they’ve established. They expect “to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians:4:17) above earth to be taken to heaven. Critics deride this belief as a “secret rapture theory,” but Scripture says, “the dead in Christ shall be raised...we which are alive...shall be caught up together with them...” (1 Corinthians:15:51-57; 1 Thessalonians:4:13-18) to be taken to His Father’s house (John:14:1-3).
The great hopes placed in the new Millennium (which actually began January 1, 2001) only increased the satanic delusions that blind the eyes of unbelievers. With Y2K conquered, and with the new software and high-tech equipment developed, there came an explosion of technology that bolstered mankind’s belief that it no longer needed God. Ecumenism is taking giant strides and fewer believers expect the Rapture. The Pope (Catholicism denies the Rapture) has great plans for what he calls “The third millennium of Christianity.” Sadly, many evangelicals are adopting that same terminology. Ambitious plans for the new Millennium are pushing Christ’s kingdom even further back in the minds of many believers. [This perspective of the year 2000 has come to pass!]
Surprising to some, Christ’s millennial reign is not the ultimate Kingdom for which we are to pray. Christ told Nicodemus unequivocally, “Except a man be born again, he cannot [even] see... [much less] enter into the kingdom of God” (John:3:3-5). We are also told in 1st Corinthians 15:50 that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." Yet there will be many flesh-and-blood people living during the Millennium, and among them multitudes who have not been born again of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible declares repeatedly that God’s kingdom is “an everlasting kingdom” (Psalm:145:13; Daniel:4:3, 7:27); that Christ shall reign on “the throne of his father David...over the house of Jacob [Israel] forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end (Luke:1:32-33).... Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end...” (Isaiah:9:7). But the Millennium lasts only 1,000 years, and its peace ends with earth’s final war.
The Millennium, in fact, is the final proof of the incorrigible self-centered evil of the human heart. No longer can anyone complain that Adam and Eve alone had the unique opportunity of living in Paradise and that if only they (the complainers) had been there, they would not have sinned. Billions will live in an even better Paradise because Christ will rule it and Satan will be locked up for 1,000 years. Yet when he is at last released, Satan will “deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth,” and they will attack Jesus Christ at Jerusalem" (Revelation:20:7-9).
The true kingdom of God, with endless peace, will only arrive in the new heavens and new earth. Paul writes, “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to the Father” (1 Corinthians:15:24-28). Here we see that Christ did not refer to the Rapture when He said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew:24:14). Obviously, the Rapture is not “the end” to which Christ referred, but is that which Paul explains.
May what has been for many a “vain repetition” become a passion for prayer without ceasing: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” May our hearts turn from earth to seek first the ultimate Kingdom in which heaven and earth are one in the new creation, rebellion is a thing of the past and God’s will alone is truly done because it has become the will of all creatures. And as that passion grows within us, we will find that our wills are more and more in harmony with His because “every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure” (1 John:3:3).
Even so, Come. Lord Jesus!
Jan 19, 2022 21:29:07 #
Jan 20, 2022 15:08:13 #
Canuckus Deploracus wrote:
Good article 
Thank you, Canuckus,
Your new Avatar of the wheel of fortune/Mandala below the snow topped mountain is gorgeous. Is this a picture you took?
Is the mandala actually there or is it imposed into the scenic valley?
It inspired the following
... - and what is the purpose of mandalas?
Since the oldest of days, mandalas have been used as basic symbols for concentration and meditation, personal maturity process, protection and healing. There are various techniques of meditation with mandalas, as there are different religions, cultures, philosophical and artistic contexts.
This is the viewpoint of those religions and cultures who attribute power to the mandalas as a religious aid: "With the help of mandalas, we can gradually find the way to our self; we can become aware of who we are, why we are here, and what is our purpose in life. The time has come for us to find, cultivate and share the peace and harmony within our hearts again. Only a pure heart, fine thoughts and gentle words lead us to a new era."
Thomas Merton’s words below are also used by the undiscerning to express the purpose of mandalas: “A man meditates on a mandala with an intention to master his psyche instead of letting his psyche control him. During mandala meditation, a man can construct his inner arrangements or make them disappear. A man does not meditate to learn a religious doctrine but to become Buddha, enthroned in his own centre.”
In other words, Thomas Merton's declared purpose for mystical meditation was in a quest to succumb to the serpent in the Garden, and to seek to be God.
Thomas Merton was wrong: Christian mysticism is not the pagan concept he promoted it as being. Thomas Merton was a great proponent of ecumenism. For Merton, all religion, East and West, sought the same thing: unity with God, but he never quite managed to come to the realization that they do not all worship the One true Triune God of Christianity, but many different gods, all of them idols of man's own creation, as they allowed themselves to be led by Satan.
He was also a beautiful writer. Nevertheless, it seems he got something fundamental wrong. The only creditable goal of Christian mystical meditation is to find unity with the God of the Bible, who is the God of Genesis, the God of Creation, by keeping their mind stayed upon Him.
Jan 20, 2022 18:33:48 #
Zemirah wrote:
Thank you, Canuckus, br br Your new Avatar of the... (show quote)
It's actually a Sonnenrad, or Black Sun... It's being used as a symbol of European unity...
Unfortunately, it's also used by a number of white supremacist groups, but they shouldn't stop people from recognizing it's beauty and history...
This Merton fellow sounds interesting...Nut I agree with you concerning his viewpoints on Christianity...
Jan 20, 2022 19:47:13 #
Being used by whom?
As with much of symbology, it appears to mean different things to different groups, some of them quite sinister:
"The Black Sun is a Nazi symbol, a type of sun wheel employed in a post–Nazi Germany context by neo-Nazis and in some strains of Satanism. The symbol's design consists of twelve radial sig runes, similar to the symbols employed by the SS in their logo." Wikipedia
"The Black Sun, also known as the sonnenrad (sun wheel) in German, specifically comes from the floor of the north tower of Wewelsburg Castle, which was renovated by SS-leader Heinrich Himmler. The castle was a meeting place of only highest members of the SS, and Himmler considered it the axis mundi (center of the world) for their ideology." https://www.learnreligions.com ›
Sonnenrad
General Hate Symbols
Neo-Nazi Symbols
Alternate Names:
Sunwheel, Black Sun
"The sonnenrad or sunwheel is one of a number of ancient European symbols appropriated by the Nazis in their attempt to invent an idealized "Aryan/Norse" heritage. The sonnenrad appears in the traditional symbology of many countries and cultures, including Old Norse and Celtic cultures. It has countless variations; the swastika and similar rounded variants are actually sonnenrad forms, as are certain versions of the Celtic Cross. In Nazi Germany, the Nazi Party, the SA and the SS all used sonnenrad symbology at times, which has led neo-Nazis and other modern white supremacists to adopt such images. One sonnenrad version in particular is popular among white supremacists: two concentric circles with crooked rays emanating from the inner circle to the outer circle. Often white supremacists will put another hate symbol such as a swastika in the center of the inner circle.
Because sonnenrad imagery is used by many cultures around the world, one should not assume that most sonnenrad-like images necessarily denote racism or white supremacy; rather, they should be analyzed carefully in the context in which they appear." Anti-Defamation League https://www.adl.org/education
I do believe he was a literary genius, however I've never read anything about Thomas Merton that would make me believe he was ever a Bible believing, born-again Christian, but then, he never claimed to be. For Merton, Zen was entirely compatible with Christian mysticism if by Zen we mean “the quest for direct and pure experience on a metaphysical level.” (Merton, OZ, p 102; DD, p 149) If searching for some display of Biblical discernment, He displayed little or none, but that was not required to be a Catholic Trappist monk.
Thomas Merton OCSO (January 31, 1915 - December 10, 1968) was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist, and scholar of comparative religion. He was a member of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky, living there from 1941 to his death.
O.C.S.O. The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (also known as “Trappists”) is a Roman Catholic contemplative religious order, consisting of monasteries of monks and monasteries of nuns. They are part of the larger Cistercian family which traces its origin to 1098. As Cistercians they follow the Rule of St Benedict, and so are part of the Benedictine family as well, in a community of sisters or brothers.
The Rule of St Benedict, written in the early 6th century by Benedict, abbot of Monte Cassino (Italy), the Rule is a spiritual and practical guide for living the Gospel. It is the foundational text for Western Christian monasticism.: "Listen carefully, my son, to your master’s precepts, and incline the ear of your heart. To you my words are now addressed, whoever you may be, who are renouncing your own will to do battle under the Lord Christ, the true King, and are taking up the strong, bright weapons of obedience."
Thomas Merton (1915–1968), a Trappist monk, was one of the most well-known Catholic writers of the 20th century. He was the author of more than 60 books, including the story of his conversion, "Seven Storey Mountain", a modern spiritual classic. Yet Merton is a controversial figure. In the last year of his life, he wrote in his journal while traveling through Asia:
"Last night I dreamed I was, temporarily, back at Gethsemani. I was dressed in a Buddhist monk’s habit, but with more black and red and gold, a “Zen habit,” in color more Tibetan than Zen . . . I met some women in the corridor, visitors and students of Asian religion, to whom I was explaining I was a kind of Zen monk and Gelugpa together, when I woke up." (Asian Journal, 107)
"A Catholic Trappist monk dreams of being a Buddhist monk? In our grandparents age, there lived an American impersonator named Lon Chaney (1883–1930) who was such a master at changing his screen identity that he came to be called “the man with a thousand faces.”
"Fr. Thomas Merton was a man of a thousand lives. He was at one time a womanizer, a member of the Young Communist League, an English student at Columbia, a peace activist, an English teacher at St. Bonaventure University, and a social work volunteer. He was an orphan, the father of a child, a Catholic convert, a Trappist monk, a priest, a poet, a writer, and some describe him as a Zen Buddhist. It is difficult to distill the essence of Thomas Merton: He and his works are complex."
https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/can-you-trust-thomas-merton
As with much of symbology, it appears to mean different things to different groups, some of them quite sinister:
"The Black Sun is a Nazi symbol, a type of sun wheel employed in a post–Nazi Germany context by neo-Nazis and in some strains of Satanism. The symbol's design consists of twelve radial sig runes, similar to the symbols employed by the SS in their logo." Wikipedia
"The Black Sun, also known as the sonnenrad (sun wheel) in German, specifically comes from the floor of the north tower of Wewelsburg Castle, which was renovated by SS-leader Heinrich Himmler. The castle was a meeting place of only highest members of the SS, and Himmler considered it the axis mundi (center of the world) for their ideology." https://www.learnreligions.com ›
Sonnenrad
General Hate Symbols
Neo-Nazi Symbols
Alternate Names:
Sunwheel, Black Sun
"The sonnenrad or sunwheel is one of a number of ancient European symbols appropriated by the Nazis in their attempt to invent an idealized "Aryan/Norse" heritage. The sonnenrad appears in the traditional symbology of many countries and cultures, including Old Norse and Celtic cultures. It has countless variations; the swastika and similar rounded variants are actually sonnenrad forms, as are certain versions of the Celtic Cross. In Nazi Germany, the Nazi Party, the SA and the SS all used sonnenrad symbology at times, which has led neo-Nazis and other modern white supremacists to adopt such images. One sonnenrad version in particular is popular among white supremacists: two concentric circles with crooked rays emanating from the inner circle to the outer circle. Often white supremacists will put another hate symbol such as a swastika in the center of the inner circle.
Because sonnenrad imagery is used by many cultures around the world, one should not assume that most sonnenrad-like images necessarily denote racism or white supremacy; rather, they should be analyzed carefully in the context in which they appear." Anti-Defamation League https://www.adl.org/education
I do believe he was a literary genius, however I've never read anything about Thomas Merton that would make me believe he was ever a Bible believing, born-again Christian, but then, he never claimed to be. For Merton, Zen was entirely compatible with Christian mysticism if by Zen we mean “the quest for direct and pure experience on a metaphysical level.” (Merton, OZ, p 102; DD, p 149) If searching for some display of Biblical discernment, He displayed little or none, but that was not required to be a Catholic Trappist monk.
Thomas Merton OCSO (January 31, 1915 - December 10, 1968) was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist, and scholar of comparative religion. He was a member of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky, living there from 1941 to his death.
O.C.S.O. The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (also known as “Trappists”) is a Roman Catholic contemplative religious order, consisting of monasteries of monks and monasteries of nuns. They are part of the larger Cistercian family which traces its origin to 1098. As Cistercians they follow the Rule of St Benedict, and so are part of the Benedictine family as well, in a community of sisters or brothers.
The Rule of St Benedict, written in the early 6th century by Benedict, abbot of Monte Cassino (Italy), the Rule is a spiritual and practical guide for living the Gospel. It is the foundational text for Western Christian monasticism.: "Listen carefully, my son, to your master’s precepts, and incline the ear of your heart. To you my words are now addressed, whoever you may be, who are renouncing your own will to do battle under the Lord Christ, the true King, and are taking up the strong, bright weapons of obedience."
Thomas Merton (1915–1968), a Trappist monk, was one of the most well-known Catholic writers of the 20th century. He was the author of more than 60 books, including the story of his conversion, "Seven Storey Mountain", a modern spiritual classic. Yet Merton is a controversial figure. In the last year of his life, he wrote in his journal while traveling through Asia:
"Last night I dreamed I was, temporarily, back at Gethsemani. I was dressed in a Buddhist monk’s habit, but with more black and red and gold, a “Zen habit,” in color more Tibetan than Zen . . . I met some women in the corridor, visitors and students of Asian religion, to whom I was explaining I was a kind of Zen monk and Gelugpa together, when I woke up." (Asian Journal, 107)
"A Catholic Trappist monk dreams of being a Buddhist monk? In our grandparents age, there lived an American impersonator named Lon Chaney (1883–1930) who was such a master at changing his screen identity that he came to be called “the man with a thousand faces.”
"Fr. Thomas Merton was a man of a thousand lives. He was at one time a womanizer, a member of the Young Communist League, an English student at Columbia, a peace activist, an English teacher at St. Bonaventure University, and a social work volunteer. He was an orphan, the father of a child, a Catholic convert, a Trappist monk, a priest, a poet, a writer, and some describe him as a Zen Buddhist. It is difficult to distill the essence of Thomas Merton: He and his works are complex."
https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/can-you-trust-thomas-merton
Canuckus Deploracus wrote:
It's actually a Sonnenrad, or Black Sun... It's being used as a symbol of European unity...
Unfortunately, it's also used by a number of white supremacist groups, but they shouldn't stop people from recognizing it's beauty and history...
This Merton fellow sounds interesting...Nut I agree with you concerning his viewpoints on Christianity...
Unfortunately, it's also used by a number of white supremacist groups, but they shouldn't stop people from recognizing it's beauty and history...
This Merton fellow sounds interesting...Nut I agree with you concerning his viewpoints on Christianity...
Jan 20, 2022 20:31:01 #
Zemirah wrote:
Being used by whom? br br As with much of symbolo... (show quote)
Used by various groups of Europeans, or people of European descent, to show unity for our cultures and histories...
The Sonnenrad predates nazi Germany by thousands of years... Just like the swastika...
The anti defamation league can kiss my posterior with their babble...
Jan 21, 2022 11:49:37 #
Well, all righty then, Canuckus - 
Actually, if you reread the final small paragraph of ADL's report, it was the only source I quoted with a disclaimer that does more or less mirror your own conclusion regarding the sonnenrad's multiculturalism; a paragraph you may well have overlooked...
"Because sonnenrad imagery is used by many cultures around the world, one should not assume that most sonnenrad-like images necessarily denote racism or white supremacy; rather, they should be analyzed carefully in the context in which they appear." Anti-Defamation League https://www.adl.org/education
Actually, if you reread the final small paragraph of ADL's report, it was the only source I quoted with a disclaimer that does more or less mirror your own conclusion regarding the sonnenrad's multiculturalism; a paragraph you may well have overlooked...
"Because sonnenrad imagery is used by many cultures around the world, one should not assume that most sonnenrad-like images necessarily denote racism or white supremacy; rather, they should be analyzed carefully in the context in which they appear." Anti-Defamation League https://www.adl.org/education
Canuckus Deploracus wrote:
Used by various groups of Europeans, or people of European descent, to show unity for our cultures and histories...
The Sonnenrad predates nazi Germany by thousands of years... Just like the swastika...
The anti defamation league can kiss my posterior with their babble...
The Sonnenrad predates nazi Germany by thousands of years... Just like the swastika...
The anti defamation league can kiss my posterior with their babble...
Jan 21, 2022 22:33:57 #
Zemirah wrote:
Well, all righty then, Canuckus - img src="http... (show quote)
Didn't overlook it... It should have been the first thing written...
The rest is just a footnote...
Jan 22, 2022 21:42:52 #
It's far from a footnote, and of course, your opinion, as well as your avatar, are your own; I found the information about its extensive use as a symbol of great importance to the Fuhrer's Nazi party to be of historical interest.
As are these key words and info listed for your Sonnenrad/Sun Wheel Avatar:
KEYWORDS
ancient art, celtic circle design, esoteric european geometric, german goddess, gothic graphic hammer, isolated lightning logo, magic moon, mystic mythology, nordic pagan power religion, sacred scandinavian shape, sonnenrad spiral spirituality, sun symbol, viking vintage wheel, white wicca
The cover image on Brenton Tarrant's 'manifesto,' is a variant of the black sun, or sunwheel, a black-tribal-sun -tattoo, an ancient European esoteric symbol found in Norse and Celtic cultures.
"The sun wheel and the gods' protection" - John de Nugent - "through reimmergance of the ancient Aryan religion" - "As for the curse you suspect the kabbalists put on her, April Gaede built a sonnenrad [a black sun/ literally, a 'sunwheel' in German] in the landscaping of her yard during a time of need. Vicious neighbors were trying to destroy her. . But one by one, each of these neighbors met their fate. The sonnenrad protected her"...
black-tribal-sun-tattoo-
Kolovrat - Norse Symbols - Symbol Sage
[Search domain symbolsage.com] https://symbolsage.com › kolovrat-norse-symbols
The kolovrat is an ancient symbol viewed as a variation of the swastika, an ancient symbol of reincarnation.
Black Sun Sonnenrad Symbol, Golden Sun Wheel Sign
"Black Sun" SS symbol appears in giant English crop circle ...
[Search domain johndenugent.com] https://www.johndenugent.com › black-sun-ss-symbol-appears-in-giant-english-crop-circle-royal-adjutant-in-raf-comes-clean-about-a-telepathic-human-alien-who-knew-all-british-nuclear-weapon-secrets
"The term Black Sun (German Schwarze Sonne ), also referred to as the Sonnenrad (German for "Sun Wheel"), is a symbol of esoteric and occult significance. Its design is based on a sun wheel mosaic incorporated into a floor of Wewelsburg Castle during the Nazi era."
That's about all.
As are these key words and info listed for your Sonnenrad/Sun Wheel Avatar:
KEYWORDS
ancient art, celtic circle design, esoteric european geometric, german goddess, gothic graphic hammer, isolated lightning logo, magic moon, mystic mythology, nordic pagan power religion, sacred scandinavian shape, sonnenrad spiral spirituality, sun symbol, viking vintage wheel, white wicca
The cover image on Brenton Tarrant's 'manifesto,' is a variant of the black sun, or sunwheel, a black-tribal-sun -tattoo, an ancient European esoteric symbol found in Norse and Celtic cultures.
"The sun wheel and the gods' protection" - John de Nugent - "through reimmergance of the ancient Aryan religion" - "As for the curse you suspect the kabbalists put on her, April Gaede built a sonnenrad [a black sun/ literally, a 'sunwheel' in German] in the landscaping of her yard during a time of need. Vicious neighbors were trying to destroy her. . But one by one, each of these neighbors met their fate. The sonnenrad protected her"...
black-tribal-sun-tattoo-
Kolovrat - Norse Symbols - Symbol Sage
[Search domain symbolsage.com] https://symbolsage.com › kolovrat-norse-symbols
The kolovrat is an ancient symbol viewed as a variation of the swastika, an ancient symbol of reincarnation.
Black Sun Sonnenrad Symbol, Golden Sun Wheel Sign
"Black Sun" SS symbol appears in giant English crop circle ...
[Search domain johndenugent.com] https://www.johndenugent.com › black-sun-ss-symbol-appears-in-giant-english-crop-circle-royal-adjutant-in-raf-comes-clean-about-a-telepathic-human-alien-who-knew-all-british-nuclear-weapon-secrets
"The term Black Sun (German Schwarze Sonne ), also referred to as the Sonnenrad (German for "Sun Wheel"), is a symbol of esoteric and occult significance. Its design is based on a sun wheel mosaic incorporated into a floor of Wewelsburg Castle during the Nazi era."
That's about all.
Canuckus Deploracus wrote:
Didn't overlook it... It should have been the first thing written...
The rest is just a footnote...
The rest is just a footnote...
Jan 22, 2022 23:44:03 #
Zemirah wrote:
It's far from a footnote, and of course, your opin... (show quote)
It's an amazing symbol with a long history and rich heritage
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