From: rpitts@emperor.gatech.edu (Richard Pitts)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: Rich men and Heaven
Date: 6 Oct 92 14:44:56 GMT
Organization: CERL-EE, Georgia Institue of Technology

In article <ksand-041092165732@wintermute.apple.com> ksand@apple.com (Kent Sandvik) writes:
|In article <69231@hydra.gatech.EDU>, rpitts@emperor.gatech.edu (Richard
|Pitts) wrote:
|> Not the four little words, but the whole parable and the whole of the
|> detailed illustrations Jesus used.  Maybe I should have included the 
|> whole parable, but I didn't - here is the introduction with the above
|> scripture, agian:
|> 
|>    Luke 19:11   While they were listening to this, HE WENT ON TO TELL THEM A
|>      PARABLE, BECAUSE HE WAS NEAR JERUSALEM AND THE PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT THE
|>      KINGDOM OF GOD WAS GOING TO APPEAR AT ONCE.
|>    Luke 19:12   He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to
|>      have himself appointed king and then to return.
|>    Luke 19:13   So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.
|>      'Put this money to work,' he said, 'UNTIL I COME BACK.'
|
|Sigh, speaking about filters in brains. The text above clearly states
|that a man of noble birth told his servants that he would get back. 

Sigh, speaking about not seeing the words "UNTIL I COME BACK".

|Richard, it does NOT say anything at all about Jesus coming back. Nothing.
|Nil, zip, nada. I would still like to know the logical explanation how
|you could map this story of the noble man to Jesus. I guess

Well I guess this Jesus was is proclaimed to be God in human flesh and
who was declared Lord and Christ at his physical birth couldn't in no
way be construed to be a noble man, huh?

|you need a lot of faith to make the direct connection. Note that there
|are people out there that are not that keen to make such connections
|automatically.

One gains salvation only by faith.  One needs to understand who the 
Bible proclaims Jesus to be (God in the form of human flesh) to see 
the connection.  However, Jesus did tell us that he spoke in parables
to those outside the kingdom - Paul told us that things of spiritual
nature are to be only understood by those with the spirit.  

|> Additionally, you can look in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 and see where Jesus 
|> tells of many events to happen before His return.  The fall of Jerusalem,
|> many dreadful signs and wonders in heavens and on earth, false prophets 
|> and false christs, famines, wars, rumors of wars, etc, BEFORE the Son
|> of Man returns in the clouds with great glory, with angels and the
|> trumpet call of God.
|
|And this is the dilemma! Certain Christians assume that the Kingdom
|of Heaven happened long time ago, or it's part of the inner revelation.

Could you give some specifics on these 'certain Christians' that assume
the Kingdom happened along time ago?  Remember Paul in 2 Thess 2 tells
us that the Day of the Lord and our gathering to him has not happened and
will not happen until the rebellion and the rise of the one who claims
to be God.  This one will be other thrown by Christ at His return.  
The one who claims to be God will be accompanied by signs and wonders.
Jesus told us that there was much to occur before his return.

|However they can't explain the missing signs Jesus told his disciples,
|neither that all this would happen during the lifetime of the disciples.

Oh, maybe this group is wrong, huh?  The only clear reference to the life
time of people hearing Jesus is recorded in Matthew 16 and Peter tells
us that he say Jesus in His glory on the mountain (Matthew 17 and 
2 Peter 1:17-18).  The generation that Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24 was
not clarified to be that of the disciples.  I think it is understood
to be future, since it ended the whole series of events that will happen
before the return of Christ.  Jesus even told us that when you see these
things happen, you know the Kingdom of God is near.

For Christ and His Kingdom,
Richard Pitts
-- 
rpitts@cerl.gatech.edu       |    
Atlanta, GA                --|-- 
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Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc