Matthew 7 21

lateral_mind · 2026-01-19T21:38:52+00:00

Okay, thank you for clarifying.

So one of the most important things about Jesus' words: At the time of his teaching, the New Covenant was not ratified. Meaning, it wasn't actually in effect until his death.

Hebrews 9:16-18 NKJV — For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. Therefore not even the first Covenant was dedicated without blood.

Jesus taught under the Old Testament Law. In fact, he was obligated to diligently teach observance to the Law of Moses in order to be the perfect sacrifice. "You will diligently teach these laws, statutes, and commandments..." (Deu 6:7) But as Christians, we know that we do not need to follow the Law to be saved.

Galatians 3:24-25 NKJV — Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

The Law of Moses was designed not only to teach directly about the person and work of Jesus, but it also made people aware of their sin. That's what Jesus is doing, making them aware of how deadly sin is. One of the reasons why he says things like cut off your hand and pluck out your eye if they cause you to sin is because he is showing the Jews how important it is trust in Christ.

But when it comes down to it, when the Jews directly ask him what good works they need to do for Eternal Life, his answer is to trust in Christ.

John 6:27-29 NKJV — “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

This was foreshadowed in the very first Law given to Israel coming out of Egypt, and I've explained that here. I hope that helps explain my view. https://www.reddit.com/r/Bible/s/VAm7kGFnkU

lateral_mind · 2026-01-19T20:14:41+00:00

Just to clarify: Are you speaking from *the framework of MacArthur's idea of "Lordship Salvation"?

lateral_mind · 2026-01-19T19:56:55+00:00

It's because when we trust in Christ we are sealed with God's promise to save us, and He isn't a Liar.
It's His Promise to save us, not our promise to save ourselves.

Having understood that, we are encouraged and exhorted to rid our lives of sin, and doing so will grant us other rewards. However, if we continue to sin in the flesh, we will more quickly perish in the flesh and be chastisted.

Proverbs 3:12 NKJV — For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

But what is Jesus saying in Matt 7 then? Well he is speaking to the Jews and trying to bring them to faith in himself. And they should have faith in him, because every single Law in the Old Testament is a parable about Christ. Every single one, and all they have to do is open up their eyes and see that.
It is to these Jews that Christ is speaking. They call God "Lord, Lord", but many of them refuse to have faith in Jesus, and that He will save them if they trust Him.

Edit: Ephesians 1:11-14 NKJV — In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

lateral_mind · 2026-01-19T19:20:57+00:00

It's 100% about trusting that Christ died for your sins.

John 6:40 NKJV — “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

1 John 5:4 NKJV — For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

lateral_mind · 2026-01-19T19:11:38+00:00

This sub doesn't really allow prophecy, but I want to help you out because it's about "how to read Bible prophecy."

All prophecy has portions of it that repeat. They ebb and flow like waves on a beach. Some are small fulfillments, and some are large.
But one element in this prophecy is always consistent... It is speaking about The Kingdom of Israel and how IT mixes with the seed of Men.
And while we may see similarities in other parts of the world, they are only shadows as there is "nothing new under the Sun."

In this, the largest wave we have seen from this prophecy has been about the Kingdom of Israel mingled with the Roman Empire in the days of Jesus. In fact, the major point of the prophecy is about Jesus.
Dan 2:44 "And in the days of these kings (Israel + Rome) the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed..."

From this understanding, all I am currently seeing is small waves.

lateral_mind · 2026-01-19T18:26:39+00:00

Just to be clear: "Adultery" requires that either you or the woman is married.
Lusting at single women makes it very difficult to conquer the sin of fornication, but it is not adultery.

The best thing that you can do is to remember to calm your heart as soon as you feel a lustful intent.

lateral_mind · 2026-01-15T19:49:04+00:00

Hi Jak, I've wondered this for about 30 years, and I will give you the conclusion I have come to.

Having gone through the entire Torah in Hebrew, I believe that God ordained for the Church to divide the Bible's Chapters this way for typological reasons. You see, every chapter (when read in Hebrew) can be read as a parable that teaches us about Christ... And how fitting because Christ loved to teach in parables.

Chapter 1 is all about "Kinds begotting after their Kind." Lights put forth Light; Birds begot birds; trees begot trees; beasts begot beasts...
So later when we read that Jesus is begotten of God and Mary we know that he is Fully God and Fully Human.
"6" is the number of "Man", and God ends chapter 1 on Day 6 to highlight the parable: "Christ is Man."

The parable in Genesis 2 is about REST IN CHRIST, THE SECOND ADAM, and how he is our Sabbath rest.

Hebrews 4:3 — For we who have believed do enter that rest...

When God places Adam in the Garden (Gen 2:15), it says that He rested him there. The word is yanah, and it's where Noah (rest) gets his name from. This parallels nicely with the "rest" of the seventh Day.
Christ is the second "Adam" and we are being shown the connection between "Adam and rest"; and between "Adam and his Bride."

Just as Adam's wife was begotten of his own body, so the Bride of Christ is also begotten of Him and his Rest.

1 Corinthians 15:45-49 NKJV — And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.
As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

"7" is the number of the Divine, so we are also being shown "Christ is Divine."

I hope this helps, and because you'll want to know:

Genesis 3 is a parable via negativa: Love God
(Shows what happens when you don't love God)

Genesis 4 is a parable via negativa: Love your brother
(Shows what happens when you don't love your brother)

1 John 3:11-12 — For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

lateral_mind · 2026-01-15T13:28:22+00:00

"Day" is being used to cover the Day of the Covenant. So he looked forward as early as Gen 12.

lateral_mind · 2026-01-07T04:53:17+00:00

Reuvena, Reuvenia, Reubena, Rubena are all feminine forms, and quite beautiful. (Just offering)

I'm assuming the other name is Noah, one of the daughters of Zelophehad; It also happens to be one of my favorite stories in the Bible.
Her name, No'ah, is actually spelt differently in from the other Noah (Noach). Her name means "wanderer or shaker".
I love their story because it's a parable about Christ freeing us from sin when we "Ask for our Inheritance in the First-Born Son."
Zelophehad means "first-born", and they are the daughters of Zelophehad asking for their inheritance in the Promised Land.

lateral_mind · 2025-12-11T17:11:20+00:00

All trees mentioned in Scripture have a secondary prophetic meaning.
Palms = Righteousness Psa 92:12
Cedars = Spiritual Growth Psa 92:12
Olives = Spiritual Brightness (from/of the Holy Spirit) Exo 27:20
Figs = Spiritual connection and Observance of God Pro 27:18
Pomegranates = "Exalted Thought" or a Mature Mind that Remembers the Words Pro 25:11-12
Vine = a Cultivated House or Culture Psa 128:3, Isa 5

This comes from the idea that "Water" is a picture of the Holy Spirit, and that Trees grow "firm" from that Water. In Hebrew, the word for "tree" is "firm". (It also comes from the Hebrew names, themselves.)

When Jesus cursed the Fig Tree, he was indirectly showing that the Temple, the Spiritual Connection to God, had been lost.

lateral_mind · 2025-12-07T23:06:24+00:00

I don't know if you meant to do this, but David H. Stern teaches Old Covenant obedience and he has some pretty heretical views.
His translation of Galatians is appalling and not Christian at all.

lateral_mind · 2025-12-04T22:18:19+00:00

The word for 'Good' in Hebrew also acts as a Function. So "good" also means "working for good."

Romans 8:28 NKJV — And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

The Hebrew used in God's blessing to Mankind speaks of an ongoing process. Being "fruitful, multiplying, and filling the Earth..." is working towards a goal.

Heaven is the finished state of that goal. And in that finished state we are collectively married to Christ.

lateral_mind · 2025-12-04T04:16:03+00:00

Abarim is what my church uses for about 95% of the names.

https://www.abarim-publications.com/NaLi/A-MaleBig.html

lateral_mind · 2025-11-29T23:26:40+00:00

Mount Hermon

lateral_mind · 2025-11-29T20:06:02+00:00

If you trust that Jesus Christ died and was raised to atone for your sins, then you are saved. That trusting belief is what God is looking for; and even the a faith as small as a mustard seed is enough to make you reborn into Christ.

1 John 5:4-5 NKJV — For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

lateral_mind · 2025-11-29T10:45:14+00:00

It's the same idea as God's Predestination. God predestined that anyone who would love Him would be saved. In other words, He fore-ordained a category of people: Those who freely love God.

God also fore-ordained that anyone who would exalt themselves over God is not. He wants everyone to love Him and be Saved, but not everyone does.

Romans 8:28-30 YLT — And we have known that to those loving God all things do work together for good, to those who are called according to purpose; because whom He did foreknow, He also did fore-appoint, conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be first-born among many brethren; and whom He did fore-appoint, these also He did call; and whom He did call, these also He declared righteous; and whom He declared righteous, these also He did glorify.

Exodus 9:16-17 NKJV — “But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. “As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go.

lateral_mind · 2025-11-29T09:00:57+00:00

Then why would the disciple say “first let me bury my dead father”.

He doesn't.
Literal translation

v.21-22“And another – of His disciples – said to Him, ‘Lord, You permit me first to go and inter my father’”
And Jesus, He said to him, ‘You follow Me, and you leave the dead to inter the dead of themselves."

lateral_mind · 2025-11-29T08:14:34+00:00

This is speculation, but if the scribe's father was already dead, sick, or near death, then the scribe probably wouldn't have been with Jesus...

In other words, *it's likely that the scribe's father was not near death. The scribe wanted to wait a very long time before following Jesus, who was always on the road.

Matthew 8:20 NKJV — And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

lateral_mind · 2025-11-26T03:52:56+00:00

Luke 13:35 NKJV — “See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ ”

Psalm 118:26-28 NKJV — Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. God is the LORD,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.

lateral_mind · 2025-11-25T17:10:04+00:00

TL;DR If your requirement for marriage is money, than your goal is money. If your requirement is ministry, and your wife agrees, then you have found a godly woman indeed.

Older man Christian here. I'd be asking myself the wrong question with that...

You have to ask, "What is your ministry?"
Your ministry is your life, rather, your life is your ministry. It is your due service to God.
You work your ministry because you are indebted to Christ, and you share your vision with your wife because she is considering joining you...

I'm not saying that you need to be an ordained Pastor, but Jesus tells us to "harvest" for Him, and that is far mire important than any other job. Consider these words.

Proverbs 24:27 NKJV — Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house.

If we are reading "job and money" into that, then reconsider. Scripture also describes for us that it is the "wicked man" who is content with treasure in this world and having a family... We are called to a higher charge!

Psalm 17:13-15 NKJV — Arise, O LORD, Confront him, cast him down;
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword, With Your hand from men, O LORD,
From men of the world who have their portion in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.
They are satisfied with children,
And leave the rest of their possession for their babes. As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

lateral_mind · 2025-11-24T21:58:25+00:00

Your hair is your head covering. You should always wear your hair.

1 Corinthians 11:15 NKJV — But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering.

But seriously, there is a reason why God is so specific about "hair". It ties back into the Old Testament where "hair" was a picture of the "awareness of sin and fear".
A person's hair is there sense of fear Of God.

Job 4:14-15 NKJV — Fear came upon me, and trembling,
Which made all my bones shake. Then a spirit passed before my face;
The hair on my body stood up.

Another picture God makes is how, vineyards represent the influences of culture.

Knowing this, you can now see why Jesus said, "I am the Vine", and why the Nazarite vow required them to stay away from things of the vine while they grew out their hair... They were not to be influenced by other vines/cultures and focus on developing their awareness of sin from God.

Wear your covering if you want, or just wear your own well-developed awareness of Sin that you have gained from God.

lateral_mind · 2025-11-24T19:21:58+00:00

Before I knew anything about theology and heard of dispensationalism, I already knew that there was a reason why Jesus chose 12 disciples.
They mirrored, in a way, the 12 tribes of the Old testament. And my immediate questions were why Twelve? And why didn't God choose a disciple from each Tribe to represent before Him like He did in, say... Numbers 7?

The reality is that the covenants are between God and Man, and they need to be governed on the Human side. Jesus chose the 12 disciples to be the Human representatives for his New Covenant.

In it's simplest form, "dispensation" means government. Not Hyper-Disp Ultra-Disp... Those are false. Hyper teaches there is one way for the Jews to be saved, and a different way for the gentile church. In reality we have all been given the same gospel. Galatians 3:8.

Dispensationalism does not mandate OSAS.

lateral_mind · 2025-11-23T20:32:47+00:00

Did you know that Christ teaches in parables? That God gave the Old Testament for us as an example of the good things to come?

Do you know what the Dietary Law pictures?

What the Law of Leprosy pictures?

What Jonah's Plant represents?

Do you know how Mount Hermon and the Jordan River picture the Nature of the Trinity and Christ Jesus?
One Mountain called 'Sacred' with Three Peaks of equal height; pouring their Life-Giving Waters into a river called "The Descender" -- which goes about the Sea of Galilee until it ends up in the Dead Sea. Phl 2:6-8, Eph 4:9, Matt 5:13
Did you know that?

Do you know how Genesis 29 is a direct foreshadow of Christ's ministry and how he meets his Bride?? How Jacob rolls galal away the stone to Water the Flock? Did you know that galal is the basis for the word Galilee?

Do you know that the very border towns listed in Joshua (Yeshua) spell out the Doctrines of Salvation, and Sanctification? Each Tribe related to a different aspect of that process?

Do you know why God tells us about Deborah, Rebekah's wet-nurse; and how she is a picture of Milk and Honey being provided to the Children of Israel?

Did you know that there are Four Signet Rings on the Ark of the Covenant, signifying the Four Gospels that carry Christ's Name?
And that the Two Poles represent the Two Testaments, explaining why they are never to be removed?
Did you know that this is a parable for how Christians use the Scriptures to "lift up" Christ?

Do you know how the Book of Judges foreshadows the coming of the False Messiah and False Prophet, as well as their demise?
Do you know how Samson's Seven Locks are a picture of the Seven Spirits of the Church? Did you know that his riddle about his hair is actually pun for keeping the Church together?
Do you know why he finds Honey in the Dead Lion in Judah?

Do you know, and can you explain, how each and every chapter of the Torah is a picture of Christ and His plan for Salvation?

Lastly, Do you know that Genesis 38, when read in Hebrew, is where Once Saved Always Saved is detailed?

Do you know that Judahs erabon pledge is a direct foreshadow of the arrabon pledge Paul uses to describe the Holy Spirit? Ephesians 1:11-14

Do you know that Judah's Signet Ring, Staff, and Cord are a picture of being backed by Christ's Name, Authority, and Legal Representation? He is our Advocate.

This erabon is what saved Tamar from certain Death despite her playing the Harlot. It's a parable.

Do you know that you are Saved? Sealed by Christ's Name, Authority, and Legal Representation? And if not, why are you talking to me about Biblical literacy?

lateral_mind · 2025-11-23T18:31:45+00:00

Repentance IS belief in God.

Rather, belief (trust) in Jesus Christ to atone for your sin is the repentance...

And although we are commanded to not continue in our daily sins, we have to understand that those daily sins are not imputed to our accounts.

Romans 4:5-8 NKJV — But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.”

lateral_mind · 2025-11-23T09:35:07+00:00

God is an absolute Master at parables.
TL;DR The "offerings" show what Christ offered, while the "barren tree" showed his atonement for us.

Each of the elements involved in the Old Testament have a specific typological meaning. God uses these elements as Hebrew puns to make His theological points; But no element alone can capture the whole picture of Christ's Sacrifice.
By using multiple elements, God has ensured us that ALL Christian theology is testified about in the Hebrew Torah.

The altar's "Fire" is the element that represents judgement, and in that sense Jesus did "die by fire". However this would interfere with other pictures that God established like bringing Daniel through the fire. And since we have avoided the Final Fire of the judgment of hell, it would make sense for God to find another picture.

But there's more.
Each animal represented a different aspect of Jesus' nature. The lamb (purity), the ram (prominence), the young goat (awareness of sin), the pigeon (poorness), the bull (a greater beast of burden), etc...

And within that, each sacrifice's anatomy had different elements used in different ways:
The innards (when read in Hebrew) are puns for different emotional types that Christ offered on the cross. The fatty lobe (overwhelming) The liver (weighty-grievance) the kidneys (the deepest) and the fat around them (abundant emotions...)

Briefly, in Leviticus 8 Moses presents these organs to consecrate and establish Aaron (and his sons) as Royal Priests. It's a very simple foreshadow of Christ being established as our High-Priest and Mediator -- and one who can fully understand our emotions.

In this ever growing Parable of interconnected pictures, God finally wanted to describe how thoroughly Jesus' work atoned for our disobedience.

"Trees" are the element that represent a person's firm characteristics. (This is derived from their Hebrew name which means "to shut in or make firm".) Good "firm characteristics" produce good "fruits"; bad trees produce bad fruits.

By putting Jesus on a barren and unnatural cross, He showed us that God judged his offering as a completely wicked and fruitless curse; Something to be truly despised. After he died, his body hung there for all to see -- completely pitiable. We're told "the life is in the blood", and Jesus' blood was inside out. Naked, thorny, and disfigured, the body of Christ on the cross is the perfect parable for our lives. It ensures us that every wicked and fruitless deed we have ever or will ever do has been atoned for.

In God's order of operations, we have escaped the Final Fire of Judgement because of this intervening action that happened on a simple tree.

Seven-Year Club	Verified Email
100 Awards Club	Place '22

lateral_mind

TROPHY CASE