Teaching

"Faith and love that Justify"

It would seem a good spot to review some basics about what James is getting at in his letter. In the wider context, his main theme is how we persevere in our faith; this gives us growth in character and strength of spiritual walk. If we lack wisdom to understand, we pray and know for certain that God will give us what we need. All of this leads to one end:

4And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, ...

2 Samuel 16:5-14 (New International Version)

Shimei Curses David
5 As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul's family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. 6 He pelted David and all the king's officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David's right and left. 7 As he cursed, Shimei said, "Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel! 8 The LORD has repaid ...

"Sarcasm and a Prostitute"


So, we left verse nineteen with a harsh sarcastic rush. As we move on to verse twenty, the sarcasm reachs peak. The 'believer in monotheism' is now addressed as an empty fool. The Greek 'de' makes a sharp contrast and connection with the preceding verse, as in 'But, does an empty fool like you really want to know...'. James is still just a tad angry here.
The word for 'foolish' is 'kene' and really means 'empty'. You have an empty headed ...

For the record, I have always taken "the Mark of the Beast" in the Rev. 20:4 scripture literally.

Specifically, the Mark (of the Beast) in that passage is indeed literal--it is literally spiritual.

And because the Mark (of the Beast) is literally spiritual in Rev. 20:4, I can conclude that the Mark (of the Beast) is not just future in the scripture.

In my mind, the Mark of the Beast is a seal of ownership which is placed upon people ...

"Faith and Love"


We are now entering the last part of chapter two. It is important to realize that they are all on the same page, they are dealing with the problem of partiality, of favoring the rich over the poor. This is going to excess in the way they speak and overtly treat those who come to the worship service. This probably extends into their everyday life. The differences in socal status are reflected in so much of what the early society among the Gentiles was all ...