Reviewing the April Christian Life and Ministry for the week of April 16-22, 2018. I apologize for the blank spaces in the video/audio. I had a power outage during my editing, which shut everything down and compromised the file. Great timing!
Topics of discussion: forgiveness of sins, the resurrection, Christology, 1919, the new birth
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It is worthy of note that Jesus mentions sins in connection with sickness and that forgiveness of sins can be linked to physical health. The Bible teaches that our first parent, Adam, sinned and that all of us have inherited the consequences of sin, namely, sickness and death. But under the rule of God’s Kingdom, Jesus will forgive the sins of all who love and serve God. Then sickness will be removed forever.—Romans 5:12, 18, 19. (SOURCE)
When the unrighteous are resurrected, will they be judged on the basis of their past actions? No. Romans 6:7 states: “The one who has died has been acquitted from his sin.” The unrighteous will have paid for their sins by dying. Thus, they will be judged on the basis of what they do after their resurrection, not what they did in ignorance before they died. How will they benefit?
After resurrection, the unrighteous will have opportunity to learn God’s laws, which will be revealed when symbolic scrolls are opened. They will then be judged “according to their deeds,” that is, whether they obey God’s laws or not. (Revelation 20:12, 13) For many of the unrighteous, this will be, not a second chance, but their first real opportunity to gain eternal life on earth by learning and doing God’s will. (SOURCE)
Lord . . . of the Sabbath: Jesus applies this expression to himself (Mt 12:8; Lu 6:5), indicating that the Sabbath was at his disposal for doing the work commanded by his heavenly Father. (Compare Joh 5:19; 10:37, 38.) On the Sabbath, Jesus performed some of his most outstanding miracles, which included healing the sick. (Lu 13:10-13; Joh 5:5-9; 9:1-14) This evidently foreshadowed the kind of relief he will bring during his Kingdom rule, which will be like a sabbath rest.—Heb 10:1. (SOURCE)
5 Centuries before Jesus gave the illustration of the wheat and the weeds, Jehovah inspired his prophet Malachi to foretell events that are reflected in Jesus’ illustration. (Read Malachi 3:1-4.) John the Baptizer was the ‘messenger who cleared up the way.’ (Matt. 11:10, 11) When he came in 29 C.E., a time of judgment for the nation of Israel had drawn close. Jesus was the second messenger. He cleansed the temple in Jerusalem twice—first at the start of his ministry and second toward the end. (Matt. 21:12, 13; John 2:14-17) Hence, Jesus’ cleansing work involved a period of time.
6. (a) What is the larger fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy? (b) During what time period did Jesus inspect the spiritual temple? (See also endnote.)
6 What is the larger fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy? During the decades leading up to 1914, C. T. Russell and his close associates did a work like that of John the Baptizer. That vital work involved restoring Bible truths. The Bible Students taught the true meaning of Christ’s ransom sacrifice, exposed the hellfire lie, and proclaimed the coming end of the Gentile Times. Still, there were numerous religious groups who claimed to be Christ’s followers. So a crucial question needed to be answered: Who among those groups were the wheat? To settle that question, Jesus began to inspect the spiritual temple in 1914. That inspection and cleansing work involved a period of time—from 1914 to the early part of 1919.* (SOURCE)
MJF APOLOGETICS 