I have been reading your emails for nearly a year, and The Green Rider is the best, by far, so far! This very subject is the topic of many conversations between me and my believer friends. I've taken it very seriously. Some of my friends have as well, but far too many are slaves to convenience, comfort and technology. My oldest son is intellectually a Christian, but not spiritually..where it counts.
While all of this creates dread and fear amongst my group of peers, a few of us maintain hope in Christ's return. While we speed towards tribulation, and the very real horror that we will all witness, that we ARE witnessing now. I will openly admit that I rejoice in it, only because Jesus is coming! I pray for His return daily. I implore God to intercede..now. If judgement day is now..I'm ready. I'll fall to my knees knowing full well that I'm broken, that I've fallen so short, and that I'm a wretched sinner not worthy of His grace and mercy..but I'm ready. Come Jesus, come. We desperately need you now. Amen.
P.S. Thank you for cutting through all the noise. So few will do this.
That means a lot to me. Sometimes I feel like I'm yelling into the void when it comes to this stuff. But then again, I also believe that God Himself is limiting people's understanding of the prophecies so that they can still happen. There needs to be deception and a Falling Away, otherwise the prophecy would not be fulfilled, ironically.
I've forwarded your latest installment of The Green Rider to another friend tonight as we were discussing the EXACT thing that Paul and Timothy were warning believers about - false teachings. We were discussing the many various "versions" of the Bible..KJV, ESV, NIL, etc. etc. and that we've discovered that some are so unsettling and just "off", and how faith is being watered down so as not to offend or intimidate new believers, but we both agree that many "versions" are leading people astray. I wasn't surprised at all to discover that there is a "Gay Bible" out there.
Come Jesus, come.
You are definitely not shouting into the void. I guess I'm one of the few not just hearing you, but shouting with you.
“Because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things”: The NASB translates it "but wanting to have their ears tickled", which is more or less what the Greek says. It's a bit complicated, involving a presumed passive participle, but that seems to be the idea. Paul did have a way with words. "Scratch" and "itch" are other possibilities. BDAG takes it in this context as "to have one’s ear tickled".
BDAG: (3). Fig. of curiosity, that looks for interesting and juicy bits of information. This itching is relieved by the messages of the new teachers. W. the same components as a background, one might transl.: to have one’s ear tickled (a κνῆσις ὤτων takes place τρυφῆς ἕνεκα: Plut., Mor. 167b) 2 Ti 4:3 (s. Clem. Al., Strom. I 3, 22, 5 p. 15 Stähl.).—DELG s.v. -κναίω. M-M.
Or, if that isn't clear enough, as George W. Knight III put it in his NIGTC Pastoral commentary, "The participle κνηθόμενοι agrees with the subject of the verb, the hearers. κνήθω (a NT hapax) means in the passive 'feel an itching.' The object of the participle τὴν ἀκοήν, 'hearing,' stands here for 'the ear,' the organ with which one hears (so also in v. 4; cf. Acts 17:20). The clause means 'having itching ears,' but is used here, as BAGD says (s.v. κνήθω), as a figure 'of curiosity, that looks for interesting . . . bits of information.' BAGD add that 'this itching is relieved by the messages of the new teachers' (cf. for this perspective Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.3)." [BAGD is an earlier BDAG.]
I have been reading your emails for nearly a year, and The Green Rider is the best, by far, so far! This very subject is the topic of many conversations between me and my believer friends. I've taken it very seriously. Some of my friends have as well, but far too many are slaves to convenience, comfort and technology. My oldest son is intellectually a Christian, but not spiritually..where it counts.
While all of this creates dread and fear amongst my group of peers, a few of us maintain hope in Christ's return. While we speed towards tribulation, and the very real horror that we will all witness, that we ARE witnessing now. I will openly admit that I rejoice in it, only because Jesus is coming! I pray for His return daily. I implore God to intercede..now. If judgement day is now..I'm ready. I'll fall to my knees knowing full well that I'm broken, that I've fallen so short, and that I'm a wretched sinner not worthy of His grace and mercy..but I'm ready. Come Jesus, come. We desperately need you now. Amen.
P.S. Thank you for cutting through all the noise. So few will do this.
That means a lot to me. Sometimes I feel like I'm yelling into the void when it comes to this stuff. But then again, I also believe that God Himself is limiting people's understanding of the prophecies so that they can still happen. There needs to be deception and a Falling Away, otherwise the prophecy would not be fulfilled, ironically.
I also really enjoyed "Doubt Filled Surrender".
I've forwarded your latest installment of The Green Rider to another friend tonight as we were discussing the EXACT thing that Paul and Timothy were warning believers about - false teachings. We were discussing the many various "versions" of the Bible..KJV, ESV, NIL, etc. etc. and that we've discovered that some are so unsettling and just "off", and how faith is being watered down so as not to offend or intimidate new believers, but we both agree that many "versions" are leading people astray. I wasn't surprised at all to discover that there is a "Gay Bible" out there.
Come Jesus, come.
You are definitely not shouting into the void. I guess I'm one of the few not just hearing you, but shouting with you.
God bless you.
Keep the faith and keep shouting.
“Because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things”: The NASB translates it "but wanting to have their ears tickled", which is more or less what the Greek says. It's a bit complicated, involving a presumed passive participle, but that seems to be the idea. Paul did have a way with words. "Scratch" and "itch" are other possibilities. BDAG takes it in this context as "to have one’s ear tickled".
BDAG: (3). Fig. of curiosity, that looks for interesting and juicy bits of information. This itching is relieved by the messages of the new teachers. W. the same components as a background, one might transl.: to have one’s ear tickled (a κνῆσις ὤτων takes place τρυφῆς ἕνεκα: Plut., Mor. 167b) 2 Ti 4:3 (s. Clem. Al., Strom. I 3, 22, 5 p. 15 Stähl.).—DELG s.v. -κναίω. M-M.
Or, if that isn't clear enough, as George W. Knight III put it in his NIGTC Pastoral commentary, "The participle κνηθόμενοι agrees with the subject of the verb, the hearers. κνήθω (a NT hapax) means in the passive 'feel an itching.' The object of the participle τὴν ἀκοήν, 'hearing,' stands here for 'the ear,' the organ with which one hears (so also in v. 4; cf. Acts 17:20). The clause means 'having itching ears,' but is used here, as BAGD says (s.v. κνήθω), as a figure 'of curiosity, that looks for interesting . . . bits of information.' BAGD add that 'this itching is relieved by the messages of the new teachers' (cf. for this perspective Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.3)." [BAGD is an earlier BDAG.]
Hope that helps.
Thanks Terry- an edifying piece about the Word, and the hope we have in Christ Jesus-to read before bed. And it gets better!
Started my day listening to this excellent podcast about the throne room of G-d and his Glory. I’m sure everyone here will enjoy it.
https://player.edifi.app/episodes/The-Future-Glimpse-of-the-Throne-Room/7371549