 Posted Friday, October 16, 2009 10:23 AM
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Anonymous:
The number 144,000 is obviously not one to be taken literally. Revelation is one of those books that consists of what is called apocalyptic literature. Literature of this kind uses strange figures and numbers that are symbolic in order to present a message intended to provide comfort to those under persecution for their faith. The real message of Revelation is that God's will be done in spite of all opposition. He will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and those who put their trust in Him will reign with Him forever and ever.
With respect to the 144,000, it should be noted that 1,000 is a number of completion as it is the multiple of 10x10x10. Furthermore, 144 is the multiple of 12x12. As there were 12 tribes of Israel, so in the New Testament you have reference to the 12 apostles, which is a reference to the New Testament church that in many places in the writings of St. Paul and elsewhere is described as the new Israel or the Israel of God. In view of this, the reference to 144,000 is quite clearly a symbolical reference to the total number of believers who will be saved---12x12x1,000.
John
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 2:46 AM
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Thank you JOhn for the illumination of 144,000- Love and Truth Demonstration and Fulfilled. Science & health has healed many, many people; I am a hristian Scenctist but not a church member and have found the Text Book essential to sorting out all the tings that come up in one's journey. Science & health with Key to the Scriptures will never be understood until we are sufficiently humble to recieve the Christ and its teaching. Mary baker Eddy was a 'messenger under orders' an inspired idea that laid down all material knowledge to give us the Word of ruth and Love. Just because we don't understand the subject we don't denay the subject. If we don't understand anything in mathematics, we do not say that mathematics does not exist or history or music or any subject. The same with Science- it is our misdapprehension of the text and not the text itself that makes the truth behind it seem obscure; but once we get the spirit of the text and its demonstration, ten we have soething worthwhil and can go forward with confidence and courage.
The text in Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures is symbolic the same as the Bible - we work everything throug by synbls, it is all we have here until we rise higher and then the synbls disappear and we are left with the essence the reality of being. To doubt Science & Health and blame Mrs Eddy for our misunderstanding is not Christian. If we can get behind the symbol, delve into its deeper meaning not substitute our personal opinions about something, just because we don't udnerstand at the moment, if e are sincere, we shall understand, because e have the intelligence of te one Mind, and this one Mind is the Mind that is in all of us as God's expression of Himself.
Thank you for giving tihs opportunity of sharing my resent thoughts.
Nikki
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 7:08 AM
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| Thank you both for your comments. I just finished reading the Bible straight through yesterday wrapping up with Revelation. I enjoyed your comments on the symbols and numbers. It's amazing, finally getting to Revelation and being able to see so much of the Old Testament shine through. Though, God is the only One to know the true meaning of much of Revelation and what's in store for us! Nikki, I have to say; I agree with you in that we should not base our human opinions on what we may not know the true meaning of. I have read S&H and can understand how it may be understood in light of certain Bible passages, but not the Bible as a whole. When we read the Bible in it's entirety and hold S&H up to it....the Holy Spirit convicts me of all the inconsistensies. Instead of holding the Bible up to S&H and studying it that way, have you ever read the Bible straight through and then held S&H up to the Bible? It's quite different. Also, the Bible is authorative and asking this question: do we place our faith more in the Bible as our primary source, bringing everything we read to It first, or do we have it backwards? Are we placing our faith in S&H and holding the Bible's Truth up to S&H. It doesn't work that way. It may "sound" better to our human thinking but we miss the whole picture of who Jesus Is. The Bible is living and active, as it says in Hebrews...no other book has that power.
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