The Way and DEFCON

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Regarding clergy I once had somebody say to me about catholic doctrine, "Well that's not for you or me to decide anyway. They spend their time studying this kind of stuff and certainly know more about it than you or I. When I disagreed and suggested that it was naive and irresponsible not to check things out like the Bereans did, never mind blindly throw one's soul under the bus of any earlthly driven man-made religion- the conversation abruptly ended with rgw person angry that I had the audacity to question the powers that be. My underlying point which fell by the wayside was, 'they' weren't/aren't the powers that be.

Presumption: a conclusion reached based upon evidence and/or a previous pattern.

Assumption: a conclusion reached without supporting evidence or previous pattern.

In this case, raising Peter onto an unsupported 'pedestal' which flies in the face of hermeneutics, exegesis or scriptural evidence then capping it all off with a 'promotion' not even Peter, any other apostles or other inspired writers acknowledged, makes the phrase 'way over the top' woefully wanting/inadequate. It must be also pointed out that the strategy employed by those who want to go the the extreme to push a suspect agenda usually runs like this.

In the lanes they get rid of any obstacles which present hurdles to accepting the agenda, prioritizing the inside lane. In this case that hurdle is the 'sole authority' of the Bible as being 'living and active' (Hebrews 4:12) and God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and being the final Word (John 12:48; Jude 3).

False religion attempts to do this with alternate plausible possibilities, sly, slight of hand substitutions, certifiable counterfeits, completely camouflaged, deviously devised, well constructed and cleverly crafted. I describe their endeavor this way so you will understand what they do is intentional and designed to disarm you as innoculously and inconspiculously as possible, virtually undectable. That is, pertaining to the wary. Meant to silently slip by your five senses in addition to one's last line of defense, 'common sense'. 'Last' because the Bible is not usually part of the DEFCON system. Not even a 'blip' on the radar screen. To the naive, unsuspecting and the gillible- best of luck cause that's all your relying upon to keep you out of harm's way. Where you need to be is in 'the Way', as in the Way, the Truth and the Life' (John 14:6).

John 14:1-7

14 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am going." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." NASU.

Acts 9:1-2

9 Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. NASU

Acts 16:16-18

16 It happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, "These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation." 18 She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!" And it came out at that very moment. NASU

Acts 19:8-9

8 And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of theWay before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. NASU

Acts 19:23-27

About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way.24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; 25 these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, "Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. 26 You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all. 27 Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence."
NASU

Acts 24:14-15

14 But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; 15 having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. NASU

Acts 24:22-23

22 But Felix, having a more exact knowledge about the Way, put them off, saying, "When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case." 23 Then he gave orders to the centurion for him to be kept in custody and yet have some freedom, and not to prevent any of his friends from ministering to him. NASU

DEFCON is short for Defense Readiness Condition

to fool and pass the test of the five senses of sight, sound, touch smell and taste- that is to the untrained eye. Those who, hearing - do not hear, seeing - do not see, touching - do not feel, sense trained to discern between good and evil spiritually discerned Genuine Boomerang made in Japan Soloman 1 Kings 3:5-14 'required reading'.

1 Kings 3:5
5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.”
NASU

1 Kings 3:7-8
yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
NASU

1 Kings 3:9
“So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. NASU

1 Kings 3:10-14

10 It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. 13 “I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. 14 “If you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days.”

Prov 14:7
7 Leave the presence of a fool,
Or you will not discern words of knowledge.
NASU

1 Cor 15:33-34
Do not be deceived (Greek- to (properly cause to) roam (from safety, truth or virtue): "Bad company corrupts good morals." 34 Become sober-minded (Greek- arouse oneself out of a stupor i.e. wake up and smell the coffee, take time to smell the roses-careful of the thorns)
NASU

Heb 5:14
But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice (Greek- habit) have their senses trained to discern (Greek- judicial estimation) good and evil.
NASU

Judicial Estimation: the concept that judges don't make the laws but merely apply the laws, using the precedents set by previous court decisions- applying them to whatver set of facts are currently before them.However, whether wittingly or unwittingly judges at times create 'policy' through their decisions and to the point of even setting new precedents.

What you do have is a perfect example of 'eisegesis', the opposite and 'negative' counterpart to proper exegesis.

Eisegesis: (to draw in) is the process of interpreting text in such a way as to introduce one's own presuppositions, agendas or biases. It is often referred to as 'back-reading' into the text. Eisegesis brings meaning to the text from 'without' with no regard for the original historical context of a biblical passage or concern as to the ensuing faithfulness to original meaning or intent.

Exegesis: (to draw out) tries to examine and interpret text, letting meaning come from the text itself in its original, historical context while remaining faithful to the original, even as it is linguistically and grammatically converted/translated to modern day language, nuances and all.

Hermeneutics: the methodology using an established set of rules and principles governing the proper exegesis of actual biblical text.

To him, moreover, were to be given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven—an expression signifying the gift of plenary authority (Is., xxii, 22).

Isaiah 22:22 (Is., xxii, 22)

Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder.
When he opens no one will shut, when he shuts no one will open. NASU

Key - OT:4668 HEBREW> maphteach (maf-tay'-akh); from OT:6605; an opener, i.e. a key. KJV - key.

OT:6605 HEBREW> pathach (paw-thakh'); a primitive root; to open wide (literally or figuratively); specifically, to loosen, begin

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary)

Most specifically, Isaiah 22 refers to a servant of God, Eliakim, who is prophesied to replace one Shebna in the high station of lord-chamberlain of the household, lord-treasurer and prime minister of state during the reign of Hezekiah.

Eliakim's advancement is further described by the laying of the key of the house of David upon his shoulders, v. 22. He had access to the house of the precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices; and to the house of the armour and the treasures (ch. 39:2), and disposed of the stores there as he thought fit for the public service. He put whom he pleased into the inferior offices and turned out whom he pleased. (Matthew Henry's Commentary)

As with a number of passages in the Old Testament, there are at times parallel events, stories and allusions being made. For examole, Isaiah 14 deals on the surface with the fall of the king of Babylon with an allusion to Satan/Lucifer (star of the morning). Note Isaiah 14:11-14. Also Ezekiel 28:11-16. Ezekiel 28 deals with the king of Tyre but with the allusion to Lucifer and his fall from heaven and God's grace.

Allusion is a figure of speech, in which an object or circumstance from unrelated context is referred to covertly/indirectly. It is left to the audience to make the direct connection. If the connection is directly and explicitly stated by the author, it is normally considered a reference.

Concerning Eliakim about which Isaiah 22 directly refers to, it is written, in verse 22

“Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens no one will shut. When he shuts no one will open. NASU.

Is this an allusion referring to the Peter of Matthew 16:13-19 just because Jesus said he would give Peter the keys to the kingdom? And why did Christ say in verse 19, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven"? NASU

Simply because whatever was to be done on earth had already been commissioned in heaven beforehand according to the will of the Father. Jesus said in fact that He came to do the will of the Father and that His doctrine wasn't His but the Father's. Being that Jesus had come from heaven and the Father was in heaven, it must be fair to say that He came with a game plan and stuck with, of necessity. He went even further to say that if one denied/rejected His teachings rejected Him (Jesus) and in rejecting Him (Jesus) they would also be denying/rejecting the Father (Luke 10:16). If one did not abide in the doctrine of Christ, they did not abide in the Father (2 John 9-11).

Is that clear and absolute or what?

No gray areas for sure and it all points to the fact that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, there wasn't anything Peter could or would do that wasn't already custom-made beforehand in heaven as God's plan for the church, Christ built. The Holy Spirit was to among other things bring to their remembrance all the things that Jesus had taught them. With that in mind one could have every confidence the Holy Spirit would make sure God's will, foreordained as to the church/kingdom, would be uncompromised. As, I'm sure we would agree, Christ Himself didn't improvise any ad hoc changes to God's will while on earth. He followed God's plan, dotting the eye's (I's) and crossing the T's. Also notice the verb tense in what Jesus said to Peter about the 'keys'.

"whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven"

Imagine you are standing right there as Jesus spoke. Now from that vantage point, listen again.

"Whatever you bind on earth/whatever you loose on earth"... future tense of things to come as guided by the Holy Spirit.

"Shall have been bound in heaven/shall have been loosed in heaven"... “Shall have been” is just a more formal way to say “will have been”, understood to mean "will already have been" bound /loosed in heaven. Nevertheless, the tense is 'past' or referring to something already having taken place or already having been planned, approved or whatever. Hence the 'have been'. For example, "I have been to Japan a few times = I have gone to Japan a few times". Thus, indicative of actions having been already taken or plans having been already made. You will also see use of the words foreordained or predestined in scripture quite a bit.

If Jesus died for the plans that the Godhead had already made, does anyone honestly believe the Godhead especially the Holy Spirit, would allow Peter to go rogue and 'not according to plan? That said, it makes no sense that one would assume Peter had been given a blank check to do whatever he wanted with 'said keys'. In fact we ought to let scripture determine what those 'keys' actually were as we clear a falsehood with respect to how 'Catholic Answers' applies Isaiah 22:22.

Isaiah 22:22 "Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder.
When he opens no one will shut, when he shuts no one will open". NASU

Catholic Answers says Isaiah 22:22 refers to Peter:

"To him, moreover, were to be given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven—an expression signifying the gift of plenary authority (Is., xxii, 22)"

Nowhere in scripture is there any reference or evidence to support such a contention and nothing is put forward as proof unless one wants to accept the subsitutions of opinion and unsubstantiated assumption. We've already shown that the text specifically refers to Eliakim and his promotion during the reign of Hezekiah. Conspicously absent, evidence that it refers to Peter. Yet, low and behold what do we have here:

Revelation 3:7-13

7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:

We know that the above (Revelation 3:7) is not only about Christ, but is Christ declaring He has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut and who shuts and no one opens' How does that compare to Isaiah 22:22? Christ references Himself through the same scripture 'Catholic Answers' says, refers to Peter.

"Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder.
When he opens no one will shut, when he shuts no one will open". NASU

Even should one reject this scripture as applying to Christ, flying in the face of Christ applying it to Himself, it still rather obviously rules out this:

"To him (Peter), moreover, were to be given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven—an expression signifying the gift of plenary authority (Is., xxii, 22)"

Another word for plenary is 'unlimited'. On earth, only Christ had that kind of 'authority' and Peter for all his good points wasn't on that short list. In addition, as Christ never ever exceeded God's will, or sold out God's doctrine short, I would venture to say Peter and the others guided by the Holy Spirit would not likely have either. There's certainly no evidence of that. Peter's faults had more to do with character flaws. Such as Peter denying Christ three times and being called out by Paul on one occasion for hypocritical behavior in Antioch (Galatians 2:11-14). The first failure was an outright character flaw coupled with fear. The latter as Paul would write in Galatians 2:11 involved both character flaw, hypocrisy and yes, still fear. His actions more closely related to doctrinal weakness considering the vision he had prior to visiting Cornelious. As Paul put it, " I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned". NASU

Now continuing on about What Revelation says regarding Jesus:

8 'I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you anopen door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' NASU

What a tremendous recognition of faith by Christ. The ultimate 'Well done thou good and faithful servant'.

As we can now understand that Peter was not given plenary (unlimited) authority by Christ but rather a plan preordained from the garden of Eden, what were the 'keys' Jesus gave to Peter. It certainly wasn't 'plenary (unlimited) authority'. Niether does the Ezekiel scripture of 22:22 even apply to him nor the following for that matter: "... thus affirming that the continuance and increase of the Church would rest on the office created in the person of Peter" (Catholic Answers).

Ironically, This issue of the 'keys' begs a question which is likely best answered by asking a question. What are keys for? The obvious answers are at times the most simplest and often right under one's nose.

a) To lock a door

b) To unlock a door

c) To sing in

d) None of the above

The most relevant answer in our situation, would be that keys unlock doors. It's not consistent to maintain the keys Jesus were talking about were meant to close doors in light of what Christ came to do. Jesus Himself said He was the door to the sheepfold. More specifically, "I am the door. Anybody who goes to the Father must enter by me".

Matthew 10:5-7

5 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' NASU

John 10:7-9

So Jesus said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

John 10:16

I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. NASU

Acts 14:26-27

From there they sailed to Antioch, from which they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had accomplished. 27 When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He (God) had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. NASU

So, we have Jesus saying He had other sheep, not of this fold (the lost house of Israel) yet to be brought in to make one flock. Combined with Jesus saying He was the door of the sheep one need also consider Jesus said 'keys' (plural) to Peter, not just one key. More on that soon. As for being the door, Jesus was very 'matter of fact' (if that was possible).

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. NASU

Acts 2:37-38

37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" 38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. NASU

Now about 'keys' versus 'key'. The church of Christ has always focussed on and taught that the 'key' has been 'baptism' to the extent that many have thought the church has had/has an abnormal fixation on baptism. I know that's not what we mean but that is the perception regardless of whether we see it or not. The only defense to that lies in Peter's answer to "What shall we do?" in Acts 2:38. The response was short, to the point and a command to be obeyed, as was Ananias's response to Paul (Acts 22:16) and Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, especially verse 2.

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. NASU

And what is the power of God?

Romans 1:16-17

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." NASU

To that end if you tamper with the Gospel, Galatians 1:6-9 is clear. What you end up with is 'no Gospel at all' because there is no other. No Gospel, then 'no power of God unto Salvation'.

Greek: NT:1672 GREEK- Hellen (hel'-lane); from NT:1671; a Hellen (Grecian) or inhabitant of Hellas; by extension a Greek-speaking person, especially a non-Jew: KJV - Gentile, Greek.

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary)

1 Corinthians 1:20-24

Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. NASU

When one preaches Christ crucified, one is preaching baptism (Romans 6:3-11). If one doesn't think so, one understands neither the Gospel call nor the answering of the call as in 'calling on the name of the Lord' (Acts 2:21; Acts 22:16).

Jesus did not say 'key' (singular) to Peter. He matter of factly said 'keys' (plural). Consistent with that, when baptism is dealt with in the New Testament whether by command, example, teaching or inference, all of these keys are self-evident or understood. One must:

a) Hear the Gospel (Romans 10:14-17)

b) One must believe (Acts 2:37, Acts 8:34-39 Ethiopian Eunuch);

c) One must repent (Acts 2:38)

d) One must be baptised into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38, 22:16)

Hebrews 11:6; Acts 2:36-38; 40-41; Acts 22:16; Then there's the gift of the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; Titus 3:4-7, Cornelius and his household in Acts 10.

Baptism is a necessary key to salvation (1 Peter 3:20-21, Romans 6:3-11, Galatians 3:27) yet is just one of the keys on the same key chain.

Titus 3:4-7

4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. NASU

'washing' NT:3067 - GREEK: loutron (loo-tron'); from NT:3068; a bath, i.e. (figuratively), immersion, baptism: NASU/KJV - washing.

NT:3068 - GREEK: louo (loo'-o); a primary verb; to bathe (the whole person; whereas NT:3538 means to wet a part only, and NT:4150 to wash, cleanse garments exclusively)

'Regeneration' NT:3824 - GREEK: paliggenesia-pal-ing-ghen-es-ee'-ah spiritual rebirth (the state or the act), i.e. (figuratively) spiritual renovation; specifically, Messianic restoration. NASU/KJV - regeneration.

'renewing' NT:342 - GREEK: anakainosis (an-ak-ah'-ee-no-sis) renovation. KJV - renewing.

(New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary)

By 'joining the dots' it can be seen that one can't escape or ignore the direct role baptism has, along with hearing, faith, repentence and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in relation to being keys to get into the kingdom/church. Not that one is 'joining' anything. Through baptism one is added to the church/kingdom by our Lord Himself. Acts 2:37=38; 40-41; and 47 whereby: "... And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved". NKJV

No suprise then as the Lord opened the door of faith to the Gentiles (Acts 10), He did so by the same means in the same way He did when the church/kingdom began on the day of Pentecost for the Jews in Acts 2. Same 'keys', same approach, same method- same door unlocked by which to enter, being of course in the name of Jesus, the door that is Jesus. Irrefutable evidence from on high that the Jews should accept the Gentiles into the 'now' one fold Jesus (the door) was talking about regarding the 'other sheep, not of this fold' he was referring to at that time (the lost sheep of the house of Israel). How fitting (by design not accident or chance) that Peter would facilitate in both situations. Does God know how to cover all the bases or what? Not surprising considering both game plans were intended for 'beginnings'.

Acts 10:44-48

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. 45 All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God.

Then Peter answered:

47 "Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?"

48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. NASU

Regarding 'just as we did...' remember?

Acts 2:4-8

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 They were amazed and astonished, saying, "Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we each; hear them in our own language to which we were born? NASU

Once again back to 'Catholic Answers'.

The promise thus made was fulfilled after the Resurrection, on the occasion narrated in John, xxi. Here Christ employs a simile used on more than one occasion by Himself to denote His own relation to the members of His Church—that of the shepherd and his flock. His solemn charge, “Feed my sheep”, constituted Peter the common shepherd of the whole collective flock. Actually, mostly what the latter assertion 'constitutes is wolves in sheep's clothing trying to get at the flock and I'm certainly not including Peter in the pack trying to pull the wool over anybody's eyes.

For that matter, yielding to scripture instead of pushing an institutionalized personal agenda which scripture readily refutes on all points claimed so far, let's continue to allow scripture to interpret scripture. Listen to what God has to say. The approach surely has worked so far in reaching truth. Let's also see if anybody is listening. As somebody once or twice said, God gave us two eyes and two ears but one mouth.

When Jesus referred to His own relationship to members of the church (sheep) or when others referred to Jesus in the same context, scripture clearly tells us just who the Chief Shepherd' is. Scripture otherwise does not bestow upon any one else the equivalent of the same 'office'. Unfortunately, that fact doesn't seem enough to dissuade pretenders to the throne from attempts to usurp it. In truth, if one reads the first part of the following passage, note how Peter describes himself as he exhorts other elders (as in Pastor, Bishop, Overseer, Shepherd which are all terms describing the same 'office). He refers to himself as "your fellow elder").

1 Peter 5:1-5

Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, NASU

1 Timothy 3:1-2 and Titus 1:7 list qualifications. Again, Pastor, Shepherd, Elder, Overseer, Bishop - all describe one and the same. You really don't want to go 'there' as two of the qualifications are a) being the husband of one wife and b) having believing children c) blameless, being of good behaviour and 'must be above reproach' presumably include not molesting children and not engaging in homosexual behaviour among other stuff. Objections anyone? Let's have a recorded vote.

1 Timothy 3:2-5

2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?) NKJV

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 2 Timothy 4:1-5, NASU

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The Christian's DEFCON...

Eph 6:10-20

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. NASU

1 Peter 5:6-9

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith... NASU

2 Cor 11:13-15

13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds. NASU

Matthew 10:16-20

16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. NASU

The same can be said for us as we speak as the oracles of God (1 Peter 4:11). In Greek the meaning of 'oracle(s) is to speak as if God was Himself speaking. That only takes place if and when we are speaking His Word accurately, 'rightly dividing the Word of Truth' (2 Timothy 2:15).

Matthew 7:15-19

15 "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. NASU

The Greek word for 'prophets' in Matthew 7:15, means: pretended foreteller or religious impostor. It comes from a root word meaning: erroneous, deceitful, wicked. It's easy to see the application as it pertains to those who teach such things in such a way. Accompanied by the adjective 'false' in front, the implications are pretty clear.

It was a complete contrast to what a prophet of God's main mandate was- that being to teach the way of God as God raised up from among His own people, prophets in the Old Testament. In Hebrews 1:1, a different Greek word denotes fortune teller in the sense of God warning of future things to come through disobedience and blessings to come through obedience. The word also conveys the meaning of an 'inspired speaker' from a base word meaning to show or make known one's thoughts, i.e. speak or say. Remember, the primary function of prophets raised up by God was to teach and instruct the will of God to God's people as they had become prone to consulting diviners, sorcerors, soothsayers, astrologists and the like- which God did not like. God in effect was saving themselves from themselves.

Hebrews 1:1-3

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. NASU

Thus Hebrews 1:1-3 should also shed light on much of 1 Corinthians 13, especially for our purposes, verses 9, 10 and 13. When the perfect comes-and it did (James 1:25). James 1:25, But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty... and Galatians 6:2, Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. NASU. Keep in mind Corinthians 1:10 doesn't say, 'When He Who is perfect comes' but rather literally translates as 'When that which is perfect comes...'. The word 'perfect' in Greek translates into 'complete'. When, the 'law of Christ' the 'perfect (complete) law of liberty' was once for all delivered (Jude 3) as in the faith being once for all delivered', 'that which is in part shall be done away', was. That could only mean the old law and covenant as it wasn't faultless and could not remove sin. It cannot be reasonably argued that Christ was done away with or that He was 'in part' as in neither respect, was He. For that matter, Christ was a'who' not a 'which'. Speaking in tongues was also done away with.

1 Corinthians 13:9, 13

For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away... 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. NASU

Acts 20:27-31

27 For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be on the alert... NASU

Military.com Website

DEFCON, short for Defense Readiness Condition or simply Defense Condition, is the U.S. military’s ranking system for defense readiness for a potential nuclear attack. The system of ranking the perceived threat to national security was created during the Cold War, when fear of communism was at a high.

DEFCON 5 is in effect for the lowest perceived threat, while DEFCON 1 is the highest threat level and readiness for a state of war.

In 1959, when the DEFCON system was implemented, the Joint Chiefs of Staff explained in a memo: “A uniform system of progressive readiness is essential in insuring timely, accurate and clear direction of commands subordinate to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in achieving greater effectiveness of U.S. forces in preparation for execution of contingency or emergency war plans. It will also assist in more rapid interpretation and evaluation of the readiness posture of the unified and specified commands.”

DEFCON Levels...

DEFCON 5

The “peacetime normal,” the default state of readiness for the United States military.

DEFCON 5 represents “a normal readiness posture which can be sustained indefinitely and which represents an optimum balance between the requirements of readiness and the routine training and equipping of forces for their primary mission,” according to a Joint Chiefs of Staff description of this level when the DEFCON system was first introduced.

The DEFCON 5 exercise term is “Fade Out.”

DEFCON 4

DEFCON 4 describes the everyday operating procedures for fighting units.

At DEFCON 4, the U.S. military complex ramps up intelligence gathering and shores up security.

DEFCON 4 represents “a readiness posture requiring increased intelligence watch and a continuing analysis of the political/military situation in the area of tension,” according to the original Joint Chiefs of Staff memo.

The DEFCON 4 exercise term is “Double Take.”

Most forces are usually at DEFCON 4 or 5.

DEFCON 3

Two steps from war, DEFCON 3 is generally seen as a standby level of alert, and it is the highest level of alert during peacetime.

DEFCON 3 represents “a readiness posture that requires certain portions of the assigned forces to assume an increased readiness posture above that of normal readiness,” according to the Joint Chiefs memo.

The DEFCON 3 exercise term is “Round House.”

At less-tense points during the Cuban Missile Crisis, various parts of the U.S. military were at DEFCON 3.

Over a decade later, in 1973, President Richard Nixon put the U.S. military on DEFCON 3 during the Yom Kippur War, as Moscow was reportedly preparing to launch an attack in the Middle East.

“DEFCON 3 did not put the military on a war footing,” according to an Associated Press article. “It primarily meant leaves were canceled, men were ordered to return to their units and preparations were made to move them out if necessary.”

DEFCON 2

DEFCON 2, one step from nuclear war, is implemented when an enemy attack is expected. Troops are poised for combat at this time.

DEFCON 2 represents “a readiness posture requiring a further increase in military force readiness which is less than maximum readiness; certain military deployments and selected civil actions may be necessary in consonance with the command’s mission,” according to the Joint Chiefs memo.

During this stage, the U.S. will have “subs at sea and the bombers waiting on the runways,” as described by Roger Molander, a nuclear protest leader, in a 1984 column.

Parts of the U.S. military were at DEFCON 2 during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the closest the world ever came to nuclear war.

The DEFCON 2 exercise term is “Fast Pace.”

DEFCON 1

The most urgent alert, DEFCON 1, represents the highest level of readiness for nuclear war.

DEFCON 1 would be reserved for when an attack is perceived as imminent or already under way – when the nation’s forces are engaged in full-on war mode.

DEFCON 1 represents “a maximum readiness posture requiring the highest state of preparedness to execute war plans,” the Joint Chiefs memo says.

The United States has never been at DEFCON 1 – at least not to the public’s knowledge – since the system began.

The DEFCON 1 exercise term is “Cocked Pistol.”

For security reasons, the U.S. military never publicly releases the current DEFCON level. In February 2022, a senior official with the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that the federal government will not publicly reveal the current DEFCON level of the U.S. military.

As of January 2023, the current DEFCON level is estimated to be at 3 due to the Russian conflict, according to OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) on the website DefconLevel.com.

Thus... no such thing, no such office. Concerning any man of 'flesh and blood', the result would be the same. 'Straw man' in a 'straw office'. Yet, do you see how something as simple as referencing the term 'office' attempts to unabashedly promote a seemingly innocuous agenda and plant in the mind of the 'reader' a non-existent presumption of legitimacy about something happening, the likes of which never did? Presumption, no. Assumption, yes.

The presumption that is made goes something like this. The vast majority will simply accept what is put in front of them for any number of reasons, some or all of which or a combination thereof, might very well be true.

Perhaps:

You don't really care.

You, or at least most of you can't be bothered to 'check it out'.

You figure they've spent years studying it and should be 'good for it'.

Your attitude is, 'Well that's what we pay them for'.

You're of the mind, why would they lie to me?

You do check things out but are ignoring...

You do care, but not enough.

... the God-breathed fact (2 Timothy 3:16)

... that the faith has once for all been delivered (Jude 3)

... with faith coming by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17)

... that whatever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23b)

Thus, the religious powers that be are doggedly, desparately, indomitably set on Eisegesis (drawing in) i.e. finding ways of putting thier own biased, prejudicial religious unscriptural, unauthentic, unsealable Johnny come lately 'spirits' into a vintage scriptural, authenticated, sealable wineskin. Or, as Jesus said in His days on earth, protagonists back in the day just didn't get that they can't put their 'new wine substitute' into an old wineskin' of truth.

doggedly: pursuing in a manner showing tenacity and grim persistence. "He has doggedly pursued a scripturally unsupported path"

Regarding clergy I once had a gentleman say to me about some catholic doctrine, "Well that's not for you or me to decide anyway. They spend their time studying this kind of stuff and certainly know more about it than you or I. When I disagreed and suggested that it was naive and irresponsible not to check things out like the Bereans did, never mind blindly throw one's soul under the bus of any earlthly driven man-made religion- the conversation abruptly ended with said gentleman angry that I had the audacity to question the powers that be. My underlying point of course was, 'they' weren't/aren't the powers that be.

Presumption: a conclusion reached based upon evidence and/or a previous pattern.

Assumption: a conclusion reached without supporting evidence or previous pattern.

In this case, raising Peter onto a 'pedestal' that neither scripture, hermeneutics, exegesis nor evidence supports along with a 'promotion' not even Peter acknowledged, is way over the top.