"Take my word for it, or his, or this book"

[Zzyzx]

Most of us probably know better than to believe everything said or written. If someone tells us they can fly by flapping their arms, our response is likely disbelief and a request that they ‘show me’. If they refuse to demonstrate or fail in flapping, we regard their claim as false. Agreed?

If a person claims to have come back to life after being dead for days none of us are likely to believe the claim unless it could be verified. Right?

If someone writes that fifty years ago a long-dead person came back to life and flew away into the sky, what would be your / our likely reaction? Would we be convinced if they say ‘many saw him’?

What would it take to convince us that the tale was true?

[tam]

Peace again,

[Replying to tam in post #125]

So does blasphemy not ever come from people who claim to base their faith on the bible alone? Does blasphemy never come from religion?

What point do you think you are making, Jack?

Whether blasphemy occurs from anyone else has nothing whatsoever to do with whether you are guilty of blasphemy.

Exactly.

So why bring up the potential blasphemy from other people at all?

I think you have already agreed that the folks from the NAR are guilty of blasphemy.

I said nothing about it one way or the other. Not because I think they are speaking truthfully, but because I don't automatically label a lie as blasphemy.

BTW, I listened to that little X video and what she said was "I believe the Lord said to say to you..." This is not the same as "The Lord said to say to you..."

Just fyi.

Are you attempting to defend Paula White?

I am suggesting that she may not be hearing as 'directly' as is being claimed.

"I believe the Lord said" is a weaker statement than "the Lord said."

It suggests some uncertainty. She is not actually sure if the Lord said to say that.

Regardless, we were warned that false prophets would be in the world, were we not? Does that mean that all prophets are false?

I have never said "all prophets are false." What I am saying is, we can identify a false prophet when they claim to hear from Jesus directly.

Where did you get that from?

You did not get it from the bible. The bible most certainly does not make that statement.

So who taught you that?



Peace again.

[tam]

Peace again to you,

I need to apologize for something I said earlier in the thread:

Although I'm not sure what is meant here by the word 'ordain'... there's nothing particularly wrong about the claim of Donald Trump being raised up to this position by God. You don't need to have heard from God (or rather, His Son - because God speaks through His Son) to accept that though.

"Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."

That would include Obama though (and I suspect that this group of yours wouldn't like that claim as much).

Remember, God also raised up Pharaoh for a specific purpose. (I'm not saying Trump is or is not Pharaoh; that is not my concern, my concern is Christ and bearing witness to him, listening to Him, remaining in Him.)

I cannot interpret scripture on my own (as I have said.) And I do not know what Paul had in mind when he wrote those words (Let everyone be subject...). Even Peter said that Paul wrote some things that were difficult to understand.

But there is a difference between God actively raising someone to their position, versus God allowing someone to be raised to their position.

I should not have suggested that God raised Trump to his position, and I apologize, Jack (or anyone else), if that has been tripping you up.

(** to be clear, I am not blaming Paul for my misunderstanding. My mistake is my own.)

Peace again to you all,
your servant and a slave of Christ,
tammy

[Realworldjack]

[Replying to tam in post #146]

Sorry Tammy, but you are wrong again. It looks like your direct line to Jesus is failing you. When Jesus said, "come unto me all you who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest for your souls" He was not referring to me, you, nor anyone at all today. Rather, Jesus was calling on the Jewish people who were under the law. Jesus is referring to the law as a burden and a yoke which the people could not bear. I mean, even Peter at the council at Jerusalem said, "why do we place on the neck of the Gentiles a burden that we, nor our forefathers could bear." Moreover, even you, yourself have admitted that you have never been under the law. Ergo, if you, me, nor anyone else is, or ever have been under the law, then Jesus could not have been referring to any of us today.

You see, what I am giving you is Bible 101. In other words, it is what Paul referred to as "milk." Baby food as far as the Bible is concerned, and yet you show a complete lack of understanding of Bible 101, the milk, baby food, and yet you want to convince us that you have a direct line to Jesus. SERIOUSLY! If I were to tell you that I hear directly from Jesus, but I could not give you a correct interpretation of the most elementary passages of the Bible, would you buy what I am selling? I mean, you claim to hear directly from Jesus, and you claim that He reminded you of a very basic, elementary thing such as we have been set free from the law, and yet you have no idea at all that when Jesus said, "come unto me all you who are weak and heavy laden" He was referring to the Jewish people He was talking to at the time who were under the law and that this would have nothing at all to do with you today since you admit to never being under the law.

I want to be clear here in saying that this passage has nothing whatsoever to do with those who may be having a difficult time in life, who may be weak, and heavy laden with the things in life. This has nothing to do with the passage, and those who attempt to make this be the case do great damage to what is being communicated, on top of the fact that none of us are promised an easy go at life.

The bottom line here is the fact that you claim to hear directly from Jesus but cannot even tell us what Jesus meant when He is quoted in the scripture.

[tam]

Peace to you,

[Replying to tam in post #146]

Sorry Tammy, but you are wrong again.

What I shared is not wrong simply because you disagree with it.

When Jesus said, "come unto me all you who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest for your souls" He was not referring to me, you, nor anyone at all today. Rather, Jesus was calling on the Jewish people who were under the law. Jesus is referring to the law as a burden and a yoke which the people could not bear. I mean, even Peter at the council at Jerusalem said, "why do we place on the neck of the Gentiles a burden that we, nor our forefathers could bear." Moreover, even you, yourself have admitted that you have never been under the law. Ergo, if you, me, nor anyone else is, or ever have been under the law, then Jesus could not have been referring to any of us today.

There are more religious leaders out there than just those in Israel at that time.

There are many today who do the exact same thing - place heavy burdens on the people. Via laws yes (pseudo forms of the OT law), and also via guilt and shame.

I will give an example from the one I know (it doesn't mean it is the only one) - the WTS/JW religion. They have many 'laws' that must be obeyed (and fear, shame, guilt, punishment, etc - that come with failure to obey the 'laws' they have imposed upon their members.) There are many in that religion who are fine with it. Those ones may not feel burdened or weary from these heavy loads.

But there are also those who ARE burdened and weary from these loads - again, not just the 'religious laws', but also the guilt and shame that comes with.

Christ's invitation absolutely applies to these ones (and others.) Yesterday AND today.

"Come to ME, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take MY yoke upon you and learn from ME; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

You see, what I am giving you is Bible 101.

No, what you are giving me is "Jack's understanding of the bible 101."

I want to be clear here in saying that this passage has nothing whatsoever to do with those who may be having a difficult time in life, who may be weak, and heavy laden with the things in life. This has nothing to do with the passage, and those who attempt to make this be the case do great damage to what is being communicated, on top of the fact that none of us are promised an easy go at life.

I never claimed that we are promised an easy go at life. Christ told us (who belong to Him) that in this world we will have trouble.

I simply said that His words 'come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest' apply to people today as well.

Peace again.

[OneJack]

[Replying to Realworldjack in post #163]

When Jesus said, "come unto me all you who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest for your souls" He was not referring to me, you, nor anyone at all today. Rather, Jesus was calling on the Jewish people who were under the law. Jesus is referring to the law as a burden and a yoke which the people could not bear. I mean, even Peter at the council at Jerusalem said, "why do we place on the neck of the Gentiles a burden that we, nor our forefathers could bear." Moreover, even you, yourself have admitted that you have never been under the law. Ergo, if you, me, nor anyone else is, or ever have been under the law, then Jesus could not have been referring to any of us today.

Tell me Jack, is the Lord Jesus Christ today not calling on you to come to Him [though you don't see Him yet] so that you may have salvation and eternal life with HIM in Paradise? How did you know the Lord was calling on the Jewish people who were under the Law if the 'rest of their souls' would be the purpose of that calling? Have you heard anything yet from the Lord Jesus Christ as the basis of your narrative above?

[Realworldjack]

[Replying to tam in post #164]

Again, I can certainly understand why someone came up with the saying, "you cannot make this stuff up." I mean, on the one hand you freely admit to us that you do not have the ability to interpret scripture (and you certainly demonstrate this to be the case) and then on the other hand you use the scripture you claim not to be able to interpret in order to defend your position. There is no way in the world you can make such nonsense make sense in your mind.

What I shared is not wrong simply because you disagree with it.

Correct! However, and again, you claim not to be able to understand scripture, and yet you give us an interpretation. It is unreal. The fact is, one or the both of us are in error. Either Jesus was only referring to the "house of Israel" when He said, "come unto me all you who are weak and heavy laden." Or He was also referring to the Jehova Witnesses as well, as you suggest.

Your problem is the fact that even Jesus Himself said that His earthly ministry was "only to the house of Israel." The fact of the matter is, Jesus referred to the Gentiles as "dogs" and you have Him as referring to the Jehova Witnesses when He says, "come unto me all you who are weak and heavy laden." I mean, the fact that the Gentiles (which would include anyone who is not a Jew) was excluded from what Jesus is saying is the fact that even the apostles after the Resurrection were under the impression that the Gospel was only intended for the Jewish people.

This is exactly what I am saying. When you take a passage like this, and attempt to apply it to others, you are doing great damage to the text. Jesus came only to the "house of Israel" begging them to let go of their own efforts at keeping the law. So then, if Jesus Himself said that He came "only to the house of Israel" then what He says there applies to the house of Israel He was speaking to at the time and has nothing whatsoever to do with the JW since they were not even heard of at the time.

There are more religious leaders out there than just those in Israel at that time.

You are correct but they have nothing whatsoever to do with the comments of Jesus at the time, since Jesus said of His earthly ministry that He was sent only to the house of Israel.

There are many today who do the exact same thing - place heavy burdens on the people. Via laws yes (pseudo forms of the OT law), and also via guilt and shame.

We are not talking about today, and Jesus was not talking about today. Jesus who was sent only to the house of Israel, was speaking to the house of Israel who were under the OT law, and He was pleading with them to let go of their efforts of keeping the law and cling to him. The bottom line is the fact that you had no idea Jesus was referring to the law as being a burden, and now that you have learned this to be the case you attempt to weaken the meaning of the passage by attempting to apply it where it does not belong.

I will give an example from the one I know (it doesn't mean it is the only one) - the WTS/JW religion. They have many 'laws' that must be obeyed (and fear, shame, guilt, punishment, etc - that come with failure to obey the 'laws' they have imposed upon their members.) There are many in that religion who are fine with it. Those ones may not feel burdened or weary from these heavy loads.

I understand all of this, but none of this changes the fact that Jesus was addressing the Jewish people at the time. Jesus cannot possibly be addressing the Gentiles, since He Himself said that He was sent only to the house of Israel, and He referred to the Gentiles as dogs.

No, what you are giving me is "Jack's understanding of the bible 101."

What I am doing is to demonstrate that Jesus could not have possibly been referring to anyone other than the Jewish people when He spoke these words, since His ministry was only to the Jewish people at the time.

[Realworldjack]

[Replying to OneJack in post #165]

Tell me Jack, is the Lord Jesus Christ today not calling on you to come to Him [though you don't see Him yet] so that you may have salvation and eternal life with HIM in Paradise?

No, He is not. What Jesus has done (past tense) is pay the price for sin and these events have been recorded for us by those who witnessed the events with God testifying through the apostles with signs, wonders, and miracles.

How did you know the Lord was calling on the Jewish people who were under the Law

The simple fact that Jesus Himself proclaimed that He "was sent only to the house of Israel."

if the 'rest of their souls' would be the purpose of that calling?

I have no idea what this means?

Have you heard anything yet from the Lord Jesus Christ as the basis of your narrative above?

Have you? I would be eager to hear it. As for me, I do not claim to hear from Jesus directly.

[OneJack]

[Replying to OneJack in post #165]

Tell me Jack, is the Lord Jesus Christ today not calling on you to come to Him [though you don't see Him yet] so that you may have salvation and eternal life with HIM in Paradise?

No, He is not. What Jesus has done (past tense) is pay the price for sin and these events have been recorded for us by those who witnessed the events with God testifying through the apostles with signs, wonders, and miracles.

You are just interpreting bible passages in connection with what Jesus did, as evident in your narrative above, aren't you Jack?

How did you know the Lord was calling on the Jewish people who were under the Law

The simple fact that Jesus Himself proclaimed that He "was sent only to the house of Israel."

John 5:39-40 is not about the Son being sent to the house of Israel, is it?

if the 'rest of their souls' would be the purpose of that calling?

I have no idea what this means?

[Matt 11:28-29] Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Have you heard anything yet from the Lord Jesus Christ as the basis of your narrative above?

Have you?

Yes, we did hear the Lord for almost 14 years, beginning 2001.

I would be eager to hear it. As for me, I do not claim to hear from Jesus directly.

The first long message that the Lord Jesus Christ uttered to us in 2001 was as follows:

"All of you who are listening, listen carefully! I am your Lord God. Who are you afraid of? I am the Almighty. Who are you intimidated by? Remember, when I am by your side, you have nothing to fear, nothing to worry about, because I will save you from any calamity if you trust in Me and regard Me as your salvation and eternal life. As your Lord, whom you alone will worship and none other, I am the one true God existing in heaven, earth, or universe. I created all things, I gave you life. Where will you go? If not to Me, you have nowhere else to go.

"Remember, eternal life and your salvation are in My hands. If you want to be saved, come and draw near to Me. If you want eternal life, come and call upon Me. Trust in Me, because if you don't, you will have no salvation and no eternal life. You will have nowhere to go but to calamity and suffering. But if you draw near to Me, you will attain nothing but peace – peace if you accept it, if you trust in Me, if you believe in Me with all your heart and all your love. Love Me with all your heart, and worship none other but Me, the one and only Lord.

"Remember, at all times when you need help, I am always by your side. Whether you are with Me or not, I am always by your side, shining light on your path so you can see the light and more clearly see the way to the kingdom of heaven if you return to Me, turn away from your evil deeds, and follow in My footsteps, following the Light of the world. Remember, I am your Lord God, a jealous God, so worship none other but Me. Call upon no other name in times of need but Mine, and I will lift you up from wherever you are, and you will attain nothing but blessings if I permit it."

Remember, I hold your lives in My hands, and your lives depend on Me. Remember, if before you weren't with Me, demons were already lurking around you to tempt you, and it will double when you're with Me. If there were three demons with you before, it will be more than ten when you're with Me, because they will pull you away to lead you astray. Remember, if I am with you, you are with Me, and all who call upon Me in the right way, I will choose them in the world. I have chosen you to spread My holy word. Go forth and make all nations My servants and disciples, and I bless you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

"Remember, if before the world was your ally, when you're with Me, the world will hate you because you're no longer of this world, but I have chosen you to spread My holy word. Remember, in all that you do, I am behind you. Remember, every move you make, every whisper of your heart, every cry of your soul, I hear it, so you can't hide anything, even what you don't utter with your lips, I will know. And remember, no one will be saved except those who are faithful to Me, who call upon Me, who follow the will of My Father, follow My will, follow My commandments, worship none other but Me, do all that I command with a willing heart, and that is My church, the Church of Christ.

"No one else will be saved, even if you're part of My church, which they now call the Church of Christ, but the truth is, it's about the people. Remember, My church is not proud, doesn't pretend to be superior, doesn't proclaim that they alone will be saved, but My church spreads salvation, doesn't proclaim that they alone will be saved. The work of My church is to spread My holy word, to lead people astray no more, and to worship none other but Me, I who am your Lord God Almighty.

"Remember, with Me, nothing is impossible, so whatever you ask that seems impossible to you, if it's good for you, I won't deny you, I won't deny what you're asking. And remember, in My church, no one will stand to explain the holy scriptures or lead people as they explain, and they will stand as pastors, because in My church, I am the only Pastor who stands before you. Remember, when two or three discuss Me without any argument, I am in their midst.

"Remember, in My ministry or My church, you are all equal, no one is higher or lower, no one is rich or poor, no one is small or tall, no one is disabled or healthy, you are all equal. Even if you have illness, you are still equal to those without illness, because you are all healthy spiritually, because what you feel is only in the flesh."

"I am the Pastor, I am the Good Pastor. Remember, no one else will teach you except Me. If you explain to one another, it's only according to your own will, according to your own thoughts. So remember, anyone who stands as a pastor, who stands as a leader of My church, is working iniquity and stealing My place as the Good Pastor. Because you are only human, you who are pastors, you who teach and stand before people, you who work iniquity, you who cast out demons in My name, remember that when I return, many will call out to Me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we do mighty works and cast out demons in Your name, didn't we heal?' But remember, I will say to them, 'I never knew you, I never recognized you, you who work iniquity, you who cast out demons.' Remember, when you cast out demons, you're taking away the role that belongs to Me. If you encounter someone possessed by a demon, just pray to Me, and I am ready to hear your prayer and will listen to every complaint you whisper to Me, every cry you make, every prayer you offer. I will help you and never abandon you, especially those who are Mine and follow Me.

"Remember, I and the Father are one. Nothing is impossible for Me, for I am Almighty, your Lord God. Remember, whoever heals in your eyes, remember that I am the only one who heals. Even the demon Satan, the strongest of all demons, the great dragon and the old serpent called the devil and Satan, cannot approach you if you bear My name. They can only persecute you. Remember, when you're with Me, prepare yourselves for persecution because the world will hate you. Because you're not of this world, but I have chosen you from the world. Remember, I am always by your side, whenever you call, I will hear you... But remember, if you reject Me, you have nowhere else to go but to suffering and affliction."

[Realworldjack]

[Replying to OneJack in post #168]

You are just interpreting bible passages in connection with what Jesus did, as evident in your narrative above, aren't you Jack?

I really have no idea what you are attempting to say. However, what I do know for a fact is, you would have never known the name of Jesus if it had not been for the apostles, and authors contained in the Bible. In other words, what came first is you being exposed to what is contained in the NT and it was after your exposure to the NT that you now claim to hear directly from Jesus. In the beginning of Acts the apostles' preformed miracles, such as the healing of the sick, and the raising of the dead etc. It is also reported that some of the apostles heard directly from Jesus. The strange thing is you claim to hear directly from Jesus just like the apostles, but I am wondering if you claim to possess the ability to perform miracles such as the apostles did? If not, it kind of makes one wonder why you would choose simply hearing from Jesus directly as opposed to the working of signs and wonders the apostles performed? Not really. We all know why that would be. It is because you can continue to hear directly from Jesus just like the apostles did, and it would be difficult for anyone to demonstrate this to be false, as opposed to the working of signs and wonders as the apostles did. It is not very difficult to figure this out.

John 5:39-40 is not about the Son being sent to the house of Israel, is it?

Again, you simply cannot make this stuff up! On the one hand you claim to hear from Jesus directly, and have no need for anyone to teach you, and on the other hand you are appealing to the scripture to defend your position. But let us look at this passage a little closer.

If we go back to the beginning of the chapter what we discover is Jesus was healing on the Sabbath and the Jews were out to get Him in trouble for this. Ergo, Jesus goes on to give them a lengthy lesson and when we arrive to verse 39 Jesus tells the Jewish leaders (teachers of the law),

"You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me; and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life."

So yes! This passage was directed to the Jewish leaders, the teachers of the law, who examined the scriptures daily, who could not see that in the scriptures they examined daily that it was these same scriptures which testified of Jesus. You are making my case.

[Matt 11:28-29] Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

I have no idea why you would highlight "rest for your souls" because the Jewish people Jesus was referring to did indeed have souls. In other words, the Jewish leaders, teachers of the law, the scribes and Pharisees all burden the souls of the people with the law, and Jesus is promising them rest.

After reading what you claim to have heard directly from Jesus in 2001 the first thing which came to my mind was plagiarism. In other words, most all of what was said can be found directly in the NT, except for the idea that we have no need in a pastor. This is sort of strange for Jesus to say, since we have Paul in the NT saying to the Ephesians,

"And Jesus gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ."

Do you see where Paul says, "Jesus gave us pastors?" Moreover, if we are not to be taught by anyone other than Jesus, then why would Jesus give teachers? And why did Jesus give us these pastors, and teachers? Well, that would be "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ."

Moreover, Paul has this to say to the Romans,

"How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?"

Other than that, I can see nothing that Jesus supposably revealed to you that we cannot read directly from the NT. Although not all that was said which can be found right there in the NT would apply to us.

The point I am making is; you are going to have to do a whole lot better than simply regurgitating what we can all read right there in the NT in order to convince me that you are hearing from Jesus directly. I mean, why in the world do you all feel the need to let everyone know that you think you hear directly from Jesus, when you cannot demonstrate this to be the case? What in the world do you believe you are accomplishing?

[OneJack]

[Replying to Realworldjack in post #169]

I really have no idea what you are attempting to say. However, what I do know for a fact is, you would have never known the name of Jesus if it had not been for the apostles, and authors contained in the Bible.In other words, what came first is you being exposed to what is contained in the NT and it was after your exposure to the NT that you now claim to hear directly from Jesus.

I first knew the name JESUS from my mother, then from a priest since we were Catholic then. When I grew up, I further knew the name Jesus from a Born Again pastor who invited us to join their group. Later on, I knew more about Jesus when I began to read the bible. But when time came that disputes began to meddle with in the affairs of the church that we joined, we disengaged ourselves in that church and decided to go direct to the Lord Jesus for His guidance in our spiritual undertakings. Sometime in 2001, an unexpected event happened in our life, the Lord Jesus Christ came to our life, as in the days of Moses or the apostles. It was from that moment and onwards that our knowledge about the Lord Jesus Christ totally changed - the biblical basis of knowing Jesus shifted to the Godlical way of knowing Him - knowing the Lord Jesus through Himself, real and eternally living, who is beside all of us always on a 24/7 watch mode.

In the beginning of Acts the apostles' preformed miracles, such as the healing of the sick, and the raising of the dead etc. It is also reported that some of the apostles heard directly from Jesus. The strange thing is you claim to hear directly from Jesus just like the apostles, but I am wondering if you claim to possess the ability to perform miracles such as the apostles did?

Why would you presume/assume that hearing from the Lord Jesus today would be coupled with capability to perform miracles or to heal the sicks, were you the Lord Jesus Christ? Bear in mind that you acknowledge to have never heard anything yet from the Lord Jesus Christ for you to resort to presumption and assumption about the Lord. Also, always put to remembrance that the bible is not the Lord God and Jesus Christ for you to treat/convert anything written in it to 'commands' or 'messages' that God is asking of you to perform whenever you read and study your bible.

If not, it kind of makes one wonder why you would choose simply hearing from Jesus directly as opposed to the working of signs and wonders the apostles performed? Not really. We all know why that would be. It is because you can continue to hear directly from Jesus just like the apostles did, and it would be difficult for anyone to demonstrate this to be false, as opposed to the working of signs and wonders as the apostles did. It is not very difficult to figure this out.

Wittingly or unwittingly, you're definitely putting the Lord God, Christ Jesus, in a box (bible) by your narrative above, as well as elevating the bible in the stead of God. No one can impose anything on the Lord Jesus Christ, even if they are things that are written in the bible.

Again, you simply cannot make this stuff up! On the one hand you claim to hear from Jesus directly, and have no need for anyone to teach you, and on the other hand you are appealing to the scripture to defend your position.

I just used the scriptures in responding to your post, which is purely based on scriptures. The bible is not the basis of my faith in God; hence, I am not appealing to the scriptures to defend my position. The Lord Jesus Christ, who is always beside all of us, though we do not see Him yet, is my sole basis of my faith in God, my belief that I live with right now, and the Almighty God to whom I dedicate my whole life to until the end and in eternity to eternity.

The Lord uttered to us the following in proving to us that He is the Almighty God, to wit:

All of you who are listening, listen carefully! I am your Lord God. Who are you afraid of? I am the Almighty. Who are you intimidated by? Remember, when I am by your side, you have nothing to fear, nothing to worry about, because I will save you from any calamity if you trust in Me and regard Me as your salvation and eternal life. As your Lord, whom you alone will worship and none other, I am the one true God existing in heaven, earth, or universe. I created all things, I gave you life. Where will you go? If not to Me, you have nowhere else to go.

But let us look at this passage a little closer.

If we go back to the beginning of the chapter what we discover is Jesus was healing on the Sabbath and the Jews were out to get Him in trouble for this. Ergo, Jesus goes on to give them a lengthy lesson and when we arrive to verse 39 Jesus tells the Jewish leaders (teachers of the law),

"You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me; and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life."

So yes! This passage was directed to the Jewish leaders, the teachers of the law, who examined the scriptures daily, who could not see that in the scriptures they examined daily that it was these same scriptures which testified of Jesus. You are making my case.

You missed the cherry at the top of the ice cream, the Lord Jesus was saying to the Jewish leaders that they search and study the scriptures because they think they have eternal life in the scriptures [which testify of Him]; hence, for that reason [thinking they have eternal life in the scriptures] alone, they do not want to come to the Lord Jesus so that they may have life. Don't you see that Jesus impliedly tells them that their thinking is wrong - there is no life in the scriptures since life only resides and emanates from the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Everyone, across all generations, not only the Jewish leaders, needs to come to the Lord Jesus to have life eternal and salvation.

Thus saith the Lord Jesus Christ in our time today:

Remember, eternal life and your salvation are in My hands. If you want to be saved, come and draw near to Me. If you want eternal life, come and call upon Me. Trust in Me, because if you don't, you will have no salvation and no eternal life. You will have nowhere to go but to calamity and suffering. But if you draw near to Me, you will attain nothing but peace – peace if you accept it, if you trust in Me, if you believe in Me with all your heart and all your love. Love Me with all your heart, and worship none other but Me, the one and only Lord.

In the light of this utterance from the Lord Jesus Christ, salvation and eternal life is only by coming to and following the Lord Jesus Christ until the end.

I have no idea why you would highlight "rest for your souls" because the Jewish people Jesus was referring to did indeed have souls. In other words, the Jewish leaders, teachers of the law, the scribes and Pharisees all burden the souls of the people with the law, and Jesus is promising them rest.

The phrase, 'rest of your souls' is exactly the salvation of your/my/their souls since the soul and spirit, in the Lord's term, is the same. It is only by coming to and following the Lord Jesus Christ until the end that souls are always saved, even unto eternity; hence, the reason for my highlighting the said phrase.

After reading what you claim to have heard directly from Jesus in 2001 the first thing which came to my mind was plagiarism. In other words, most all of what was said can be found directly in the NT, except for the idea that we have no need in a pastor.

Ahhh, what kind of thinking have you gotten off???? Don't you know that the bible is a book of testimonies to the Lord Jesus, and previous utterances of the Lord were recorded in the scriptures? Why would you resort to concluding that those utterances of the Lord Jesus in 2001 were plagiarized when the Lord who uttered those words [written in the bible] to the apostles, to Moses, and to Paul, is the same Lord who uttered to us His messages today for the whole world?

This is sort of strange for Jesus to say, since we have Paul in the NT saying to the Ephesians,

"And Jesus gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ."

Do you see where Paul says, "Jesus gave us pastors?"

Now you find Jesus strange because He claims He is the only Pastor and Teacher in His flock. Did you read and study your bible thoroughly with respect to this particular issue of Pastor and Teacher in the flock of the Lord?

Biblically speaking, Jesus did teach the apostles and disciples that He is the only Pastor and Teacher in His flock, to wit:

Matt 23:8. But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.

This is a self-explanatory teaching from Jesus telling His apostles and disciples they are not to be called 'Rabbi' or Teacher because they have one Teacher - the Christ; and all of them are brothers [to each others].

John 10:14.“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me..

Saying I am the good shepherd is unconditional - He is always the Good Shepherd of His sheep, across all ages.

How does the Lord Jesus say today the things that He taught the apostles and disciples about Pastor and Teacher in His flock?

Godlically speaking, the Lord Jesus says today to all, to wit:

I am the Pastor, I am the Good Pastor. Remember, no one else will teach you except Me. If you explain to one another, it's only according to your own will, according to your own thoughts. So remember, anyone who stands as a pastor, who stands as a leader of My church, is working iniquity and stealing My place as the Good Pastor. Because you are only human, you who are pastors, you who teach and stand before people, you who work iniquity, you who cast out demons in My name, remember that when I return, many will call out to Me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we do mighty works and cast out demons in Your name, didn't we heal?' But remember, I will say to them, 'I never knew you, I never recognized you, you who work iniquity, you who cast out demons.' Remember, when you cast out demons, you're taking away the role that belongs to Me. If you encounter someone possessed by a demon, just pray to Me, and I am ready to hear your prayer and will listen to every complaint you whisper to Me, every cry you make, every prayer you offer. I will help you and never abandon you, especially those who are Mine and follow Me.

If Paul were saying Jesus gave them pastors, his words would contradict the Lord's teaching to them. The Savior is Jesus, not Paul. Why would you take Paul's words and ignore Jesus' words instead in this context? Don't you know that the bible is tainted with errors?

Moreover, if we are not to be taught by anyone other than Jesus, then why would Jesus give teachers?

Wow! Have you heard the Lord Jesus Christ telling you He really gives pastors and teachers to the local churches today around the globe? If not, then what are you peddling here with us about this issue of Pastor and Teacher in the flock of the Lord?

And why did Jesus give us these pastors, and teachers? Well, that would be "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ."

Even in the accounts of the bible, the Lord Jesus Christ did not teach that to the apostles and disciples, if you will read the utterances/teachings of the Lord Jesus.

Moreover, Paul has this to say to the Romans,

"How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?"

Other than that, I can see nothing that Jesus supposably revealed to you that we cannot read directly from the NT. Although not all that was said which can be found right there in the NT would apply to us.

It's good that you noticed the one that is not found in the NT; it is the one that was hidden from mankind for thousands of years, as the Lord taught us. Did you ask yourself, 'How am I to believe in Him whom I have not heard?' And whose preacher are you to hear from in this regard? Whom have you heard, so far, for you to share with others what you believe is from the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that the bible is not Jesus Christ?

The point I am making is; you are going to have to do a whole lot better than simply regurgitating what we can all read right there in the NT in order to convince me that you are hearing from Jesus directly.

My job is only to tell you what the Lord Jesus has asked of us to share/scatter to all so that His name may be known to all and that all may come to Him for all's salvation and eternal life. I don't have to convince you to believe in me; it's your choice to believe in whatever is pleasing to you. I tell you, there is nothing for me to regurgitate in the bible since it (the Bible) is not the basis of my faith in God. I am now well off without the bible. The Lord Jesus Christ is more than enough for all my needs. Why would I waste my time on anything that would not grant me my salvation and eternal life?

I mean, why in the world do you all feel the need to let everyone know that you think you hear directly from Jesus, when you cannot demonstrate this to be the case? What in the world do you believe you are accomplishing?

How could you see anything from what I'm saying when you've heard nothing yet from the Lord Jesus Christ? What do you know about Jesus? All you have, so far, is the bible, which is not Jesus.

My job is to draw all nigh to the Lord Jesus Christ alone, not to the bible and men pastors of today, so that all may know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only Teacher and Pastor in His flock, and that anyone who wants to be in the flock of the Lord needs to come to and call on the Lord, real and eternally living, listen to and follow the Lord until the end when He responds.