Wayne has thoroughly explained that Jesus' brothers were indeed his brothers ( of course more precisely : his half-brothers) and not his cousins. All suppositions that it might be otherwise are laboured.
But why does the Roman Catholic church sticks to all this.
Mary must be upgraded at all costs . There must be a construction, that she is always virgin. And the end is, that we have a person, nearly as high as Jesus. And so the attention is drawn away from Jesus, while on him all attention must be fixed, for he is the only Saviour.
And for that purpose, a nearly supernatural Mary, it is absolutely necessary to deny, that she has been a quite normal housewife, bearing children and educating children.
This looks a bit unfriendly, but that is not meant like that. But sometimes things should be said a little sharply.
All earthly forms of Chrisitian beliefs still have their errings. The making of Mary to a sort of 'half goddess' is a specific Catholic erring in my protestant way of thinking.
But never mind Stephan, Psalm 119 v 63 states: "I am a friend to all who fear you, (God) to all who follow your precepts".
And if we both follow Lord Jesus, shouting for joy for our salvation, then we are friends. And all the walls between us will dwindle away.
So weit ich verstehe, sagst du: "Ist ein Abfall der Heiligen möglich, oder ist es: "Einmal gerettet....ewig gerettet.
Ich lese in Hebr. 6 v 4-und weiter: .................. "Denn es ist unmöglich: - die so einmal erleuchtet sind - und geschmeckt haben die himmlische Gabe - und teilhaftig geworden sind des Heiligen Geistes - und geschmeckt haben das gütige Wort Gottes - und die Kräfte der zukünftiger Welt, und dann doch abgefallen sind, wiederum zu erneuern zu Busze ... sie: - die für sichselbst den Sohn Gottes abermals kreuzigen - und zum Spott machen. .... denn die Erde die den Regen trinkt, der oft über sie kommt und dann nützliche Frucht trägt denen die sie bauen, empfängt Segen von Gott. Wenn sie aber Dornen und Disteln trägt, so is sie nicht nütze und dem Fluch nahe, dasz man sie zuletzt abbrennt. ................ Es gibt hier Leute, die sehr weit mit Herrn Jesus gegangen sind. - Sie haben himmliches Licht empfangen über ihr Leben - Sie haben geschmeckt vom süszer Schuldvergebung - Nach Wiedergeburt sind sie getauft mit dem Heiligen Geist - Und haben neues , herrliches Licht empfangen über das Wort Gottes, die Bibel - ja...sogar haben sie die Geistesgaben empfangen, so wie Weisheit, Erkenntnis, Glaube, Gesundmachung, Wunder zu tun, Weissagung,Geisterunterscheidung,.mancherlei Zungenrede, Zungen aus zu legen, ( 1 Kor 12 v 8- 10), Kräfte, die sich noch viel stärker als nun zeigen werden in den kommenden ´Tausend Jahren`.
Diese Leute sind doch wohl sehr weit mit Herrn Jesus gegangen. Und diese Leute fallen dann doch ab.
Und warum fallen sie ab. Das komt durch Gewöhnung, Alltagstrott, Faulheit, Vergesslichkeit, die Sorge der Welt, (Matth 13 v 22), durch oft sehr kleine Dinge. Und dann können die Kinder Gottes ihnen nicht mehr helfen. Sie wissen 'alles' und sagen doch: " Ich habe keine Lust daran".
Nur Gott kann daran helfen, dadurch dasz er ein Wunder laszt geschehen in ihren Herzen. Sie sind NAHE der Fluch.
Für alle Kinder Gottes gilt es: "Wach". Abfall der Heiligen ist möglich. Trag Frucht. Der heisame Regen fällt
"Whwn the thousand years are over , satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth. - Gog and Magog-to gather them for battle. In numbers they are like the sand of the seashore.They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people and the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever".
These words find their pendant in the old testament in Ezekiel 39. Some people think, that Ezekiel 39 handles about the Israelites . They say: "These people have had already so many bad experiences. But the worst things for them are still coming. I am against this opinion and believe that this is mentioned. ................. When Jesus comes back, with this glorious moment 'the thousand years' begin. And because satan cannot be active in that period , there is all the time to teach the whole worldpopulation about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The citizens of 'the thousand years' are: - those Christians, who had not reached the full knowledge of the fulness of God at the moment Jesus returned. They have very good times and can prosper to always more knowledge. - the whole further world-population, who now get all possibilities to learn always more about salvation.
The governors ( Isaiah 32 v 1) are those Christians, members of the congregation, who at the coming back of Jesus had reached the full wisdom and went up in the air, ( 1 Thessalonians 4 v 7).
But in these happy days there ARE people, who say in their hearts "No", in spite of all these delightful possibilities. They are not 'public, they are only 'undercover', ( Deuteronomy 33 v 29), but their heart is not with the Lord, even then.
And that is the reason, that satan is released for a short time. And all the ' no-sayers' follow him in his last desperate offensive.
But it is all in vain and all the enemies of God, man and demon , are annihilated. And when all the enemies have at last been unmasked, the earth can be pured of all last tracks of sin, ( see also Ezekiel 39).
I have the strong opinion, that we have to do here with 'God's victory at the end of time', just as the recovering of the earth, after satan had made it 'formless and empty' ( Genesis 1 v 2) was 'God's victory at the beginning of time'.
