Christian's respone: "You only want to hear what you"

[Beloved Servant]

John 14 (AMP)
20 At that time, when that day comes, you will know for yourselves that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.
21 The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and whoever  loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will show, reveal, manifest Myself to him. I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.

It's my opinion that a person can read every translation, every day for the rest of their life and never understand one iota unless the Lord wills it.
Consider the lilies of the field.

[Molly]

The word, yoked, isn't outmoded and outdated.  It's farmer talk for a device which ties two beasts of burden together, like two oxen tied [yoked] together at the neck.  So you are under a type of servitude to what you are yoked with because you are tied to it and if it pulls in one direction, you'll be pulled along with it.  We are not to be unequally yoked--coupled with another who is walking in darkness--well, that's just good advice...

Jesus is the one we are to be yoked with, as he says,...

Matthew 11:30
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.


"yoke"

G2218
ζυγός
zugos
dzoo-gos'
From the root of ζεύγνυμι zeugnumi (to join, especially by a "yoke"); a coupling, that is, (figuratively) servitude (a law or obligation); also (literally) the beam of the balance (as connecting the scales): - pair of balances, yoke.

It's outdated in the sense of a term for being placed under cruel and oppressive servitude.  Dictionary.com even goes so far as to calls that sense of the verb "obsolete".  Given that nobody I have ever encountered who used that verse to say that Christians should not associate with non-Christians actually knew what the word meant (a large percentage thought it was like an egg yolk or something), I think that that is an accurate descriptor, as I can't remember ever hearing that word in any form whatsoever outside of the Bible.

This is basically a non-KJV example of "understandeth thou what thou readeth?"  If absolutely no one understands what a word means, and yet they all use the verse in which it appears anyway to determine doctrine, then I think it's time to say, "Houston, we have a problem."  Language changes, and in my opinion, so too should translations, in order to ensure that everyone reading the Bible actually understands at the very least the bare text of each passage.

If you looked at yoked animals, you would understand instantly what God is saying.  These animals are not sitting down to tea with each other, they are not chatting, they are not playing ball together, they are not grazing in the field side by side, they are yoked together.   He's not saying don't associate, he's saying don't be yoked.   If I were ww, I would put the picture in the post, but I'm not, so click on this link--

http://www.istrianet.org/istria/fauna/cattle/images/oxen-yoked1tm430.jpg


2 Corinthians 6:14
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

[Beloved Servant]

Amen Molly.
There is no fellowship with the world.
We are in it but not of it.
Strangers in a foreign land.

[Cardinal]

Remember, 97% of the people who say they've been born again and attend church with some regularity have never read the Bible through even once.  The preacher run system that calls itself the church protects its income and control.  Part of how this is done is to maintain the illusion that those not of the titled elite don't rightly know enough, so they must sit down and shut up.  The possessors of the pulpit will make all things known as they ought to be understood if you continue to be a part of the paying audience.  They are taught the man on stage is able to make anybody willing to listen him to understand the truth and they believe he will tell them what God wants them to know.  This portion of Scripture is therefore not popularly known because it explains instead why religious professionals who are righteous men and even spiritually gifted cannot understand the truth.  I think the reason I find this teaching of Jesus hard to warmly embrace is because I assume anything I diligently study and pray over will open to me.  It can be suprising how much we are not under the discipline of the Holy Spirit.  Until certain areas of our lives are pleasing to God we are not qualified and will never be admitted into the mysteries or granted the powers of the kingdom of God.  Understand, God doesn't want some people to be healed so He prevents them from understanding.  We go around assuming anybody we try to explain the truth to can understand it if they want to.

Matthew 13:10-17 (Concordant Literal Translation)...
10 And, approaching, the disciples say to Him, "Wherefore art Thou speaking in parables to them?"
11 Now, answering, He said to them that "To you has it been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of the heavens, yet to those it has not been given.
12 For anyone who has, to him shall be given, and he shall have a superfluity. Yet anyone who has not, that also which he has shall be taken away from him.
13 Therefore in parables am I speaking to them, seeing that, observing, they are not observing, and hearing, they are not hearing, neither are they understanding.
14 And filled up in them is the prophecy of Isaiah, that is saying, '"In hearing, you will be hearing, and may by no means be understanding, And observing, you will be observing, and may by no means be perceiving."
15 For stoutened is the heart of this people, And with their ears heavily they hear, And with their eyes they squint, Lest at some time they may be perceiving with their eyes, And with their ears should be hearing, And with their heart may be understanding, And should be turning about, And I shall be healing them.'
16 "Yet happy are your eyes, for they are observing, and your ears, for they are hearing.
17 For verily I am saying to you that many prophets and just men yearn to perceive what you are observing, and perceive not, and to hear what you are hearing, and hear not.

What has to be changed is our hard heartedness, paying attention only to our own evaluations as we weigh everything we hear for error, arrogantly offended as we look on with a jaundiced eye, everything appearing to not meet with our approval.  People like this will not be admitted to God's treasure house.

Matthew 3:

16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him...

The sixth seal!
As our old heavens are rolled together as a scroll, so are the new heavens unrolled and unfurled over us as a scroll.

Until we hear the Father say: "This (These) is (are) my beloved Son(s), in whom I am well pleased,"
we continue to press in.

:cloud9: To both....... :thumbsup: Blessings....