Andrew wrote:
Dear Mike,
You most likely have studied this. I highlighted what I believe the word ‘keep’ pertains to in Revelation.
Greek – tereo (tay- reh’- o)Thayer Definition:
1) to attend to carefully, take care of
1a) to guard
1b) metaphorically to keep, one in the state in which he is
1c) to observe
1d) to reserve: to undergo something
Part of Speech:
verb
A Related Word by Thayer’s/ Strong’s Number:
from teros (a watch, perhaps akin to G2334)
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
Keep1. To hold; to retain in one’s power or possession; not to lose or part with; as, to keep a house or a farm; to keep any thing in the memory, mind or heart.
2. To have in custody for security or preservation.
The crown of Stephanus, first king of Hungary, was always kept in the castle of Vicegrade.
3. To preserve; to retain.
The Lord God, merciful and gracious, keeping mercy for thousands–Exo 34.
4. To preserve from falling or from danger; to protect; to guard or sustain.
And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee. Gen 28. Luk 4.
5. To hold or restrain from departure; to detain.
— That I may know what keeps me here with you.
6. To tend; to have the care of.
And the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden, to dress it and to keep it. Gen 2.
7. To tend; to feed; to pasture; as, to keep a flock of sheep or a herd of cattle in a yard or in a field.
He keeps his horses on oats or on hay.8. To preserve in any tenor or state. Keep a stiff rein.
Keep the constitution sound.
9. To regard; to attend to.
While the stars and course of heaven I keep—
10. To hold in any state; as, to keep in order.
11. To continue any state, course or action; as, to keep silence; to keep the same road or the same pace; to keep reading or talking; to keep a given distance.
12. To practice; to do or perform; to obey; to observe in practice; not to neglect or violate; as, to keep the laws, statutes or commandments of God.
13. To fulfill; to perform; as, to keep one’s word, promise or covenant.
14. To practice; to use habitually; (I found this interesting)
15. To copy carefully.
16. To observe or solemnize.
17. To board; to maintain; to supply with necessaries of life. The men are kept at a moderate price per week.
18. To have in the house; to entertain; as, to keep lodgers.
19. To maintain; not to intermit; as, to keep watch or guard.
[ There are many others along this same line to numerous to list without boring.]
KEEP
v. i. To remain in any state; as, to keep at a distance; to keep aloft; to keep near; to keep in the house; to keep before or behind; to keep in favor; to keep out of company, or out of reach.
1. To last; to endure; not to perish or be impaired. Seek for winter’s use apples that will keep.
2. To lodge; to dwell; to reside for a time. Knock at the study, where, they say, he keeps.
To keep to, to adhere strictly; not to neglect or deviate from; as, to keep to old customs; to keep to a rule; to keep to one’s word or promise.
To keep on, to go forward; to proceed; to continue to advance.
In popular language, this word signifies to continue; to repeat continually; not to cease.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Thank you Andrew,
This is all very revealing. But I see that you seem to have rejected Thayers and Strong’s number one definition??? How could you possibly do that? In reality, of course, I think you have been very perceptive to do so. To do otherwise we would all be teaching that God is even now burning people in literal fire for ‘time perpetuity or time without end.’
As I think I told you, the very best way to define any word spiritually is to simply type it into your e- sword and look at all of the ways it is used. Then God Himself will reveal to you what He means by the word under discussion:.
Joh 8:51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying [ of the prophecy of this book], he shall never see death.
Joh 8:55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying [ of the prophecy of this book].
I do not think for one moment Christ is telling us to ‘guard against keeping His sayings’ and I certainly do not believe that He is telling us that He, Himself was being very careful to guard against keeping the sayings of His Father.’ Christ had to experience every temptation any man would ever experience. Christ even had to experience the wrath of His Father.
Even the flesh of Christ cried out against the way God was and still is doing things:
Mat 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me : nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
But the spirit in Christ said “nevertheless not my will but thine be done,” and God turning His back on the flesh of Christ was but for a moment:
Psa 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Isa 54:7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
Isa 54:8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
Did God really turn His back on His own Son? Did God show His anger and His wrath upon Christ? I prefer to believe God’s Word over the word of any man who may tell you that God’s elect never experience God’s wrath.
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye [ God’s elect] walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
God’s elect, just as Christ their captain, must experience God’s wrath “even as others.” There are no exceptions:
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Thank you for taking your time taken to send this to me, Andrew. Put God’s Word above all else, and you will not be stumbling in the darkness of human reasoning.
Mike >