Yes Nabster, Satan is the ruler of this world.

2 Corinth 4:4 "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

1 John 5:19 "We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one."

But while we are in the world, we are not of the world:

John 18:36 "Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

John 17:14 "I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world."

John 17:14 is also a great testimony that Christ's kingdom will not be a 1000 year reign on earth. Christ is not of the world and never will be.

So no, I havn't changed my doctrine. Christ reigns in our hearts by faith, we are not of this world.

Perhaps the fish trust in God more than man does:

Mathew 6:25-27 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life"

I am of this world...but I want to be a fish...not a flounder...maybe a whale...then all I have to worry about is the Japanese.

2 Corinth 4:4 "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

If god "blinds" the eyes of unbelievers...how can they see and believe in "god"?

"The God of this age" is refering to Satan.

and the Norwegians, they hunt whales too.

Nabster, What was the mistake the Jews made when they interpreted scriptures and thought Jesus wasn't the Messiah?

somehow i think you are going to tell me.
Your elders have spoken and you are about to enlighten the rest of us...
I can tell you the mistake that WELS is making. You think we are in the 1000 year reign of Christ. Which happens after the second coming, which happens after the blessed hope of return for his church. which happens after wars, rumors of wars, famine pestilence,and earthquakes, as well as the gathering of Israel, and the rebuilding of Babylon...
SCripture plainly says he will return in like manner in which left.
So , now what were you saying????

You didn't answer the question. What is your view on my question?
What mistakes did the Jews make when they interpreted scriptures and thought Jesus wasn't the Messiah? The Jews had all the prophecy that pointed to the Messiah being born, living and dying for us on the cross. Instead of believing Jesus was the Messiah, they crucified him. What mistakes do you believe they made in interpreting scriptures?

They did not have the Bible. They had old testament scriptures. First their eyes were blinded by God to not see Him.
Romans 11:25
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.


Second they refused to acknowledge truth, so they misinterpreted to fit their own ideas.
So, why dont you tell us what the Jews did...

The interpreted prophecy to mean that Jesus would reign on earth.

I am not Jewish. You are inferring I/we have done the same thing.
DO you believe a new earth, as the Bible says, will become reality on earth after the 1000 years??? Or is the 1000 years just a figure of speech and it is an endless time? Do you believe the 144,000 witnesses are literal in number?
Do you believe Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days or figurative. Jews 40 years in desert or figurative? Dead 3 days and risen or just figurative? Rained 40 days and nights or just fiurative?

My point is God uses numbers and times as His imprint on truth. 40 is a time of testing in the Bible and it is literal. For instance.
Numerology in the Bible is fascinating and even so proves God exists as much as anything to those who dont believe.
God gave us insight into His methodology here.
1000 years in scripture when terms around it are literal means 1000 years, when terms around it are fiuragtive it is then figurative. IN context always.

Yes. That is what I am saying

answer my questions please. figurative or literal stated above.

The new earth comes after the judgement.
Symbolic. I did answer this already.

no

It depends on the context as you said.