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Featured The Dove...

Discussion in 'Other Christian Denominations' started by awaken, Mar 22, 2013.

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  1. awaken

    awaken Active Member

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    In Biblical theology there is a concept known as the law of first mention. Meaning that when a person, animal, color metal, or number is first mentioned in the Word, it often sets the theme of that particular item throughout Scripture...Serpent-satan, lamb-Christ etc.

    The symbol that I would like to look at is the dove, the gentle creature that represents the Holy Spirit.

    First mention of the dove is in the story of Noah. Notice that two birds are sent out of the ark: a raven and a dove. Two birds that are totally opposite in nature, color, and in their eating habits. Is there a prophetic insight incoded within the story?
     
    #1 awaken, Mar 22, 2013
  2. awaken

    awaken Active Member

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    Well, I was hoping some would have studied this out and could add to what I have learned:type:

    Noah sent a raven from the window in the ark, and the raven flew back an forth until the waters were dried up. He later sent a dove, but the dove returned to the ark because he did not find a place to rest its feet.

    A raven will eat the bodies of animals killed by other animals a dove will not!

    The dove brought back an olive leaf into the ark. Interesting that the olive oil is used in the anointing of kings, priests and prophets.

    The olive leaf is a symbol that speaks to us that out of the crises and storms of life, the Holy Spirit will bring an olive branch (peace) in the midst of our conflict
     
    #2 awaken, Mar 22, 2013
  3. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    This is the kind of eisegetical nonsense that we get from the charismatic movement. Utter nonsense.
     
    #3 Revmitchell, Mar 22, 2013
  4. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Is Barney the Anti-Christ?

    Given: Barney is a CUTE PURPLE DINOSAUR
    Prove: Barney is satanic

    The Romans had no letter 'U', and used 'V' instead for
    printing, meaning the Roman representation would for
    Barney would be: CVTE PVRPLE DINOSAVR

    CVTE PVRPLE DINOSAVR

    Extracting the Roman numerals, we have:
    CV V L DI V

    And their decimal equivalents are:
    100 5 5 50 500 1 5

    Adding those numbers produces: 666.

    666 is the number of the Beast.

    Proved: BARNEY IS SATAN!
     
    #4 Revmitchell, Mar 22, 2013
  5. awaken

    awaken Active Member

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    Do you have a critical spirit with everyone? WHat part of my post was utter nonsense?
     
    #5 awaken, Mar 22, 2013
  6. awaken

    awaken Active Member

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    'When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him" Matt. 3:18

    When Jesus was baptized by John the account of the Holy Spirit descending as a dove was so important that it is referred to in all four Gospels. This was not a natural dove, but the Holy Spirit in the shape of a dove. (Luke 3:22)

    Ever wonder why the Holy Spirit used the form of a dove?
     
    #6 awaken, Mar 22, 2013
  7. 12strings

    12strings Active Member

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    I suppose my question would be, how does knowing this help me follow God better, or obey him better, or grow in godliness? What's the application?
     
    #7 12strings, Mar 23, 2013
  8. salzer mtn

    salzer mtn Well-Known Member

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    The Dove could represent the born again christians as they travels this earth as pilgrims, she finds no rest for the sole of her foot. The raven didn't come back, so as the lost worldlings they love the world and are partakers with the world.
     
    #8 salzer mtn, Mar 23, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 23, 2013
  9. awaken

    awaken Active Member

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    Interesting! I have never thought of that!
     
    #9 awaken, Mar 23, 2013
  10. awaken

    awaken Active Member

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    Any time God reveals in His Word a deeper understanding of Him and His ways...It makes me fall more in love with Him! I am more in awe of who He is!
    I love to learn of the deeper things of Him!
     
    #10 awaken, Mar 23, 2013
  11. awaken

    awaken Active Member

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    One reason I believe that the Holy Spirit used the form of a dove is because a dove has natural charcteristics similiar to the spiritual characteristics of the Holy Spirit.
    A dove is white- in scriptures white represents purity or righteousness.
    A dove expresses its affection by stroking its young and cooing in a soft tone-The Holy Spirit causes believers to be caring and loving for one another and even for those who are lost without a covenant.
    A dove is a gentle creature and never retaliates against its enemies- Believers are told to turn the other cheek and pray for our enemies.
    A something attacks a doves young, the dove will not attack, but instead it cries out in distress- In Romans 8 a believer does no tknow how to pray, then the Holy Spirit will make intercession with groanings.

    Many more parallels between a dove and the Holy Spirit!
     
    #11 awaken, Mar 23, 2013
  12. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
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    II Kings 6:25

    And there was a great famine in Samaria, as they besieged it, until a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove's dung for five shekels of silver.
     
    #12 Jerome, Mar 23, 2013
  13. awaken

    awaken Active Member

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    I missed something here??
     
    #13 awaken, Mar 23, 2013
  14. Amy.G

    Amy.G New Member

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    Doves are not just white. There are many, many colors of them. Tradition says that Noah probably released a rock dove, which is a pigeon.

    Although, I will agree that God chose a dove as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. But I would say that it was probably because of their nature not their color. They are sweet, affectionate, devoted birds. My son raises pigeons, so I have gotten quite an education on them. :laugh:
     
    #14 Amy.G, Mar 23, 2013
  15. Scarlett O.

    Scarlett O. Moderator
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    Don't forget, brother that the Holy Spirit came in literal form in more than just the dove. He came in literal tongues of fire in Acts. The dove represents just one aspect of His character.

    Also, I think we are affected too much by the media. Yes, there are a few species of doves that are white like the ones we always see on television being flown at weddings and in movies about Noah's Ark.

    But doves come in a WIDE range of colors. The mourning doves and mountain doves referred so many times in the Old Testament and which have MUCH symbolism weren't white at all. They were brown and gray and blended in with their surroundings.

    And just google "fruit doves" to see the hilariously crazy colorations God painted on the doves of jungle areas.

    I've done quite a bit of reading this morning via biblegateway on biblical references to doves. I think I've read and studied them all, but I might have missed one or two. Just a couple of things.

    The dove references of Song of Solomon 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 are pet names give in romantic conversations and represented the purity of love as God intended and in two of those references symbolize the physical beauty of a woman.

    The "wings" of doves references in Psalm 55 and 68 represent salvation - both literal and figurative. An escape, if you will, from this world's tribulation and stains of sin.

    Isaiah 38, 59, and Ezekiel 7 refer to mourning doves and their grief. These passage symbolize grief from sin, loss, captivity, and more.

    Hosea 7 and 11 equate a dove with mankind's helplessness or "silliness" as it says in the Kings James. The half-tribe of Ephraim is described as a silly dove flitting around helplessly with no purpose and ultimately being captured and eventually "flying back" in the restoration.

    The future church is prophesied about in Isaiah 60 as being "doves flying as clouds to their window". This, in context, speaks of the innocence and enormity of the future church.

    Doves come in many colors and represent many things in the Bible - both literal and figurative. The Hebrew word for pigeon is the same as the Hebrew word for dove, also.

    I just don't see anything prophetic or "encoded" in the Noah's ark account of the dove. We don't even know what color that dove was and it was merely just to test for vegetative growth.
     
    #15 Scarlett O., Mar 23, 2013
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2013
  16. awaken

    awaken Active Member

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    Another parallel between a dove and the Holy Spirit is that a dove can easily be spooked by stange noises. A dove will return to the same spot a couple of times when hearing a strange noise, but it will not return the third time to the same location.

    God said to Noah, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever".

    Another one...
    When birds hover in the air, their wingtip point toward the back in the direction of the tail feathers. On a dove, the wingtips point toward the head and not the tail.

    The annointing oil was poured upon the head of the priest from one ear across the front of the head to the other ear. Also the letter kuf in Hebrew has a similiar for of a dove's wings. At Christ baptism the Holy Spirit manifested as a dove above Christ and descended upon Him.

    Another interesting fact of the dove is that there are nine main feathers on the left and right wing of the dove. There are also nine gifts of the Spirit and nine fruit of the Spirit. There are also five main tail feathers, which represent the five fold ministry gifts. The tail feather works like a rudder of a ship-- they assist in balance and direction in flight, just as the fivefold minstry gifts in the church bring balance to the body of Christ.
     
    #16 awaken, Mar 23, 2013
  17. awaken

    awaken Active Member

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    Well, then you could probably share more from experience! :thumbs:
    Mine come from books...
     
    #17 awaken, Mar 23, 2013
  18. Amy.G

    Amy.G New Member

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    Well, one thing I know is that they make a beautiful sound. The cooing is very relaxing and peaceful. They are as affectionate as any dog and love their owners, even demanding attention. LOL!
    And the white doves that are released at weddings and such are actually white homing pigeons. They are released many times during their careers.

    Dove = pigeon. Pigeons are just bigger.
     
    #18 Amy.G, Mar 23, 2013
  19. steaver

    steaver Well-Known Member
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    The scripture states the Holy Spirit decended like a dove. This does not necessarily mean the people saw an actual dove, but rather as a dove decends and lands upon something, so did the Holy Spirit. Did it look like a dove? Or did it decend as a dove decends? The Spirit manifested Himself as He decended upon Jesus, this may have simply looked like a ghost of sorts. Think this through though, if it was an actual dove, then what would be the big deal? People would have just thought a bird landed on Jesus, they wouldn't connect it with the Holy Spirit or anything miraculous.
     
    #19 steaver, Mar 23, 2013
  20. awaken

    awaken Active Member

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    Thanks for the imput! I have not looked into a lot of that!
    Interesting that we are both studing the dove..
     
    #20 awaken, Mar 23, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 23, 2013
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