The Bible Lessons

(55) Penance

2012-02-12T09:27:00.000-05:00

Comments to follow soon. Do born again Christians have to repent?

43% Yes everytime we sin.
37% Yes. But only if we have fallen away.
12% No. Once saved , always saved.
6% Yes, but for another reason.
0% No. No one ever needs to repent.
0% No. But for another reason.
0% Other.

(54) The Books of Thessalonians

2012-02-03T09:21:00.000-05:00

With the exceptions of the Revelation of John and some passages by Christ, the books of Thessalonians are the only real books on prophecy and Christ's return in the New testament. Somehow every chapter closes with a theme of His return. Although these two books were written separately by Paul they appear to be only weeks apart in time. They were written around 51 AD, approximately 16 years after Paul's conversion, and 5 years after his first mission. The letter was sent to Thessalonica from the city of Corinth, which is probably when he started to take notes on the Corinthian people to deal with their problems.

Thessalonica was a commercial center. It was named after a wife of General Cassander, a leader in Alexander the Great's army in 315 BC. It is located at the end of the Danube giving it a perfect location for commerce. It's major trading partner was Corinth. Rome did not really influence it that much which is why its Greek culture remained strong. Being a city of commerce, it became a very diverse city, full of writings in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and even Samaritan dialogue.

The Church was started by Paul (Acts 17:1-4). It was a church strong in its faith and a loving church (1 Thess 1:3) but it was not properly nurtured. Many Jews were in the city and forced Paul and Timothy to leave earlier than they wanted and because of this the Thessalonians misunderstood many of the meanings Paul was telling them about the return of Christ.

Some main pints in these books are:

There is glory in the second coming (1st 4:13-18)
We are trichotomous beings. We need to worship God as though we are; mind, soul and spirit. (1st 5:15-23)
There is evil in this world (2nd 1:7-10)
Don't let doomsday prophets scare you, only God knows the end. (2nd 2:1-3)
The Lord is faithful (2nd 3:3-5)

These were written to tell of how Paul was glad to hear that their faith was growing and to settle the confusion about the return of the LORD. They thought He had already come again, which if course is not true. He stresses that the plan of salvation is only the beginning of our spiritual journey. And our erroneous thinking leads to erroneous practices in life. These errors destroy our spirit.

(53) Christmas Gifts

2011-12-22T13:21:00.041-05:00

Before you read this lessons take a look at this thought first; http://ideasoftimreligion.blogspot.com/2011/12/lxxi-gifts-that-never-keep-on-giving.html

Why do we give gifts during this time of the year? Well, we do give gifts for birthdays but we usually give it to the one having the birthday. So even though this may be part of it it is not the full reason. If we look at the story of Christmas, we read that Jesus was given three gifts by the three Magi. This is probably the reason why we have Christmas gifts today.

It is not the gift but the thought that counts. That may be a lie. Gifts should not be given just because you feel the need to give something. They should not be given because someone gave you something first. They should not be given to outdo other people's gifts. They should be given with a purpose and meaning. What were the gifts given to Jesus? The Magi presented Jesus with gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts had a purpose. They tell the story of who Jesus was. They were prophetic. They showed Jesus was going to be King. They showed that He was going to be the High Priest. And they showed He was going to be Savior of the world.

GOLD: A precious metal, meant for decoration.This carries obvious significance. It's precious and worthy across all cultures and times. It's a gift fit for royalty. It says to the Christ child, You will be a King.

FRANKINCENSE: The name for this resin likely comes from incense of Franks since it was reintroduced to Europe by Frankish Crusaders. Although it is better known as frankincense" to westerners the resin is also known as olibanum, which is derived from the Arabic al-lub ("the milk") a reference to the milky sap tapped from the Boswellia tree. Frankincense has been touted for its medicinal and soothing properties. Herbalists say it is calming, restorative, gently clarifying, and meditative. Frankincense oil is thought to have stimulating, toning, and warming properties. The ancient world used it for treating depression. We recognize the word incense in its name. Ancient people burned frankincense, believing it to carry their prayers to heaven. Its use as incense illustrates His role as our Priest.

MYRRH: This is perhaps the most mysterious of the Gifts. It is a resin produced by a small, tough, scraggly tree that grows in semi-desert regions of North Africa and the Red Sea. Myrrh is an Arabic word for bitter, and it is considered a wound healer because of its strong antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Calling it mo yao, the Chinese used it for centuries to treat wounds, bruises and bleeding and to relieve painful swelling. The Egyptians made it famous in Biblical times, having acquired myrrh about the fifteenth century B.C. from Africa where cammiphora trees were abundant. It was used in incense, perfumes and holy ointments and also medicinally as recorded in the Ebers Papyrus. But its most notable use to them was that of an embalming material, used in Egyptian mummies. As an embalming ointment it signified that He was born to Die for the world. In fact, Myrrh was one of the burial spices of Jesus (John 19:39).

Point being. Don't just give gifts because of the time of the year. Don't just buy things that are electronic because that is what the rich are doing and you want to keep up. Don't just buy brand names so you look better in someone else's eyes. Buy the gifts that have meaning, that show who the person is and what they mean to you. Make Christmas real again.

(52) The Cain Dilemma

2011-12-19T14:29:00.002-05:00

One of the biggest obstacles for people to believe that evolution is not real or that Creation was done in six days is the Cain issue. The Bible says Cain had a wife when he was dispersed into the world and that there were other people in the world. This causes confusion for the weak minded. Genesis 4:14-17

14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.
15 But the LORD said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.
16 So Cain went out from the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod,east of Eden.
17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.

Where did Cain get his wife if he went and found her in another land? Who were these other people? These are easily answered but one can not think with a 2011 mindset. Well, first of all he never found her in a different land. Cain's wife was from the family of Adam and Eve. No one knows exactly when this episode took place. All the Bible tells is that Seth replaced Cain as a son for Adam and Eve. But that was 130 years after Creation. Cain could have been 129 years old by this time or he may have been only 18. His wife could have been 18 (hopefully at least). Adam and Eve could have had hundreds of children who in turn could have had hundreds of children. Cain could have taken his third cousin thrice removed as his wife. This was not necessarily his own sister. But even if it was so what?

The law for incest was not passed down until another 2000 years with the time of the Exodus. There was no law because it was not needed. Scientifically speaking if Adam and Eve were perfect in genetics, i.e., no physical flaws or deformities yet, then their offspring had the greatest of chances of keeping "good" genes. This is why people could live for hundreds of years. Eventually, those recessive and flawed genes would find their way into the human genome. Then it would start causing defects and things like we know today. It's like making a copy of a copy of a copy. But the original copy can still do well. This also answers the other dilemma for these individuals who can not see past their own mind. The "other people" Cain is talking about is generations of offspring who will hear of his action. Some of them are already in the world since Adam and Eve perhaps had many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and so forth.

But if they had many children how come Seth is only the third male? It is only the third male we read about. Seth may have been number 162 for all we know. The problem is when people read this passage they read as though all of this took place right away just because it is only four chapters into Genesis. That is not necessarily true. We are not told one way or another.

Once one really looks at and understands these passages the dilemma of Cain no longer remains a dilemma, except for the stubborn.

(51) The Unborn

2011-11-04T18:11:00.001-04:00

Here are the results from last month's poll: Can an abortion ever be justified, morally speaking? More than one choice was allowed to be picked since some have more than one reason why they feel this way.

No, it's murder (58%)
Yes, if baby is ill conceived (47%)
No, there is a bigger picture to see (47%)
Yes, if threatens mother's life (35%)
No for other reasons (35%)
Yes, for other reasons (17%)
Yes, it's a woman's right (11%)
Other (11%)

(50) The Sabbath

2011-08-20T14:33:00.004-04:00

Old Earth, Young Earth? Active God, inactive God? These questions boil down to one topic; the Sabbath. What is the Sabbath all about? The Hebrew word for sabbath is "to cease". But what did God cease doing that day? To understand you have to read not Genesis 1, but Genesis 2.

1 And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made.

Here are the results to last month's poll: When the Bible says that "on the 7th day, God rested", what does it mean?

40% said God no longer creates. This is the correct answer. When God rested, He ceased creating. All that we know, all that we see and don't see has been created. Things since have gone extinct. Things have been discovered, but they have always been here. Things may have adapted to the environment (in a non-evolutionary way), but they have always been here. Phil Fairchild, a minister of Christ in West Virginia (http://str8heartphil.blogspot.com/), says this, "I had trouble with this (topic) until I read the whole text...God rested or finished creating because He was finished, thus the correct answer is God no longer creates...". He goes on to say that he belives a better answer to this question is God is finished creating, meaning He is done with all the beginning stuff, not making things new like new borns and changing lives of people, hence you are a new creation.
40% said Other. What????
13% said God no longer gets involved with His creation. This is what Deists believe. People from the Enlightenment times like John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Francois-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), and even Thomas Jefferson had this idea that God created and has walked away leaving the laws of nature to run time, space, and lives. They believed everything could be explained. Then why do we sin? Why do we die? Why do we live? What is our purpose? They may have had an answer for these questions but they could not prove it by their own standards. How do we explain the super-natural if God does not get involved?
6% said The whole thing is just a metaphor. This answer is by those who are stubborn as a mule.
0% said God doesn't exist so what does it matter. Says the atheist. You have the answer twisted. It's not God doesn't exist so what does it matter, it is if God doesn't exist, then nothing matters.
0% said God literally let the world alone for awhile. This is actually the second best answer. God does intervene here and there. But the main problem with this it is not Biblical. When He said I AM, it just doesn't mean that He exists in the here and now. It means He is everywhere, omniscient, and omnipotent.

The Sabbath is all about what God did during the days of creation. He spent six literal 24-hour periods, or something equivalent to that, creating the universe, galaxies, earth and all life as we know it, and then some. He is the Creator, the Almighty. Most who believe in an old earth also believe in an inactive God. One who may have created but took 15 billion years to actually do something else or allowed the laws of nature to run its course. Most who believe in a young earth also believe in an active God, one who never leaves, Hebrews 13:5.

The Sabbath is now a holy day because God rested, or finished His creation. It is a day of celebration. It is a day to look back and marvel in what has been done. Here is an interesting article on the Sabbath, http://www.truthseek.net/sabbath.html.

(49) The Book of Galatians

2011-07-25T17:13:00.002-04:00

Galatians was the first book that Paul wrote that we have still in our possession. If he wrote anything earlier, we do not have access to it anymore. It was written around 49 AD. This is about 20 years after the Resurrection of Christ and about 10-15 years after Paul's conversion to follow Christ. It was sent from him to the church in Galatia while he was in Antioch.

It has often been called the Magna Carta of Christian liberty and can be considered the sister book to Romans.

Galatia was a Roman province named after Gaul since many of its inhabitants were Gaulic (Celtic). An early king of Asia Minor (Bithynia), Nicomedes, invited the Celts to help him conquer the land from his own brother and to capture the throne in 278 BC. Rome took it over in 28 BC. Galatia was easily taken over by Rome since the area was not unified due to the attitude of the Galatians. They usually aligned themselves with the ones who were "on the winning side". Rome did not trust their allegiance so they attacked them and took them over.

The Church in Galatia was started by Paul (Acts 16:4-6) but just like their attitude of switching allegiance so easily, the Galatians had a hard time holding on to the faith. They were constantly trying to win their salvation by human effort, even though Paul had taught them that they were saved by Grace. He wrote this letter to remind them not to fall back into their old ways.

Some main points in the book are:

Although we live in a physical world, we should be spiritual (2:20-21)
We are not better than Israel but we are part of God's chosen people, we are heirs to the Kingdom (3:36-4:7)
We are free since we have grace but that does not give us the right to abuse this freedom and "get away with things" (5:13-14)
The Spirit produces its fruit in believers (5:22-25)
Our actions have consequences (6:7-10)

It was written to correct false teachings about the law of Moses. The Jewish believers were saying that faith in itself was not enough and that the ceremonies of the law were still needed. And if anyone wanted to be a true believer in Jesus one must first be converted to Judaism first. Neither of course is what Jesus taught.

(48) Don't bet on it!

2011-05-31T17:13:00.002-04:00

Do you know that many people use the verse "the wages of sin is death" as scripture against gambling? How dumb can you be? All this is referring to is that you do not want to risk your eternal salvation by living a life of sin and thinking you are going to be okay. It has nothing to do with gambling. Some use the scripture about lazy hands making a man poor but diligent hands bring wealth as being against gambling. This is a little closer. Those who gamble try to get money without earning it and most walk away from the table/machine poorer than when they came. But the best scripture that can be used against gambling is Proverbs 28:22.

He who is greedy rushes after riches, not knowing that want will overtake him.

Of course, there is no scripture that supports gambling but notice, it does not call it a sin. It just means that if all we focus on all the riches of money then we lose our lives. Not that we die because of gambling or going after riches, but that we lose things that are important to us. It is a warning that if all we do is focus on our greed then greed will control us. This is where the sin comes in; if we allow anything to control us then the action gets in the way of doing what we are supposed to be doing, hence a sin of omission by commission.

Here are the results from last month's poll: Is gambling a sin?

37% said yes.

37% said maybe.

12% said no.

12% said it depends.

Now if that isn't clear then what is? Here is an interesting article http://bible.org/seriespage/money-money-money.

(47) You're going, whether you like it or not.

2011-04-18T08:58:00.003-04:00

With all of our troubles we tend to blame other people. If we commit a crime, it was the way our parents treated us when we were younger. If we turn to substances it must have been the way our relationships have gone. If we fail at something it must have been someone else we were working with on the project that did not do their part. If we forgot to do something it must have been because no one reminded us to do it. If you stub your toe, did you do it because you were forced to do it or because you are too stupid to watch where you are going? Here are the results to the last poll: Do you believe in predestination?

(50%) No. We have complete free will. As predicted, since most who come to this site are Christians, most people would have answered this way. There are many clues in the Bible that point us to this thinking. Such as: if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.-1 Chronicles 7:14, And if it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.-Joshua 24:15, and even the whole Sermon on the Mount tells us not to do and not to do certain things. If we did not have free will then Jesus would never have told us what was right and wrong.
(30%) Not sure. Good answer.
(11%) Yes. But only a certain few. Judas, Jesus, Adam, Paul. Some things in their lives seem like they were destined to do, as if they had no choice. Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.- Luke 22:42, Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-- to keep me from exalting myself!- 2 Cornithians 12:7, and The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.- Matthew 26:24. But no where in scripture does it say that the average person can not choose his own destiny.
(7%) Yes. Our lives were predetermined. We have no control. The Bible does not teach that all have no control over their destiny. This would defeat all purpose of creation. If God predestines His creation then there is no love there. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. If love is patient, then it is not forced on you. If love is kind, then it is not vengeful. If love is not proud, then it is not demanding. If is is not self-seeking then it allows other to choose. Scritpure says God is love.

Fore knowledge is not the same thing as presdestination. Yes. God knows what your decision will be but in all situations there are choices for you to make. Some people quote scripture as saying God never changes. That is true, but the meaning of that is that God is always God. His values never changes. His Word never changes. His standards are never dropped. His love does not fail. But nothing points to Him not changing His mind. In fact scripture says He did change His mind, a couple of times. Maybe in those incidences, His heart was so full of compassion for His creation that He intervened. If He intervenes then thagt gives us the power and freedom to ask Him anything. But be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

(46) The Book of John

2011-04-17T08:26:00.001-04:00

John, the "disciple whom Jesus loved", was a son of Zebedee and Salome. He was a younger brother to another Apostle named James. He was perhaps a cousin to Jesus Himself. Jesus called him a son of thunder. His Hebrew name of Yochanan means, God gives grace. John is considered Jesus' closest companion, even though Peter stands out to be the one Jesus turns to when He starts the Church.

Here are some interesting facts about the book:

90% of the book is unique
This book shows more human emotions of Jesus than the rest
There are more direct statements from Jesus on who He was
Focuses on people's reactions to Jesus
God is mentioned as the Father over 100 times
Each chapter shows Jesus in a different role as Savior
There are less miracles, healings, and parables in this book than the rest
50% of the book is about Jesus' last days
Has two chapters that tell what happens after the Resurrection
Last verse was probably not written by John until after his own death, only verse in the Gospels that is first person view.

Who was John? His profession was a fisherman. No only was that his job apparently they were prosperous at the job because scripture says he and his associates had hired help. Maybe this prosperity gave him an attitude problem. From some of the words we read about him, he and his brother, he was egotistical; thinking he and his brother should get to sit at the right hand of Jesus (Mark 10:35-41). Even to ask such a question took chutzpah. He was bold by thinking they could do the same things as Jesus like driving out demons. He felt like he was given power and authority before it was actually given to him because he was going to "call down fire" upon people. But after all of this within a few years of following Jesus, his heart was changed. He would eventually become the most loved and the most faithful. He stood by Jesus' side until the end. He was there in the Garden. He was there at the Cross. And he was there at the Grave. Jesus loved him so much that at His death He handed His own mother over to John to be cared for and watched over by him. He must have done exactly what Jesus told him to do because after the first chapters of Acts no one hears about him again until the Revelation. Tradition says that John died of old age. If that is so he is the only one of the 12 who did. For more on his life see: http://ideasoftimbible.blogspot.com/search/label/John

What was his gospel about? Jesus, the man. It shows his feelings, emotions, and His his divinity at the same time. It shows that His promise of eternal life is for everyone...who accepts it.

Why was it written? So people who are looking for a personal relationship with God can find it. This book is the simplest of them all to understand since it focuses on people's reaction to who Jesus was. But unfortunately no one knows how to be in a relationship anymore since we are all viral and electronically motivated. No one cares about relationships anymore.

(45) The Book of Luke

2011-04-01T09:28:00.001-04:00

Luke actually wrote two books but they could be considered the same book. He also wrote Acts. Both of these are to the same person, Theophilus. Both are a collection of facts either gathered by Luke or witnessed by Luke. You can tell which one by the viewpoint (1st, 2nd, and/or 3rd). He switches back and forth to show the reader which ones he was told and which ones he saw. Luke was not an eye witness of the resurrection but he was a close companion to Paul and witnessed many miracles and hardships that we know about Paul.

Here are some interesting facts about the book:

It is the longest of the gospels
It is more of a historical account rather than a preachable letter
500 verses are unique to this book alone
There are more women documented in this book than the rest
More parables are mentioned here than the rest
Only book written in the Bible by a non-Hebrew
Has many verses dedicated to Jesus' childhood

Who was Luke? He was a doctor (Colossians 4:14). Being a doctor he must have been a trusted record keeper. He also carefully documented and investigated all he heard and saw (1:3-4). He was not Hebrew. He was Greek nut that doesn't mean he wasn't Jewish. But for the most part we can assume he was not Jewish. he was a faithful friend because he stuck it out with Paul until the end; even when Paul was locked up on his last breath, Luke was there (2 Timothy 4:11). Tradition says that Luke died in his sleep at the age of 84.

What was his gospel book about? Almost every major part of each story you read from this book (besides the the things that are repeated in the other book) has some indication or notion that Christ came to save people, all people, even the ones we consider "outcasts" of society. He came to give the hopelesss, hope. He came to give the homeless, a home. He came to give those who unloved, love.

Why was it written? For those who feel lost can feel found again. The problem is we live in a society where people do not know they are lost. Pride gets in their eyes. They think they have all of their bases covered and that they do not need God. It is like the movie Sixth Sense: "I see dead people. They don't know they're dead.". People laugh it off and make jokes about it because they do not realize they are lost. But deep down inside there is something calling to them, perhaps screaming at them, to wake up to the truth. Otherwise, they would not be reading things like this to get answers.

(44) The Book of Mark

2011-03-20T09:29:00.001-04:00

Mark, as we know, was a companion of both Paul and Peter. He has two names in the Bible. His other known name is John Mark. Mark is his Roman name. In Hebrew it would have been Yochanan. He was the cousin of one the secondary Apostles, Barnabas. His mother was named Mary but not the same one as Jesus or Magdelene or highly doubtful even the one of the two sisters Mary and Martha. His Jewish name means "God gives Grace". Mark wrote his inspired word around 55-60 AD, or around 20-25 years after the Resurrection of Christ.

Here are some interesting facts about the book:

It only spans about 3-4 years of the life of Christ
But the last 40% of the book only spans 8 days
Uses more Latin terms than Greek or Hebrew
Doesn't really include prophecies or Jewish customs
Does have more miracles listed than the other Gospels
Probably was co-written or dictated by Peter

Who was Mark? With a Roman name it shows that he was somehow a Roman citizen which meant his parents were of some high stance in society. But he himself was not so prominent. He was young and adventurous. When Jesus was arrested in the Garden a young man was caught with them but ran away, Mark 14:52. Why was this young man mentioned? He is given no name. It seems like his value to the story means nothing. But perhaps it is Mark telling his own story. Maybe he was the young boy. If it was him then this event in his life started to shape who he was. When Paul wants to take companions on his trips about 10 years later Paul doesn't want to take Mark. Acts 15:37-38, shows that Mark in the eyes of some wasn't yet trusted in his faith. Apparently Paul was counting on him for help and he deserted him. But again maybe it's because Mark saw all that went down in the Garden and he wasn't too for sure if he wanted to do all of this. But somewhere along the way in his life he gained the trust of others (1 Peter 5: 13). Even Paul felt like Mark had restored himself (2 Timothy 4:11, Philemon 24). One of the main reasons for this book is to show people that if you are a failure in your life, you can be restored.

What is his Gospel about? One word, authority. One person, Christ. One audience, Rome! Some examples of His authority shown are

Jesus has authority over evil spirits (1: 23-28, 3:11, 5:1-20)
Jesus has authority over wealth (8:34-37, 10:17-31)
Jesus' authority was given to Him by God the Father (9:7)
Jesus is God (14:61-62)

Why was it written? To show the Roman Empire that worldly authority doesn't last. There is someone with more authority than the strongest empire man could build. It even goes to say that a Roman Centurion, a leader of 100 men, understands the power of Christ, 15:39. Pilate asked Him if he had authority and Jesus clearly answers, yes, although Pilate didn't pick on it.

Even with all of this authority, Jesus was still here to serve His people. The words of 10:43-45 gives us the example that we are here to serve others. Unfortunately that is not what humanity does. People today think that everyone should serve them, whether they deserve it or not.

(43) The Book of Matthew

2011-02-27T16:13:00.005-05:00

Matthew was one of the main 12 Apostles (emissary) of Jesus Christ. He was the son of Alphaeus. Some traditions say he was brother to James (the less). His Jewish name is actually Mattityahu which means, "gift of Yahweh". He also went by Levi. God chose Matthew to write part of His Good News to give to the Jews. Matthew wrote his inspired word around 65 AD which is about 30 years after the Resurrection of Christ.

Here are some interesting facts about the book:

There are 1071 verses in the book. Sixty (60) percent of these verses are spoken by Christ Himself.
There are more than 130 quotes and references from the TaNaK (Old Testament), which is more than any other book.
"Kingdom of Heaven" is mentioned 32 times.

Who was Matthew? Matthew was a Jew that was hired by Rome to collect taxes. His "office" was located on the main highway that ran from Damascus to Capernaum. The taxes that he collected was for transportation, hence why he was on the highway. His immediate boss was Herod Antipas. So if he was a Jew who worked for Rome probably not many of his fellow citizens cared for him much. Toll keepers had to pay up front for the rented space. People would say they collected more than they were supposed to because it would help pay for the rent. Matthew was probably not trusted by his fellow Jews. So he was hated and wasn't trusted. If you put these together you would find a man who would have low self-esteem. In verse 10 of chapter 9, Matthew tells of the story of how Jesus came to eat with him and all of his fellow tax collectors and other "sinners". Matthew puts into writing his own personality. His self-esteem shines in his writing. God uses this personality when he inspired him to write the Gospel. God, through the life of Matthew, shows that all types of people can be used for His glory. It doesn't matter where you come from or what others think about you, God knows your value and can uplift you to be a world mover. Tradition says that Matthew died of martyrdom in Ethiopia.

Matthew starts out his book by giving a record of ancestry of Christ (from Joseph's family line). His word can be trusted because being a tax collector he had to keep good records and have access to history since taxes were collected by where you were born as the same was with a census.

What is his Gospel about? Some of the most famous ideas of Christianity are explained in his book. The Sermon on the Mount is perhaps Christianity in the short version. Subjects ranking from attitudes to divorce and from loving enemies to worldly possessions are all in there. All are still relevant to even today's times. The beatitudes are outlined for us to understand how we should respond to the world.

But why was it written? If one took time to read it completely they would see it is filled with promises of God being fulfilled in the coming of Christ. See above where is says interesting facts. Prophecies are being fulfilled with each chapter such as being called a son of David, king of the Jews. Others like how he would enter into Jerusalem (triumphant entry) and how he would come into the earth are recorded for one reason. This was done to show that Christ was the long-awaited for Messiah that the Jews were looking for. In chapter 10 he reinstates that Jews were still God's chosen people. But they had lost over the years their own identity by perverting His laws. Jesus came to not only fulfill prophecy but also to set the law straight. His parables mentioned in Matthew are all about the listener and to the one who should know better. The Jewish person knew what the Messiah was going to be and if he was listening to what was happening he would understand that the Kingdom of Heaven had come. You could call this book, the News to the Jews.

Unfortunately, not all of them listened. And just as bad many do not listen today. The word of God is out there. People know it but refuse to listen.

(42) Kingdoms at His Feet

2011-02-18T08:31:00.015-05:00

"The devil made me do it". This is an age-old excuse of why we act the way we do. And many still think it may be accurate to explain their lives. But it is another form of rationalization by insincere humanity trying to feel better about their own insecurities and failures. The devil didn't do anything but tempt you. You are the cause of all your problems. Read Luke chapter 4:1-13:

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here.
10 For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’"
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Satan has no control over you. There are three things he tried to do here with Christ. He tried to tempt Him when He was at His weakest. It failed. He tried to get Him to doubt His authority by saying "if you are". It failed. And He tried to get Him to do something that He knew was wrong. It also failed.

Why did it fail? Why didn't he get Him to fall into temptation and take these things?

Many would say it was because Jesus is divine and had no way of failing. Well, yes, He was divine, but He made Himself lower than the angels and surrounded by flesh to be able to sin. The flesh is was is corruptible and he clothed Himself with it to prove that sin is not the master of your flesh.
Many would say its because Jesus was perfect. True. But this is not why it failed.
Many would say He was protected. Maybe so, but if He was protected to the end then sinning was not an option thereby negating all He did.

No the reason why it all failed is because what satan was offering were things he couldn't give anyway. He lied! He said he could give Him the world. It wasn't his to give away. Jesus knew this. Satan tried to lay a kingdom at His feet but it was His kingdom already.

All satan can do is pass on temptation. He has no power over you. The only power he has is what you give him. When temptation hits our lives we have to remember that most of it is a lie. The grass is always greener kind of thing. The lust within the heart can be turned away unless you hunger for it and feed it. The hate within your heart can be soothed unless all you do is focus on the thoughts that made you hate and feed that hunger. The hunger you crave is from above. You feel empty inside because you have not filled with the things from above. You have tried to fill it with worldly things and they just aren't good enoug. If you are hungry and thirsty Jesus said He will give food and drink. Do not listen to the lies of the world. Satan thinks he owns it but it's not his to give. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

(41) The Greatest Commandment

2011-01-23T19:30:00.003-05:00

Last month's poll asked, which commandment is broken the most. Here are your results:

38% said Dishonoring God, the first 3commandments
33% said Lie
11% said Idolatry
11% said Coveting
5% said Murder
0% said Adultery, Stealing, or Dishonoring parents

The problem of course is we can not measure this since not of us are honest with our lives. Hmmm, that almost sounds like Lying would be the number one sin. But truth be known if we could understand all of these sins we commit do one thing----dishonor God. When we break any command, we not only perhaps hurt ourselves and/or destroy our reputations, but we may also hurt others with our actions, even with what we would call our smallest actions. There are no such things as little white lies. There is no such thing as petty theft. When we break even the slightest amount of a command we dishonor God. And this is why when Jesus was asked what is the greatest command, He answered with, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. He wrapped up all ten commands into two and above all said the Lord comes first.

But this is also why He said that all fall short of the glory of God. He knows we sin. He knows we all do it and none of us are innocent. If murder can come from our lips, we are all murderers. If fibs are lies then we are all liars. If we rebel against our parents we all have dishonored them. If we put something ahead of our relationship with God then we have committed idolatry. If we have looked at someone with some kind of impure thoughts then we have all lusted and committed adultery. If we have competed against our neighbor to try and have better things than they do and we do it out of spite then we have coveted things. Any of these in our lives means we have dishonored God, thereby making us all sinners. We are all in need of a Savior. And anything besides Jesus Christ will keep you short of any glory for there is no other who can save you but Him.

(40) Love Thy Neighbor

2011-01-16T19:46:00.001-05:00

Exodus 20:15-16

You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

These two commandments deal mostly with how we treat each other. These, besides murder of course, are probably the worst things we can do to people. It is said that the only thing worse than a thief is a liar. Both make those we do it to feel vulnerable, used, and/or betrayed.

So if people feel this way after we do it then why do we do it? The only answer to this is so that we gain something out of it. People may say they do it because they have to but that is a rationalization. There are no such things as little white lies. There are no such things as petty theft. Although man's law may set levels for how we do things like this, in the eyes of God it comes down to one thing. We sinned. We have lied. We all have stolen. We all deserve the penalty that comes with these, both man's and God's. But God gave us a way out. He of course gave us Jesus Christ.

Oddly enough Jesus' adversary (and ours) is a liar and a thief. Go figure.

(39) The Lord's Name

2011-01-12T11:45:00.041-05:00

Exodus 20:7

You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name

Most people think this is just about saying God and damn together, or to say Jesus Christ as a term of content for a situation. These are true but it goes more than just these.

To misuse something means you are using it in all the wrong ways. To mention the word God in and of itself is not wrong. Many Jewish people talk about God by writing it like this: G_d. They do this because they feel this is misusing His name. But leaving out a vowel to show this does not change anything. All they did was replaced one symbol of a language (the "o") with another symbol ("_"). Sure it may make them feel better and it may show that they are trying to show honor to where honor is due, but it misses the point.

Using the name of God to invoke power or authority, or even authenticity is using His name in vain. This is why scripture says let your yes be yes and your no be a no. Do not swear by God's name. This swear does not mean the same as "cursing". It simply means do not have God as your witness just because you need Him to back you up. If you are telling the truth then you do not need His backing. Telling people, "I swear to God", should be a tell-tale sign that the person is lying or has a horrible reputation for lying. Ministers (of all kinds) should not use God's name to bring glory to themselves. Those that proclaim to be of God just to make income or fame are using His name in vain. Saying you have healing, prophetic, or other miraculous power from God when you do not is using His name in vain. This is not saying that some people do not have these powers. There are some who abuse the naivete of others.

Using God's name in vain, as some would say, means you are invoking God into situations He should not be called for. Blaming God for earthquakes is misusing His name. He did not cause the earthquake. Using God as an exclamation is misusing his name. Using OMG on your text does not exclude your sin just because you omitted letters.

Calling Allah, Buddha, or anything else God is misusing His name. As a matter of fact it is idolatry and even blasphemous, but that is a different lesson.

Calling upon God is not wrong. Calling out the name of God is not wrong. Using it for your own gain, pain, or wane is when it becomes a sin.

(38) Love and Lust

2011-01-01T23:57:00.094-05:00

Exodus 20:14

Do not commit adultery

The Seinfeld episode called The Good Samaritan has a scene with George and a married woman he had a sexual encounter with. In the scene George gets upset because he can't believe he has just committed adultery. She comforts him by saying, "You didn't commit adultery. I did." This is not taking away from the comedic genius of the show or trying to say that watching Seinfeld is a sin or whatever before anyone thinks that. This was just to show that this example attitude of sexual activity shows our ignorance of what sexual sin is. Old Jewish law does back up what she said. The woman commits adultery. But is the man okay when this happens? No. He was considered part of the problem. Notice another command was

Exodus 20:17 (c)

Do not covet your neighbor's wife

George did wrong as well. Therefore when a sexual activity happens outside of marriage both parties are wrong.

So what about two people who aren't married at all? No adultery by definition is committed then. This is where you have to read between the lines. Perhaps one day the people will be married. If the woman has already slept with another man, that man is not her husband. When she marries, it will be adultery. It is the same with the man. Once he marries he already has coveted. Even if they never get married, the act itself should be implied to be wrong, just based on principle. So the idea that you can have sex as long as you never get married would just be a rationalization.

In the New Testament Jesus even adds on to the law by saying that even if a man looks at a woman with lust in his heart, he has committed adultery. How can it be simpler than that?

Having sexual feelings and thoughts are normal. And the feeling itself is not wrong. The thought will enter and that is not wrong. But when the thought becomes more than just a thought as Jesus said it becomes sin. Paul also states that we need to take every thought into captivity. If the thought grows it becomes sin of the heart and may even lead to sin against humanity. Other forms of wrong sexual activity are: incest, bestiality, masturbation, groping, fondling, homosexuality, bisexuality, non-marital oral (yes, Bill, oral), pornography, petting, fornication, and coveting. But do not miss this point...all forms of sexual activity outside of marriage is not appropriate, that includes even two consenting heterosexual adults even if they have been together for 30 years. None is any worse than the other. And even though none of us would really admit it, we all have done it one way or another.

Many people will not agree with this lesson. And it isn't fun to hear because sexual activity is so prominent on our lives. And perhaps out of all sins, it is the most fun. But maybe that is also why satan uses this one to distort the truth more then the rest. We tend to laugh when a TV show has an 80 year old woman "getting it on" with a man who is not her husband. We all write it off as though "well at least she is having fun". Sure the words make us laugh but in reality it shouldn't.
For more understanding here are some lyrics from Bride called Same ol' sinner

Same ol' sinner
Wearing the chains
I get the same ol' sinner

I believe your lies, desire inside
The truth I know will hurt
Your devil-eyes, I can't deny
I know what lust is worth
The devil has a healthy appetite
Raped by fear in the fire tonight
He'll tell you it's love when it's only lust
Ashes to ashes and dust to dust

The point being behind this whole lesson is that the Bible says sex has its limits. Sexual activity outside marriage is not appropriate. But why? Sexual activity shows commitment. Commitment to one person is an analogy to commitment to one God. It is honorable and the right thing to do.

(37) Life

2010-11-13T09:46:00.002-05:00

Exodus 20:13

Do not murder

The fifth commandment of God was to not take the life of another human being. The first thing that people do with this is use the KJV version and misinterpret it. The KJV says "Thou shall not kill". The two things are different. Explanation: if someone breaks into your home and is hurting your loved ones and the only way to stop the hurting is to take the life of the perpetrator then that is not murder. In war time when someone who is the "enemy" is trying to take your life and your only choice if you want to live is to take their life then that is not murder. These two victims, if you will, are innocent of this commandment.

If you are the one who initiates the taking of a life then that would be murder.

Back to Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel are the first two people we hear about with the act of murder. God was not pleased with Cain's offering as in the last lesson. Cain became jealous of his brother. God talked with him and said that if he was doing the right thing then there would no problem (Genesis 4:3-8). But Cain chose a different solution. Never mind what God says, I will do my own thing. Cain murdered his brother.

Listening to what God had originally planned for man in our lives will stop many of the unnecessary burdens we carry. But since when does man do that?

But how do you take the life of someone? It's not about just the physical life ending of someone. Proverbs tells us that life and death is found in the tongue as well. What we say to others can either lift them up and encourage them or say something so hurtful that we basically murder them with what we said. Bryan Adams had a song back in the 1980's that was titled Cuts Like a Knife. Our words can cut someone to pieces to where we destroy their life. A few simple words have the power to murder. Sticks and stones may break my bones but your words cut right through me. Especially if these words come from someone we love. Jesus told us that murder is even more that this. In His sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained that murder is hating your brother. Your brother is anyone next to you. Hating involves both actions and non-actions. Most people think the opposite of love is hate. But the real opposite of love is apathy, not caring about others. Trying to hurt someone is wrong but not helping others who are hurting is just as wrong.

Forms of murder:

Aggravated life-taking with no valid reason
Abortion (see right above)
Abuse (all kinds)
Neglect (apathy)
Racism (hatred)

The one and true God shows the path of righteousness. It shows love.

(36) No Other Gods

2010-08-25T08:37:00.013-04:00

Exodus 20:3-6

You are to have no other gods before me.You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments

When the Israelites were brought out of Egypt and got to live free for the first time in over 400 years, some of course like any other good human went too far and started to forget how they got there and lived according to their own laws. But God laid down the law for them and created the 10 Commandments. But why did He put them into a certain order? Was there a pattern to His law? Perhaps.

The first commandment is to not have any other gods before Him. A different way of saying it is to not have any other gods period. This would stop all unnecessary and harmful distractions from the path of righteousness. Jesus restated (love the Lord your God) that this was one of the top two greatest commands and that all other commands stem from this one and loving your neighbor. To put God first is to follow what He did for us. He created us above all creation and made us the rulers of the earth. He gave us a spirit that He gave nothing else in the universe. He breathed His own breath into man and that separated us from all other living beings. He placed us upon His own pedestal and said this was His greatest of all creation. He wants this feeling to come back to Him. We need to give Him our "first fruits".

Cain and Abel are the first two people we hear about giving back to God. Cain gave some of his life's work to God but Abel gave not only some, he gave his first, his best to God and then some. Abel knew how to sacrifice his own wants and riches to give back to God and put Him first. God was not pleased with Cain but He was with Abel.

Putting God first is a sign of worship. Keeping Him above all things means that we lay down our own pride. It is the beginning of what pure sacrifice and true worship is all about. Without putting God first then our worship isn't what it is supposed to be.

Why not other gods? What is a god anyway? Notice the lower casing of this word. Websters dictionary describes a god (lower cased) as a

being or object believed to have more than natural attributes and powers
and to require human worship; specifically : one controlling a particular aspect
or part of reality.

So a god, un-capitalized, means anything that you worship or controls one part of your reality. That means anything you allow to control your life could become a god to you. You start to worship it. It could be money. People start to worship money and try to gain as many possessions as they can. They step on others to get to a higher position to get more money. They don't care how they get there as long as they do. They are too focused on beating others or at least trying to be others that all they do is for the glory of money. That is worship. That is a god. Some worship beauty. They spend hours upon hours worrying about their looks. They spend thousands of dollars "fixing" themselves to what they feel is beauty. It becomes their obsession. That is worship. That is a god. Many other things could be considered a god. Anything that takes your desires and moves them beyond passion into obsession can be considered a god.

Why do we not consider God just a god? Because He is different. No other god has said that He created you AND has lived among you AND has died for you AND has created another place for you AND is still around. Some have said many of these but has not and can not say all of them.

Why are other religions considered to only have gods instead of God? Follow what the rest of this lesson says. They are something that offers only a fantasy world. Other gods lead people astray from the truth and reality.

The one and true God shows the path of righteousness. It shows the way to true happiness.

(35) Flying Away

2010-05-05T08:44:00.003-04:00

Here are the reuslts of lastmonth's poll: Do you believe in a rapture? Comments to follow soon.

(65%) Yes. All Christians will be taken away to heaven.
(23%) Yes. But not in the traditonal sense.
(7%) No. But you never know.
(3%) No. It's all symbollic.
(0%) No. There's not even an afterlife.

(34) Abraham's Lie

2010-03-21T18:06:00.009-04:00

Have you ever wondered why Abraham was considered righteous?

1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.
4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."

Abraham was called by God to sacrifice his only true son, Isaac. Abraham went through the whole ordeal but it seems as though he lied to his servants. He told his servants to stay while they go worship and then they will come back! Now if he was to sacrifice Isaac, he knew only he himself would come back. Did Abraham lie? And he was still considered righteous. Well, he didn't lie.

Abraham knew Isaac would live. Before all of this happened Abraham was promised that his descendants would be as numerous as the grains of sand. When Abraham took Isaac up the mountain he knew that somehow Isaac would be coming back down with him. So when he said "we" will return, he meant it. However, he probably also expected that Isaac would have to be actually sacrificed, in the literal sense. So why would he think both would be coming back? Isaac would be resurrected! To Abraham, Isaac was already dead. He knew that he would have to truly give a sacrifice, not just an offering. Sometimes true worship means just more than your offering (money, feelings, times or any aspect of life). Abraham knew that true worship meant giving all you have. Isaac meant the world to him. It was all Abraham had. True Ishma'el was there but Ishma'el was not born out of faith. He was born of the flesh. He was born out of desire. He was not the promise God had for Abraham. The true son of Abraham was Isaac. The true sacrificed had to come by or through him.

And because he acted out of faith God provided a way out. Such as in our lives. Sometimes we see an easy way out. We see the things born out of the flesh as what can satisfy us and so we take that route. But God calls us to a place. He calls us to His route. If we stay faithful and follow His route and not our own, God will provide all we need. Since Abraham stayed faithful and was willing to sacrifice Isaac, God gave him the lamb caught in the brush. God called Abraham to a place. He didn't tell Abraham to sacrifice there at home. That would not have been a sacrifice. Staying home is our comfort zone and we would tend to remain to comfortable and not put our full focus on what God calls us to do. Therefore we may not even follow through with our sacrifice or worship. Abraham had to follow the directions of God to prove his faithfulness. The mountain that God told Abraham to go to was Mount Moriah, the highest peak in the area. This just happened to be the same mountain Christ was crucified on.

In all ways Abraham trusted in God. This is what made Abraham righteous. His trust. His faith. Hebrews tell us, "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." This is why the promises he was given were granted. Faithfulness gets you the promises of God.

(33) Eros (PG-13)

2010-03-07T18:41:00.005-05:00

Eros: sexual love (Greek).

There are three kinds of love:

Eros, a love that is based on what you are, what you are looking for, how things make you feel. It's where we get the term "erotic" from. It is a love based on conditions. Well, looks aren't everything.
Philos, a love that says I love you for who you are, it's how we connect, a brotherly love. It's where we get therm Philadelphia-city of brotherly love. It is a loved based on relations.
Agape, a love that is unconditional, I love you just because I do. Like a dog who is always happy when the owner comes.

Now if you base your love on eros, you will always be hurt because eros usually fades with time. If you base love on philos then it will never be complete. If you base it on agape then you will lose all aspects of physical pleasure. The person you should fall in love with is the one you have all three loves for. But is all kinds of love appropriate? What about eros when it comes to homosexual feelings? Here are the results from last months' poll: What is your view on homosexual activity?

0% said it is worse than all other sexual sins.
80% said it is wrong 100%.
7% said God created love, so it's okay.
7% said there is nothing wrong with it at all.
3% said they have no idea.
34% said there are other ways to look at it.

The correct answer is it is 100% wrong AND there is another way of looking at it. It is no worse than any other sexual sin. God created love, but He created it to be done in a certain way. There are acts of physical love you can do. No matter what science has said that they have proven about genes causing us to be homosexual or heterosexual, it still all comes down to your actions. You can choose to follow your thoughts and desires or not to. It is not like your body forces you into your life style. You choose to do one or the other. If you have thoughts to kill someone does that make it okay? If you have genes to be an alcoholic does that make it okay? Thoughts and genes do not give you the permission to be anything. So with that in mind let's define some things and look into it.

Monogamous Heterosexuality-act of one man, one woman being in a relationship that only involves each other
Polygamous Heterosexuality- act of one man, one woman but with multiple partners
Acts of Homosexuality- act of same gender performing sexual acts with each other
Bestiality- act of using animals as partners
Self-gratification- act of performing sexual acts upon yourself
Abstinence- act of not having any sexual relations or actions with anything or anyone

But only two of these are looked upon by God as favorable or acceptable and these are the first and last one mentioned. Look at some scripture to understand these things. Before you go on here are some small shortcuts: if it is mentioned in the Bible only once, it is still important, if it is only mentioned in the Old Testament, it is still important, if Jesus mentioned it, it is still important but may have stricter guidelines since humans can't follow directions.

Why can't all acts of eros be okay if God created the act? First Corinthians explains all of this even in more detail, chapter 6:

12 "Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything.
13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!
16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."
17 But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.
19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Monogamous relations are the basis of all relations. To be faithful to your partner is important about building trust, honor, respect and deeper feelings for a person. If this faithfulness is broken then so is the relationship and will be hard to rebuild it. Lives can be destroyed and never mended. Polygamous relations only lead to insecurities, guilt, pride and in the end loneliness. Because once you have put yourself out there for many partners then the act of eros becomes less valuable. Genesis 2:21-23 explains this.

21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh.
22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, for she was taken out of man."
24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

For this reason a man will leave his mom and dad, or a woman will leave her mom and dad, and will be united together, hence the creation of marriage. Since the two were made for each other they shall spend time with each other. God did not make many women for Adam, nor did He make many men for Eve. He made one for each, and this is when the flesh becomes one. It also does not say that Adam was given a "playmate", "life-long" partners, or "civil unions". It says a man and a woman, only. The act of homosexuality is prohibited.

What about bestiality? First of all if you have to turn to animals for acts of this nature, you need help with your mentality, and apparently with your personality as well if humans can't talk to you enough to like you. But simply put two verses in the Bible say this is wrong; Exodus 22:19 and Leviticus 20:15.

Ex 22:19 "Anyone who has sex with an animal gets the death penalty.
Lev 20:15 "If a man has sex with an animal, he must be put to death and you must kill the animal.

What about self-gratification? If you are not hurting anyone else then why would it not be permissible? The verses of scripture in Corinthians as mentioned above helps explain that. But there is more to it. While Jesus was giving what we know today as the Sermon on the Mount he hit issues that deal with all lifestyles. And one in particular was lust. He starts out in this passage with adultery but he adds to the meaning. Matthew 5:27-30

27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'
28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Most people think that this is talking about if you commit a wrongful action then cut off your hand so you won;t do it again. But what action is it talking about? Well if you put it into context then it is talking about self-gratification. You are looking at a woman lustfully in verse 29 and then your hand cause you to sin in verse 30.

What about abstinence? There is nothing wrong with this. But Paul says if you have fires burning within you then it is best to quench those fires, hence find someone to marry. God created sexual activity so if we find someone worth giving ourselves to then the act of marriage should happen, otherwise we need to abstain.

In summary all acts of sexuality are allowed by laws and nature but only two are allowed by laws of God. The rest, no matter what they are, is a sin.

(32) John 3:16- You knew it was coming...

2010-02-28T21:27:00.004-05:00

For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son and that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.- KJV

For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed.- CJB

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life- NIV

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed.- The Message

It doesn't matter what translation you may have, the message here can not be lost in any translation. No one can say that there is any discrepancy between any of them. Jesus Christ was sent to this earth to save us from our sins and to get this salvation we have to believe in him. And who sent him? God the father. Why? So that we can all have eternal life and not go through any destruction of any kind once we have passed on. However, there is a point that people do miss with this verse.

Most when hearing this piece of perhaps the most famous line from the Bible will focus on what has already been said.

Jesus is the Son of God
Jesus will save you
Jesus will give you eternal life
God sent his only Son

Of course these are very important points and all are true and need to be heeded, but perhaps there is even another very important matter with this scripture that we should start to really focus on. God loved the world! Sounds like a cliche' but it is worth looking at. God, the Supreme Being, the Creator, the Father, the Almighty, had so much feelings for the world that He knew He had to do something to save it. Even though His creation had become murderers (of all forms of the word), liars, thieves, slanderers, idolaters, gluttons, drunkards, abusers, and all other sick things we do, He still loved us. We had become the exact opposite of what he had planned for us and yet he showed so much compassion that he sent a way out of our mess. If you were an artist and created a work of art and it didn't turn out like you wanted it to, the first reaction would be to destroy it and start again. But for us he didn't. Do not miss the point. It is not about being an artist who created something imperfect or saying that the art is a creation of an imperfect artist. We have no analogies on earth that can describe this relationship. All who try to do this are laying down facades to prove their own agenda. You CAN NOT describe it. The real point is God loves us.

But there's more. Who is the "world"? The world is anything that can believe in Jesus Christ. Does God love the Pope? Yes. Does God love Bill Graham? Yes. Does God love those who give to charities? Yes. Does God love those who give their time to help others? Yes. Does God love those who are having problems? Yes. Does God love those who are going through life aimlessly and with no cares? Yes. Does God love those who deny him? Yes. Does God love those who hate him and would do anything to destroy his image and his words? Yes. God loves all.

Many times we go through life wondering why God hates us so much or why God allows things to happen that seem like it always goes against us somehow or someway. We tend to feel that God doesn't really love us if he allows things to keep happening. Maybe we feel he even forgets about us personally. But the fact is, he still loves each and every one of us. He doesn't hate you. He hasn't forgotten about you. Jesus Christ when he came to the earth did not just choose certain people to die for. He died for all. Even if you deny his existence. Even if you deny what he did Jesus still died for you. Paul tells us that what he did, he did once and for all.

(31) Names of God

2010-01-17T20:47:00.005-05:00

How many names of God can you think of? Why all of these names? The non-believer, especially the anti-theist, would say it's because Christianity/Judaism is like any other polytheistic religion who worship many gods. And instead of actually learning about why there these names, they will go on ridiculing the believer for this. But the real answer is not because there are many gods, but because the One True God is multi-faceted. His power is so immense that He needs names to describe Him. And this is proven by the very first sentence of His word; In the beginning, God created.

Bereshit bara Elohim ha shamayim ha erets. The first name in the Bible is God's. Elohim. The first thing this shows is ownership. It's His book talking about His creation. But Elohim is even deeper than that. Every time you see the term "el" it is dealing with the power of God. The term "im" in Hebrew stands for plurality as the "s" does in English. But that does not mean He is many. It means He is complete. It also is a foreshadow that Christ and the Holy Spirit are part of who He is. What about the "h" sound? It may be perhaps because that sounds represents life. When Abram had his name changed to Abraham, it was because he was going to be the father of many. Eve's Hebrew name is Havah, mother of all. Other names of God that include "el" (but not exhaustive):

El Shaddai- God Almighty, used when we need to understand He is all powerful
El Elyon- God Most High, used when we need to understand He stands above all
El Roi- God that sees, used when we need to understand He sees all and knows all
El Olam- The Eternal God, used when we need to understand He is the Alpha and Omega

Technically, we are only given though one personal name of God we have written to us in the Bible. It is Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh. It has been translated into the Hebraic Tetragrammaton, Y-H-W-H or Yahweh. Since Latin became the universal language due to the Roman Empire Yahweh has been changed to Jehovah and now is more commonly used by the world. This also corresponds with "I AM" or "I WILL BE". It is written in Exodus 3:14

God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'

The first "I AM" in this verse is Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh which means 'I will be who I am', in other words God never changes and will always be. The second "I AM" is Y-H-W-H. This time if you take the H-W-H, you would get "at hand" and the Y would be God. So the translation would be "God who is always at hand". Every time you see the term Yahweh (Jehovah) it is dealing with the omni-presence of God. Check out Psalms 23. Each time you see a new verse you see a new name of God. Some other terms (but not exhaustive) that include Jehovah, or God's personal name:

Jehovah Jireh- God will provide, used when we need to understand that no matter situation, God is there and will take care of us
Jehovah Rophi- God that heals, used when we need to understand that God is the maker of us and He knows our bodies, He can heal us
Jehovah Nissi- God is our banner, used when we need to understand that we belong to God
Jehovah Shalom- God of peace, used when we need to understand that He can give us peace of mind and heart in times of trouble

The scriptures are filled with other names of God, such as Adonai, Ancient of Days and tens of others that are more symbollic than names or titles. And just as the ones mentioned above have a purpose so do each and every one them. Even Jesus has some names that served His purpose. His earth given name was Y'shua. But His personal name is still Y-H-W-H since He is still God, part of Elohim.

Lamb of God
Emmanuel
Prince of Peace
Alpha and Omega
Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David
Christ, Ha Mashiach, the Messiah
Bread of Life, The Way, The Truth, The Life
Rock of My Salvation, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, etc.

And of course we can not forgrt the Holy Spirit. As part of the trinity of God, His personal name is also Y-H-W-H. But the Holy Spirit's names are less prevelant than God the Father or God the Son. For example, Counselor is probably the only one many would know. Spirit of the Living God, the Voice in the Wind may also be considered names of the Spirit.

Here is the main point of this whole lesson: no matter what you call Him, even if you call Him "unreal", His name is so powerful that one day all will have to bow before Him just at the sound of it. Mountains will bow down, the seas will roar, the earth shall tremble just due to the sound of it. His name puts fear into Satan and his demons have to flee and sicknesses have to cease. When you pray "in the name of Jesus" you are saying something so powerful that the world does not know what to do with it. If only we believed more in it.

Philippians 2:9-11 says it all.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Wouldn't it be better to bow on our own will and not be forced to do so? For more on the names of God here is suggested reading: All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible, Herbert Lockyer.

(30) Acts 2:38

2010-01-02T14:06:00.005-05:00

Water. The purest element in the universe. The substance that all life as we know needs to survive. It can give you nourishment by helping your body replace needed hydration to allow cells to reproduce. It can give you healing measures by detoxing your organs. It is used to quench thirst so you will not feel needy of anything else. It can cleanse you by wiping away dirt. All of these are components of saving your life. Can water baptism also be considered a "saving" element? Here are the results of last month's poll: Is Water Baptism necessary for salvation?

I am leaning yes, but not 100% sure. (34%)
No. It is just a symbol of starting over. (24%)
Yes. Without it there is no chance of salvation. (19%)
I am leaning no because I feel we don't know the whole picture. (14%)
Other. (7%)

As you can see the lines on this subject are very closely drawn. 53% say that water baptism is needed somehow or maybe part of God's plan to save them. 48% say that it is not needed or at least not as important as other sacraments of Christianity. And oddly enough 48% are leaning and not really sure of the answer. Why is it such a controversy?

The scripture that will be used by those who say it is needed is Acts 2:38.

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And the scripture that will be used by those who say it is not needed is Romans 10:9-10

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

The problem with again just using one piece of scripture is that you can not get the whole picture of what is being said. Look at Acts 2:38 again. Peter did give the command (as an Apostle of Christ had the authority to do so) to be baptized. But there is more here than just someone being dunked into water. The first thing that happens here is what something not mentioned. In verse 37 it says that after Peter spoke the people were cut to the heart. Their minds were brainwashed or questioned. Their bodies weren't touched. But their hearts had to be open and feel something. There was a change already taking place within them. Then Peter told them the next step. Repent. What a horrible word. The Greek word used here is "metanoêsate" which means- turn from sin and return to God. One has to acknowledge first that they sin. We all sin. We all need to turn from sin. Even Christians who have been believing for 50 years sin and need to keep turning from it. For some reason that concept is lost on the world and even some Christians. We all sin. We all are human first unfortunately and act like everyone else, even though we shouldn't. We have to turn from sin. Then we have to acknowledge we are from God. We need to return to Him. Many claim He is no longer around or say He isn't here anyway. But people are the ones who aren't there anymore. They turned their back in Him and then wonder why He isn't there to get them out of every predicament. After these acknowledgements then we are meant to be baptized. If we do not make these acknowledgments then the action being performed is just someone getting wet.

More importantly you have to know what baptism is all about even before the action becomes relevant. The word in Greek is baptizo. On the surface it means to be immersed. Most people would hear that and say one needs to be completely under the water during the sacrament. But look deeper. To be immersed means you are not only completely covered by what you are dunked into but you actually start to take on the characteristics of what you are being dunked into. It's like sugar and tea. When one puts sugar into water the sugar gets wet and the water starts to take on a different flavor but the sugar does not become part of the water. When one adds tea into the water, the water begins to become a whole new substance.

The substance that Christians are being immersed into is the essence of Christ. When one decides to get baptised they are publicly stating that they are from here on out promising to take on the attributes of Christ. If they do not change who they are then all they did was go swimming. This can go back to the story of Noah. When the flood washed the whole earth. The earth was completely immersed. It was covered with water. But what happened to the earth while it was under? It changed. It took on new meaning. Once the waters receded there was a new life, a new beginning. The old has passed away and a new creature had emerged. When one gets baptised they are saying that they are now accepting for themselves that they are a new creature. The old creature has passed and a new one has begun. They have died, been buried, and have been resurrected. But can water do that by itself? No.

But what about the Romans passage? Again it can not stand alone. It again starts with acknowledgements. We have to confess publicly that Jesus is the Lord (kurios), the Ruler of all. We have to have faith in it as well. Just saying it is empty words.

ALMOST DONE.

(29) The Old Covenant

2009-11-15T18:21:00.007-05:00

We follow Jesus Christ but does that mean the part of scripture we call the "Old Testament" is no longer valid? What should we do with all of the laws and ceremonies of Moses? Do we throw away those verses or can we use them?

The main problem is that Christians try and down play the importance of the Old Testament, or the Old Covenant. What they do not realize or forget is that Christianity has its roots in Judaism and the Covenant of Moses. Before the main part of this lesson gets started, here are the results of last months poll: "What do we do with Old Testament Laws?" .

(27%) Keep the ones on morality but ditch the ones on ceremonies.
(27%) Practice some of the ceremonies except the ones Jesus himself became.
(22%) Listen to all of them, Jesus did not change them only became part of them.
(11%) Do away with all of them, Jesus changed/fulfilled them.
(11%) I have no clue.

Jesus did say that He came to fulfill the law. And many will argue that since He said this the laws of the Old Covenant are no longer valid. And they way that we should look at all the old laws is by "filtering it through the cross". Such as if Jesus changed it then we no longer listen to it. But if He did not mention it then we are still held to it. One example of this would be, "do not murder". Since the Old Covenant said not to do it should we have to follow it? Well Jesus not only mentioned it, He added to it. He gave it a higher standard. Murder in the Old was the taking of a human life by intention. But Jesus said murder goes beyond that. Murder is when you destroy human life in any way, shape, or form. Hating your brother is a form of murder. So we are somehow supposed to listen to some of the Old Testament. But how much?

Should we listen to all of it? Should we do all of the offerings that Jews from long ago had to do? No. Sacrifice are no longer needed. Romans 6:10a says:

The death He died, He died to sin once for all

All of the ceremonies that involve some sort of sacrifice is no longer valid. When Jesus laid His life down on the cross for us, giving up His own physical life and pouring out His own blood, He paid the ultimate sacrifice. Man no longer needs a spotless lamb each year to cover his sin. Jesus did it once and He did it for all. So some are valid and some aren't. Which ones?

Let's go back then to the first point. Even though Jesus fulfilled the law and some He changed, it also says He did not abolish the law in the same verse. Jesus Himself even got involved with some of His Jewish roots. The night He was betrayed and was led to His trial and eventually His crucifixion, He took part of the Passover Meal (Pesach). He was raised in Jewish customs. He read from the Laws of Moses (Torah). He went to the synagogues and learned (and of course taught as well). He used Jewish teachings to explain His own ministry and His parables. He quoted the Prophets (Nevi'im) and the Writings (Ketuvim). He used the whole thing (TaNahK).

The point is, there was more to Jesus' ministry and life than just His teachings on morality. There are practices that allow us to become closer to God the Father. They were written down for us to use. Psalms was written for us to use as a worship book. The Ten Commandments were written so we would know how to treat each other. The history in Genesis was for us to know our beginnings and purpose. These were not meant to be thrown away just because Jesus came to earth. He is the bridge.

But the thing we can do with most of the laws of Moses is teach with it. Every law that passed down to him to give to the Israelites had its purpose and its significance. All of the offerings and sacrifices were about giving up the things that are deemed important in this life so that we can share even better things in the next life. All of the ceremonies were fore shadows of the one to come who would be the "end all" ceremony. All of the prophecies are of course there to give authenticity to the Messiah and as a sign for what to look for when needed.

(28) The Perfect

2009-11-01T07:57:00.006-05:00

For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. - 1 Corinthians 13:9-10

This small piece of scripture actually is one of the largest pieces of information that the Bible holds. It will actually form your thinking and split the Christian world right down the middle because if it means one thing then only certain things can happen yet if it means the other thing then it opens up a whole new way of thinking. What are those two sides?

The "perfect" means the written word of God
The "perfect" means the second coming of Christ

Why does it matter which is right? If the written word of God is the perfection that Paul was writing about then things like Spiritual Gifts take on a different meaning and purpose for the 21st century Church. Many will say that these were not meant for us. But if it is the second coming of Christ then the 21st century Church needs to be working in all the same ways the 1st century Church was, meaning practicing your gift which may be of the "miraculous" type. Let's look at both sides.

The Written Word Scenario:

The first thing that people of this line of thinking will want to define is the term miracle itself. If we are talking the everyday mundane thing of how the sun rises and the workings of the universe being a work of God then yes it's a miracle. But if we want to use the correct terminology then the everyday events that happen in our lifetimes are not miracles. Yes, a baby being born is a miracle in the first sense, but is not by definition a miracle. It's a process of life. A miracle is something beyond the laws of nature that God uses to influence, authenticate, enhance, and/or edification of a person's mission or service, including personal worship. But here is where the one down this line will say miracles do not happen anymore. The first reason they will say this is because the only ones in their view who were given authority to use miracles was Christ Himself and His Apostles, the 12 men who were part of His ministry and Paul. And since they have long died then authentication is no longer available and the passing of these gifts onto other people by laying on hands would have also no longer been available. John would have been the last one to have this power. John is also the one who penned the last of the scripture as we know it today.

The second reason for this view is that many will say these gifts were only for the 1st century church. They needed them since they were young in existence and needed guidance in special ways to over the adversary and to keep the message of Jesus Christ moving. Such as tongues were needed because people may have been missionaries and would not know the language of the area they were going to. Miracles were needed as a sign for the unbeliever to trust the one with the message. Like an infant needs parental guidance and a helping hand so did the early church. But since we are no longer the infant church but mature then these gifts would not be needed anymore.

The main point is since we have the whole written word of God then we do not need to be authenticated. We do not need to prove the power of God like they did in Biblical times. The need for miracles are not around anymore since we can show them the word of God. Another scripture that will back this up is Hebrews 1:1-2

1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe

Therefore, since God speaks to us through His Son (the word of God, John 1:1-2) then we do not need things like prophets anymore. And prophecy is one of those miraculous gifts that will have ceased, 1 Corinthians 13:8-10. The need for speaking in tongues has passed since we have known languages and interpreters. Laying on hands as a vessel of healing is no longer valid since Apostles were the only ones in the Bible who did it.

The Second Coming Scenario:

When Paul wrote this piece of scripture in 55 AD it was 40 years before the last of scripture was written. At the time he was writing there is no possible way he knew his words were going to be used for scripture. How could he have known when the end of scripture would have been written? He didn't. So how could he have known that some of these gifts would cease when the last piece of scripture would be written? Some would say by the Holy Spirit. But that still leaves holes to be filled. Such as when he mentioned gifts in Romans and Ephesians 2-5 years later, why did he not tell them these would cease?

Why in 1 Corinthians 13 does he only mention three gifts that would cease? Some would say that it's not an all included list and that it is just an example of the type of gifts that would cease, i.e.; miraculous ones. But then we would have to decide which ones are "miraculous" and which ones are not. (For a list of gifts the Bible mentions go to Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4. And perhaps there are more that are hinted at but not stated by Paul specifically like celibacy and intercession) Without going into detail the short version of which ones some are either skeptical about or deny being in use today are the ones they haven't seen, the ones they do not use, or the ones that have been abused. Prophecy, Tongues, Interpretation, Apostleship, Miracles, Healing, and for some reason Knowledge (saying it would be close to a revelation) are the ones that have "ceased" in their view. But would they cease due to scripture being perfected?

When was it perfected? Well the last written word we know of was around 90 AD. But was it perfected at that time? No. The last word of scripture wasn't even known it was written by the world for hundreds of years later. So how could they have ceased without the knowledge of the Word being completed? They wouldn't.

Does perfect mean complete? Apparently not. There are some writings that have been lost over time and never found. Paul even mentions one in 1 Corinthians 5:9. How can it be perfect if it is not complete? Keep in mind that does not mean it is fallible! The Word of God is perfect but not the perfect that Paul mentions. Throughout history the Canon has been changed a couple of times. Our scripture is not the same as 1st century Church's scripture. So was it completed by the Council of Nicaea? Probably not. So how could the Word be the perfect in question? It isn't.

Do the promises of Christ for the 1st century Christian only apply to them? No. He said He is preparing a place for us too. He said His grace is sufficient enough for us too. He dying on the cross was for us too. Receiving the Holy Spirit is for us too. So why wouldn't all the gifts be for us as well? They are!

If we only knew in part until the Bible was completed then why do we have so many questions today? Apparently we still know only the partial things we need to know.

And the most compelling reason why this passage is referring to the second coming of Christ is because we have to read the whole context. If you keep reading you will eventually get to 1 Corinthians 15:24 which says:

Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

Just this verse alone added to the whole context says to us that the previous chapters are geared towards the 'olam hazeh, or the end of this age. The age Paul is referring to is the end of the world which will happen when Christ returns, not when the Bible is completely done being written.

Now in their defense, some of these gifts may have ceased, but not in the way that "Written Word Scenario" believers say. Romans 12:3 says there are measures of faith for each of us. The Holy Spirit gives gifts differently. As an example, not all prophets will be the same kind of prophet. There are major prophets (Isaiah, Ezekiel, John) who were used for Messianic and/or Apocalyptic prophecies. They were used to fore-tell events and were long-termed visions. There are minor prophets (Jonah, Paul) who were used to warn those around them of their actions. They were used for telling of events (not fore-telling) and were more short-termed visions. Then there are preachers such as Billy Graham who will use the word given to them to be forth telling of events which is used for discipline. They will be used to show people how to live their lives. They have visions that are for the moment. Billy Graham would not be used as a Messianic or Apocalyptic prophet. These perhaps have ceased. These there are no more need for. The Messiah has come and the end will come too, one way or another.

The second coming of the Messiah is the perfect, where all prophecy and the like will have to cease for the Christ will have brought with Him the answers to all of life's questions. We will then know in full what we only knew in part.

(27) Spiritual Gifts: an overview

2009-10-12T19:27:00.006-04:00

Spiritual Gifts is a topic that many people do not understand. Some people do not understand because they have never heard of them, although this would be rare. Some do not understand because they belong to a church that does not talk about them or use them. Some do not understand because even though thy may know about them they have never taken the time out to study them. And then there are some who misinterpret the meaning behind them and therefore are confused about them. Before we get into it here are the results from last month's poll: Do you believe in Spiritual Gifts? Each one will be discussed below the results.

48% said yes there are spiritual gifts and believe in all of them. This is saying that since they are listed in the Bible then the gifts must be real. Most who answered yes to this would also say that all of them are available to the church today.
16% said yes there are spiritual gifts but they were skeptical about some of them. These people want to believe in them completely but perhaps have seen or have not seen the evidence of them to be either fake or blown out of proportion, e.g.; speaking in tongues.
29% said yes there are spiritual gifts but some are no longer around. These people say that certain gifts have ceased and are no longer available or needed for the church. The three that they will say is prophecy, tongues, and knowledge.
6% said yes there are spiritual gifts but they are not supernatural only talents given to us. These people are saying that the word gift and talent are the same thing. using your naturally given talent is the gift that God gave you.
0% said no there are not any spiritual gifts, there are no such things. This speaks for itself. These people do not believe in any supernatural gift for Christians, or do not believe in God.

The good news is that everyone who voted on the poll believe in them one way or another but as you can see there is a diverse way of looking at them. Some people though have a hard time with all of them being around today or are skeptical of certain ones. Why would some people not believe in them? Because they have misinterpreted certain pieces of scripture. The first thing that many will get confused with is that they use gifts of the Spirit and gift of the Spirit interchangeably or will not know there is a difference. Once you have accepted Jesus Christ you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, which means you now have access to His guidance and intercession. The gifts of the Spirit are special offerings from the Holy Spirit to each of us to enhance our worship and service. And the one scripture that many will use to decide that some gifts, if not all of them, are no longer around is 1 Corinthians 13:8

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

And they use this as unwavering proof of their viewpoint. First of all, the wording here is not "disappear forever". The wording here is "cease" and "be stilled". This perhaps should best be interpreted as a temporary quietness. Some may say that is adding to scripture. Actually it is putting it in better light, not adding. They fail to see that what they are doing is subtracting from scripture thereby negating some of the promises that God has given to His people. What promises? Take a look at 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

This passage is just before the one mentioned that people use to discredit certain gifts. So it is funny how people will skip over this part and rush right to chapter 13. Paul is stressing some very important issues on gifts in chapter 11. He first mentions that he does not want anyone to be ignorant about the gifts. The Corinthians were apparently very gifted in this area, no pun intended. They had access to all the gifts but were not using them the way they should and had not been living the lives they were called to live, as can be seen in chapter 1. Paul says that to each (Christian) is given a gift they can use for serving God. Not only a gift given but a manifestation of a gift. Which means we not only get a small amount, we get whatever we can handle. And some people can handle a lot while some can only handle a little. That is why Romans 12:3 says:

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

We all have a measure of faith. Some of us can move mountains, some of us would be scared to even try. God knows this and will use us in the way we can handle it. If you notice Romans 12 coincides with these passages in Corinthians almost perfectly. They both talk about the Church being a body. They both talk about gifts being used and have a list of some of them. They both mention though that love is more important. And this is what the Corinthians were missing. This is why Paul writes to them and says that you may have all of these gifts but without love you are nothing. Love is forever. These gifts are not forever. But does that mean they will cease? No. People will now use the second verse of misinterpretation to use as proof of gifts disappearing. They use 1 Corinthians 12:9-10

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

What is the perfect? Those who say gifts will disappear will say it is the written word of God-the Bible. Once the Bible had been completed then there would be no more needs for the gifts, or at least some of them. But is that what the "perfect" really is? Perhaps not.

(26) What is Hell?

2009-09-05T11:07:00.009-04:00

When Christians talk about the afterlife and the two choices, heaven or hell, do they really know what they are talking about? Perhaps not. One problem we have today in all the Christian world is we have translated the word 'hell' incorrectly. The word we use in English is actually a German word. So what happened?

First of all here are the results to the poll of "What is hell?"

51% said hell is a place of torment for unrepentant sinners
21% said it is not one of the choices given
12% said it was only a symbolic place meaning separated from God
9% said there is no hell
6% said it was a place for satan and his angels only
0% said it was only a place on earth in the end times

The most important thing to realize is that 'hell' is not a place on earth, nor a place where only satan goes, nor is it only symbolic. It is a real place. But what is it for real? Technically, the word itself is not in the Holy Scriptures. If we go back to the original languages of the Scriptures (Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek) we find two main words that Scripture describes as an afterlife, She'ol and Gehenna. There are other words used in scripture for places of the afterlife, some are mentioned in this lesson. Unfortunately, today we translate She'ol and Gehenna as 'hell' and may have well destroyed the true meaning of the final place of the afterlife, especially when some of it may only mean death.

She'ol

The abode of the dead or as Deuteronomy 32:22 calls it, the realm of the dead. The Greek equivalence to this word is Hades and was substituted for She'ol when the Greek manuscripts were created. But of course you should keep out all of the mythological non-sense that many of these stories have added, e.g.; Styx. Perhaps this is where we associate Hades with Hell since many mythogical stories and Hollyoowd have sewn the two together by placing a man in charge of it-namely satan or the god Hades himself. The NIV translation uses the word 'grave' in its place. Any of these words are okay to use when you are referring to this place since it only means one thing-the resting place of a body. Where do their souls go? Using the example that Jesus used while He was on the cross, souls that lived according to God's word will live in a place called Paradise after death. Other scripture calls it the "side of Abraham" (Luke 16:22). Perhaps this is the place that those "dead in Christ" shall rise from on the return of Jesus that Paul writes about 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

Gehenna

This word is Greek and is translated from the Hebrew term Ge Hinnom, or Valley of Hinnom. Hinnon was an area just outside the city of Jerusalem that was used as a garbage dump where its inhabitants, trash and unwanted items, were waiting to be burned; a refuse waiting for destruction. In Matthew 23:33, Jesus talks about this place but too many translations uses the word 'hell'.

You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

The correct translation for hell here would be Gehenna. Those who have not accepted Christ or who did not live by the Law on the point of their death will have their souls cast into Gehenna, a waiting place of torment until the final judgement is upon them. They have gone into the first death (loss of the flesh). And now they await the second death (loss of soul). But while they wait in Gehenna they will be tormented. They gnash their teeth in their waiting because they know they have passed the chance to believe. It would be like being on death row and you see the guards coming your way. You have no chance to repent and no chance of escape. You will now reap what you have sowed.

But, Gehenna and She'ol, even Paradise are not the final places. After the judgement, all of those who lived for Christ and are resting in Paradise and those living at the time of His return will go to live with Him forever in heaven. But those who are in Gehenna and are in torment will be judged for their sins and then thrown into the final death. They will be thrown in along with She'ol (Hades) and Gehenna because once the judgement has happened there is no more need for these places. Death will be swallowed up in victory.

After the judgement comes the real "hell" for many. The final destruction of their soul. Gehenna is just the waiting area while the real place of destruction perhaps does not have a biblical name save "lake of fire" where satan and his angels will be tormented day and night forever. While those who have been judged righteous will live forever in heaven.

(25) The Tabernacle, Part 4, Exodus 25-31

2009-08-22T10:52:00.008-04:00

Last time we talked about a special place that we hold value. But sometimes even within that room there are objects that have special stories that only you will understand. When you look at that certain object you get a feeling that no one else will get because it is the most sacred of all possessions you have. Many things can be moved. You can change a room around and rearrange items but this object can not and will not be moved. This is what the Holy of Holies is all about.

The last section of the Temple (Tabernacle) is the Holy of Holies. This was the inner most part of the sanctuary, the place where God resided or resides in the case of a Christian. There are three main objects in this room; the Veil, the Ark, and the Mercy Seat.

The Veil. The veil was a sign that there was something secretive hidden behind it that only special people could see. Just like a Bride in a wedding, the only one who can see behind the veil is the husband. There was an appointed time for someone to see her. In the tabernacle behind the veil was the Ark. The Ark was the sacred possession. Inside it were other objects that showed how important the Jewish people were to God. Most famous of these things was the Ten Commandments, the law. As a Christian we know the Law to be Jesus. God hid Christ in a safe place until His appointed time, such as the Bride. Christ is God the Father's most valued possession, a part of Himself that He sent to be with His people. When Jesus was crucified, scripture says that the Veil was torn in two. Sacrifices under the old law were always cut in half and separated. The space between them is called the path of death. On one side is life, the other side is death. The veil was split in two as the new path of death, the new law. To get to Christ at the end of our lives, we have to pass through the path of death by going through the split veil; the symbol of Christ's sacrifice. This says that we accept Christ as the sacrifice. We pass through His flesh (Hebrews 10:19-20). Josephus says that horses tied to both ends could not tear the veil apart. So imagine what the priests thought when they saw this non-tearable item being ripped from top to bottom!

When it split it opened up a way for us to approach the throne of God, or the Mercy Seat, without any shame. The seat was located on top of the Ark. This is the place where God would appear in the time of the Old Law. This is also where the sacrifice for atonement was done (Leviticus 16:15). When Jesus poured His own blood onto the earth, there was no more need for a physical Mercy Seat. We can go directly to Him. No matter what we have done His Mercy Seat is always there willing and waiting for those who want to receive it (Hebrews 9:14-16).

(24) The Tabernacle, Part 3, Exodus 25-31

2009-08-15T15:57:00.005-04:00

Do you have that special place where you go to that you keep all of the things that are valuable to you? Maybe it's your den. or family room. Maybe it's your own room that no one else really goes into. Maybe it's only as small as that special chair that no one else is allowed to sit in. This place usually holds something special to you; a memory or a feeling. When someone enters into that special place they come into your presence. Many times the people that want to go into these places have to have special permission from you. You become the one that those around focus on and that is why it is even more important to you. The ones who you love can now share in your thoughts and feelings. This is what the inner most part of the Tabernacle was all about, the Holy Place.

Inside the Holy Place were the following items: a golden lamp stand, a table of showbread, and an altar of incense.

The lamp stand of course is a symbol of light. It was placed in this room because if you make it here you are always in the light (sh'kinah) of God. It doesn't mean that you have made it to the full presence of God but close enough to see Him and want more. This may also be a reference to us being a light to the world since we are in Him and He is the light (Leviticus 24:1-4, John 8:12). We are also to be witnesses. We are supposed to keep the wicks clean and ready to burn. This is an ongoing task. If we let the wicks burn up then what use is our light? We put people in darkness by our actions. A daily worship of God means to be constantly ready to burn the light for others to see.

The showbread may perhaps mean communion with God. It was right near the presence of God because it is the step before you meet God. As with today's communion, before we take it, we need to have been through the rest of the "tabernacle", i.e., the outer courts and inner courts. We need to examine ourselves in the basin and clean ourselves before we partake of the showbread. Once we have taken communion we are ready to see the full image of God, for we have been united in His blood (John 6:35).

In Part 2, we talked about a fragrance being like a new born baby. The scriptures talk a few times about the aroma going up to God. Symbolic or not, just like for us, smell is the strongest thing related to memory and it brings either pleasure or a stench. Our prayers and praises rise like incense. They can either be pleasurable to God or cause Him to turn away from us due to our "stench". This turning away from us means His ears will not hear our words (Pslams 66:18). This altar of incense (our heart) is a place that needs to give off a beautiful aroma (Leviticus 16:12). This aroma can also be a "sinner" turning from his old ways, a heart that is new is like a new born baby. A heart that is repentive is like a new born baby. A heart that is sincere is like a new born baby.

This Holy Place was a place that only those whom God chose to close to Him could go. The ones who can share with God his own heart like David did so long ago.

(23) The Tabernacle, Part 2, Exodus 25-31

2009-07-30T10:54:00.008-04:00

Why do you have different rooms in your house? Why do you have a door into these rooms? Simple answers are: each room has its own purpose and the door symbolizes that a new purpose has begun. Other answers may be rooms and doors cause separation for privacy or shows ownership of a certain area. This is the same with God's house- the Tabernacle, the place to worship and meet God. Before we go on, keep in mind that you are today's tabernacle for God. But to understand how important you are today we have to see what the original tabernacle was like and why all of its inhabitants were instructed to be created the way they were. This will focus mostly on Exodus 27 with some others included.

The Court System
Just like your house is divided into sections so was God's house. But these were called courts. There were two main courts- the outer courts and the inner courts. The outer court was an area of fellowship and personal business. It was place to meet others and share things with them. The inner court was a place to start preparing yourself to worship and meet God. For more on what the courts are see this link http://ideasoftimreligion.blogspot.com/2008/08/iv-worship.html. But before we get to the courts we have to go through an outer door. In Exodus it was a fence. When Solomon built the Temple it will be known as the Sacred Enclosure. The fence served as a barrier. It prevents the un-Godly from entering into His presence. God can not be around things that are unholy, for He is holy. To be in His presence means you have His protection. The fence kept out all of the wild animals that were wandering in the desert and wilderness. It was not a see through fence because the world will never know what God means until they enter His presence. The Sacred Enclosure by law was a place in the outer courts where the gentile could go to but not pass. The gentile was allowed to do business in this area just like Jews but could not pass the Sacred Enclosure. Because at this time the gentile knew not of what a relationship with the true God was like. It separated them (Isaiah 59:2). But today the gentile by the Grace of Jesus has been allowed to enter. Not to take the place of the Jew but to commune with him. Other scripture

Just like in your house you have set up adornments and accessories that are meaningful to you, so it was with God's house. Linen was added to the house (27:9) because it took a lot of time getting it to the final product. It was made from the flax plant. It was twisted together and beaten. Then boiled in water and wrung out. This process made the linen white and clean. It was a long process making linen to be a valued product, making it expensive. Sometimes our lives take a long time to be refined. Sometimes we get twisted together to make us strong. Sometimes we are beaten to make us tough. Sometimes we go through water to be cleansed so we can be purified. Our lives take a long process to get right but that just shows how important and valuable we are to God. He wants us to be right.

Just like your house there is a way in to the place (the back door is somewhat a new idea compared to time). To get into God's house you had to enter the Gate. There is only one gate. Jesus (John 10:9, 14:6). There was only one door in the Ark that Noah built. And there is only one gate to heaven. Only through Jesus can we actually enter into the presence of God.

Just like your house, there is a place to wash and be clean, so it is with God's house. On the side of the courts was a laver, or basin. This was a place to wash before you went on to worship. Today it could be a symbol of baptism, the washing off detestable flesh and making clean a new creature in Christ (John 13:8-10). Without this washing, the flesh is too much full of stench that the burnt offering will have a horrible aroma that will not please God. A new creature is the like the smell of a new baby.

Lastly, if you notice the tabernacle was a movable place. It is a protege of the new testament temple. You. Your body is now the temple. It is a movable object that you take with you everywhere. God wants us every place we go to be a place of worship. Rick Warren says that we should live a life of worship. This kind of life is described as "walking with God". This is why it is wrong to try and control our own lives, it's not ours to control. God designed us the way we are. We are specific in detail. Each one of us is important to Him like the original temple was.

(22) The Tabernacle, Part 1, Exodus 25-31

2009-07-21T10:43:00.007-04:00

The Tabernacle, before the Temple was built, was the place of worship. To understand the Tabernacle, you have to understand what life was like before it was built. God's original plan was to exist with humanity and walk with man on a day to day basis. But the first man sinned and cause a separation between God and man. God can not be around sin for he is holy. But, man without God is hopeless. There is nothing left for man if God was not around. God did not want man to be lost so He allowed a way for man to get the relationship back, worship.

Sin is when we worship our own will (desires) instead of God's. This is what separates us from God. We need a way to bridge the gap. Worship is when we have a relationship with God. To be able to get back that perfect relationship, sin had to be taken away. Sin kills this relationship. Worship helps bring it back. But there is still a separation. Only total atonement for sin can do that. In the OT, it was through sacrifice. But the New Covenant makes Jesus Christ the atonement, or sacrifice.

Eden was God's place on Earth. It was the place that God put His most prized possession, man. It was a place where God went to man to speak with him, to be with him. But Adam sinned. Sin cause man to be thrown out of God's place.

When Adam sinned, he tried to hide his sin by "covering" himself with a fig leaf. This was not good enough. God gave him a new covering; one made with skin of an animal. An animal had to die and the shedding of blood had to happen to cover us completely. Christ died and His blood now covers us. (Genesis 2:25-3:24)

Why blood? Because as in Hebrews 9:22, blood is a life force. When we died through Adam our blood line to God was cut. To get that blood line back, blood (innocent) has to be shed. In the Tabernacle days, it was through a spotless lamb; one without blemish. If they sacrificed an animal that was already dying or defective, what good would it have done? What would it have proven? Sacrificing a pure lamb showed that they could give up something so valuable in order to show their feelings to God. Do not worry, the animal is God's. Rest assured that the lamb was taken cared of. In the New Tabernacle, which is you, we do not have to sacrifice anymore. Christ is the lamb.

Worship involves sacrifice. It costs. When Cain sacrificed his offerings to the Lord he only gave some of it. When Abel sacrificed he gave the first fruits of his labor. He gave the best portions of what he had. Cain did not really sacrifice anything. Abel did. (Genesis 4:1-5) True sacrifice also means we have to be obedient. Obedience sometimes cause us to give up things we desire in order to get the things He desires for us. The bigger the sacrifice the larger act of worship it is. King David said in 1 Chronicles 21:24

24 I will not sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.

David knew the real meaning behind worship. Is it any wonder why God had David write all of his Psalms? Worship is the connection that keeps us near to God. It allows us to be close to Him. It brings us back to "Eden", paradise. The Tabernacle was the place for worship. It was ordained by God with specific instructions and emblems. Each emblem had its own purpose and foreshadowed what the Christ would be for us. The Tabernacle was a physical place that was built so that God could exist with man again. But it had to be made holy. Even within the Tabernacle itself there were parts that God would not be present for not all of it was holy.

(21) The Decalogue, Exodus 21:1-24:18

2009-07-16T10:04:00.009-04:00

Once the Ten Commandments were etched in stone, they became law; a Godly law. But, how does that transpire into man's law? Could you do something to man that was not against God? Is there a way around His law and still get away from helping man? God knew man's heart and knew his intentions. He knew what man would do if there was some loop hole or way out of something. So, God continued with explaining what the law meant. And since Israel was a stubborn nation, then punishment and atonement for breaking the laws needed to be strict. Israel was God's chosen people. They should have known the power of God yet somehow they remained worldly. He would put a stop to it. This is why chapters 21-24 in Exodus are long winded, extreme, monotonous, dare say...boring, along with Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

Almost every aspect of life was written down on how to treat your fellow man. The first four commandments dealt with what your relationship with God should be. The other six deal with your relationship with other people. But notice when the covenant is expanded most of the laws deal with man. When God laid down the law about our relationship with Him, He needed no to expand. He is the Lord, nothing else will do, remember Him and Him only! Stray outside that and you have a problem. But He knew we would do things to each other and needed guidance. These chapters tell us how do deal with servants, injuries, property, social responsibility, justice, mercy, the sabbath and celebration days. Each topic mentioned has its own subtopics as well.

In the end though God tells His people He will protect them if they abide by the rules. He sends an angel out before them preparing their way. Who is the angel? No one knows. It could be any of them but verse 23:21 says he will not forgive your rebellion since my Name is in him. Is that a hint that it could be Christ or is it symbolically saying there is no excuse for rebellion against something from God? You have to be the judge there.

The covenant is finally confirmed with the sacrifice of a life. A young bull (several of them) was sacrificed to claim the testament in blood, the life force, the essence of being. And as a final witness to this covenant God showed Himself to Moses and all the elders of Israel. They ate with Him and had fellowship. But God would not do this all the time. He is too holy to be seen by all so the next step was to build a place where God could meet His creation; the tabernacle.

(20) Freedom is never free, Exodus 13:1-20:26

2009-07-08T13:52:00.007-04:00

When someone is in prison and they are forced to give up their lifestyle and freedom in order to pay their sentence of punishment, they start to become accustomed to another way of life. Once they are free they go through a phase called de-institutionalizing. They have to relearn the way of reality. This is why many convicts commit crimes after they have been freed. They do not know how to handle the real world anymore so they revert back to what got them punished in the first place. Same with Israel.

Israel had been a prisoner for over 400 years, they had lost some of their culture and had picked up some of the Egyptian culture. God did not want them to hold on to the Egyptian culture. So, before any of the major traveling went on, God started to set down laws. If He did not then one of two things would have happened; either Israel would not have known how to survive on their own and the nation would have perished or they would want to revert back to Egyptian ways. As you read you will notice they try to revert back many times. It's a wonder why God stayed with them.

Laws, Customs and ways of Life

Consecration of the first born-no matter what the child was the first born of all families was to be dedicated to God. This was to remind all of Israel that the one plague that allowed them to go free was that the firstborn of all Egyptians was killed. This is also a foreshadow of the Christ. In order for us to go free the firstborn of God had to die.
Manna ,Quail and Water-not even three months had passed and the Israelites were complaining about the outside world. Some of them cried out that they would rather have died in Egypt. But, God listened and gave them plenty of food by sending manna and quail, everyday. They were to trust in Him and not gather any more than what they needed or were told to gather. Still some of them did not trust. And since this happened maybe another major necessity of life was denied to them so they would appreciate being free. They ran out of water. So God caused water to flow from a rock.
War- Never thought of this before but the Israelites, although had to take the land that was promised to them, were not the aggressors. The Amalekites attacked them first. And they won't be the last. Why was war necessary? Because the land was consecrated by God hundreds of years earlier with Abraham. The people living in the land now had defiled the land by their practices. What was done there in the past few hundred years had to be wiped out so the land could be worthy again. Plus the people living there would not leave voluntarily.
The Commandments-In Greek called the Decalogue or The Ten Words. Words is a term that describes a covenant in OT times. Why were they given? They were a sign to God's people that there was a special bond between them. He chose them to be His people and if they abide by His laws then they will share in His glory and presence. Why these certain laws? First of all its what His original plan was anyway. To love God above all, to remember what He has done and all of His power, to take care of each other by not causing each other to fall by certain acts of selfishness i.e., murder, stealing, etc.. Oddly enough Jesus restated the Ten Words into two: Love God and Love your neighbor. He did not change the law keep in mind, the Ten Words are still a covenant. Jesus just simplified it. He also expanded on it with what we call the Sermon on the Mount.

These ways of life were written down due to the fact that the culture of Israel and its original purpose of existence had been watered down by life in Egypt. Before these were written down people lived by faith. Abraham was not "under the law" because he lived by faith. Through the years people had lost faith and never knew what it was like to live by faith. This is why when they got to the dessert they did not know how to trust in God and turned so easily to idols and grievances. So God wrote down these things to help them remember, but since they were a hard-headed people He gave them strict conditions to abide by as written down in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Today we are not "under the law" per se. Jesus is the law. We are back to living by faith. However, we are living in times that say faith is not valid. We are sliding back into Egypt, if you will. This next time God will not send another savior. This next time that our faith needs refining will be the end. Third time is a charm...

(19) The Plagues, Exodus 7:7-12:36

2009-07-01T10:09:00.004-04:00

The plagues of Egypt. Why did God use these certain ten plagues to change the mind of Pharaoh? He could have used anything yet He chose to use these. Most of the plagues were directed at the religion of Egypt. Most of the plagues were directed specifically at the gods of the Egyptians. These were signs to show the Egyptians that the one true God was powerful than anything that the gods of Egypt could muster.

Plague of the Nile turning to blood: The Nile was of course the Egyptians lifeline. A fertile land region that no one else could control. There were three gods whom the Egyptians felt gave them this control. Khnemu was the guardian of the Nile. Hopi was the spirit of the Nile. Osiris was the creator of Egyptian civilization using the Nile as his bloodstream after he was murdered and his body thrown into the Nile.
Plague of the frogs: The goddess of fertility was Heket. She helped women with childbirth and her symbol was a frog.
Plague of gnats and the Plague of flies: These were references to Ba'al. The term Ba'al itself means "lord" but later in the Bible a term comes out of this to refer to what we know today as satan; beelzebub or "lord of the flies". Ba'al originated in the Middle East and not Egypt but since the Egyptian kingdom grew and they were always willing to adopt new gods then this became part of their worship. Ba'al had died and his sister resurrected him, virtually a living dead, where flies would be attracted.
Plague of Cattle dying: These were direct to Hathor, goddess whose form was a cow, and Apsi who was called the bull god. Both of which have too of long stories to divulge. You can read more about them via Internet.
Plague of Boils: Boils of course are a skin irritation that can be treated with medicine. But the Egyptians could not cure this even with the help of Imhotep, the god of medicine.
Plague of hail: The weather was also controlled by Egyptian gods such as: Nut, the sky goddess, Isis, who was partly known as a mother of nature and giver of life, and Seth who was known as the protector of the crops and god of storms.
Plague of locusts: Again directed at Seth who protected the crops.
Plague of darkness: Ra, the sun god.
Plague of death (first born): Directed straight at Pharaoh, who was considered one of the gods.

With each plague God Almighty showed that He could out do any Egyptian god there was and it was He who controlled the world not them. Each plague caused the Egyptians to want to get rid of the Israelites. Each plague only effected the Egyptians while the Israelites were protected by God. Even by the fourth plague, the Pharaoh's advisers were telling him to give in and let them go because for the first two plagues they had reproduced the act. Now they are finding out that they can't do what God does.

There are physical explanations for each plague. Such as sulfur in the Nile caused the river to turn red and poisoned to drink, thereby causing all of the frogs to get out of the river since they could jump but the poor fish were left to die. Since the frogs could not go back into the river to be rehydrated they died causing swarms of flies and gnats to devour their left over carcasses. And since there were carcasses that means disease may have spread out of this causing the cattle to die with cowpox and may have spread to humans as small pox which cause irritation of the skin and boils. A freakish once in a hundred years storm produced hail hitting the crops and making the locust fly prematurely all at once and blocking the sun out, or the same hail storm had no rain but only wind causing a dust storm to hit blocking out the sun. And of course the only explanation for the oldest son dying is there must have been a plague...duh! Even if all of these had a natural explanation, then why did they all happen at this certain time and why the coincidence that it didn't happen to the Israelites?

(18) Preparing the way, Exodus 2:24-7:6

2009-06-23T15:53:00.007-04:00

Moses' story is more complicated than one would realize. He was a man who did not have a people of his own, for he was Hebrew and he was Egyptian, yet neither group had accepted him. He lived in a place called Midian, yet felt like a foriegner. He even named his first son, Gershom; "foreigner". He was royalty, being raised by Pharaoh's daughter. He was a slave, being born of a Hebrew. Yet he ended up being a shepherd for his father-in-law. He knew of his real kinsmens' troubles and wanted to lead them out of Egypt but no one would listen to him. (Acts 7:20-25) His time had not yet come.

Preparation #1-Life experiences
His first 40 years of his life he had spent in his Egyptian customs. He learned what it was like to have everything. He was educated in the finest of things. He learned how to speak up and was given power in his tenure. Some traditions say he was commander of the southern army of Egypt. In any case, he was being trained to be a leader. But as we have read earlier, he had to flee. Where did he go? To a desert.

His next 40 years he was being trained how to survive on the littlest of things. He tended flock, not for himself but for a master, his father-in-law. When he fled he would travel through the lands that God would eventually lead him to when he used him to free the Israelites. Moses came to know the land that God would him send him through.

That last 40 years of his life he led Israel to the Promise Land by using his wisdom of leadership, his ability to confront crowds and his knowledge of the wilderness. God had used a lifetime to prepare a man for one of the greatest purposes in history. To show mankind that God can free us from our own bondage.

Israel was in Egypt for 400 years because they chose to stay. They could have left Egypt once the drought and famine was over during Joseph's time and had gone back to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They put themselves into bondage. God freed the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt. Jesus freed us all from the bondage of sin.

Preparation #2-God Calling

Once Moses had life experiences to prepare him for what he needed to be like, God now called him to fulfill his purpose. Moses was now 80 years old when God called to him. Out of the blue, Moses just happened to be leading his flock in the desert near a mountain; Horeb, "the mountain of God", and called out to him from a bush that was burning.

Why a bush? No one really knows but maybe because of a couple of reasons. First, a bush when set on fire will burn. It was a sign of the power of God. It wasn't a tree because if a tree was burning others may have seen it. A tree is huge and a bush is small. It was a sign that God sometimes uses the small things in life to talk to us. Why didn't he just speak to Moses? The answer lies within a question. Was Moses ready to hear him? Moses was 80. He had spent a life that he had not wanted. Speaking to Moses may not have been enough for a man who thought God may have deserted him. When God calls, he will get your attention, but sometimes it's by the smallest things in our life.

Preparation #3- Acceptance of who you are

Moses even after hearing and seeing God, even after a life of wanting to take leadership of the Israelites, still was reluctant to do what God said to do. He was not willing to accept his fate. He made excuses, "They won't believe me", "Who should I say told me", "I have a speech impediment". With each excuse God answered him. God has a purpose for all of us. We have to accept who we are and God will give us the ability to use what we have.

Preparation #4- Perseverance

When Moses came back to Egypt, his task was not easy. The Pharaoh made the lives of the Israelites harder and many of them blamed Moses. But in the middle of the persecution came the prosecution. God stepped in and things began to happen. If Moses quit and gave up, it would have been a horrible witness to the power of God. But through perseverance God will follow through on His promises.

He may be preparing the way for you. If you persevere in your life's experience and wait upon the Lord, then listen for His calling so he can prepare you for something great, even if it's small.

(17) No Oridnary Man, Exodus 2:1-23

2009-06-21T15:56:00.007-04:00

Moses (Moshe), was no ordinary man says the scriptures. His father was Amram, a Levite. His mother was Jochebed who was also a Levite, since Jochebed was actually Amram's aunt (this was before the Law was given). He was the great-grandson of Levi. When the Pharaoh handed out the law that all male Hebrew newborns should be killed, Jochebed hid Moses for three months. When it became apparent she could not hide him anymore she put him in a basket and pushed him down the Nile. Amazingly, the Pharaoh's daughter (let's call her Sitamun) just happened to be there when Moses went floating by. Moses' sister, Miriam, watched on the side of the Nile to make sure he was okay. Miriam talked Sitamun into letting a "Hebrew woman" nurse him for her. Oddly enough who does Miriam go get? His own mother! Not only that Jochebed was paid by Sitamun for taking care of him. Moses was not only supposed to have been killed, but ended up in his own house anyway and his family was compensated for it. Truly, not ordinary.

Moses was not the name that Jochebed gave to her son. His real name is unknown. "Moses" was the name that Sitamun gave him. By the way, why are we calling her Sitamun? Well, if the Exodus was 1488 BC, then the Pharaoh at the time of Moses being born would have been Ahmose I. Ahmose had three daughters and only one of them was not married, which probably meant that she would bear no children, thereby making her more than likely wanting one. God gave her one in this way. Pure speculation. Either way, look at the name 'Moses'. Sounds a lot like her father's name Ahmose. Ahmose means "the moon is born" or "the moon's child". Moses in Hebrew is Moshe which means savior but is also very close to the Hebrew word, mashah; "to draw water" (Exodus 2:10), but it's closest equivalent in old Egyptian is 'mes' which means "son". Sitamun probably named him this to fit both languages. Again, no ordinary man.

Somehow, Moses knew of his heritage. When he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew he defended the Hebrew and killed the Egyptian. The very next day someone was threatening to turn him in for his actions and the new Pharaoh (Amenhotep I) found out. So, he left his home and fled to Midian where he met his future wife, Zipporah. Where did he meet her? She was at a well...drawing water; mashah! No ordinary man!

And his non-ordinary life had still the most non-ordinary experience yet to come.

(16) When was the Exodus?

2009-06-18T10:43:00.017-04:00

If one does a study on genealogy and starts with the Bible and Adam you can find the date of the Exodus from one angle. Such as:

Adam was 130 when he had Seth, Seth was 105 when he had Enosh, Enosh was 90 when he had Kenan, Kenan was 70 when he had Mahalalel, Mahalalel was 65 when he had Enoch, Enoch was 65 when he had Methuselah, Methuselah was 187 when he had Lamech, Lamech was 182 when he had Noah, Noah was 502 when he had Shem, Shem was 100 when he had Arphaxad, Arphaxad was 35 when he had Shelah, Shelah was 30 when he had Eber, Eber was 34 when he had Peleg, Peleg was 30 when he had Reu, Reu was 32 when he had Serug, Serug was 30 when he had Nahor, Nahor was 29 when he had Terah, and Terah was 70 when he had Abram (Abraham). That is a total of 1948 years. (Genesis 5:3-11:26)
Abraham was 75 when he left his father and he was 86 when he had Ishmael. (Genesis 12:4-16:15) The promise of his descendants being slaves in Egypt was somewhere between these two dates. The best thing we can do on this end is split the difference. Say he was 80. That gives us a total of 2028 years from the time of creation of man to the promise of being slaves.
Galatians 3:17 says that there were 430 years between this promise and the actual exodus. So that gives us a total of 2448 years after the creation is when the Exodus happened.

From the other angle:

Nebuchadnezzar who was king of Babylon and took captive Jewish people from the land of Israel reigned from 605-562 BC, by secular dates. He destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon in 587 BC meaning the kings of Israel and Judah were no more.
Counting backwards now are the kings of Judah: Jehoiachin really didn't have a reign, Jehoiakim 14 years, Jehoahaz 0 full years, Josiah 31 years, Amon 2, Manasseh 55, Hezekiah 29, Ahaz 16, Jotham 16, Azariah 52, Amaziah 29, Joash 41, Athaliah 6, Ahaziah 1, Jehoram 8, Jehoshaphat 25, Asa 41, Abijah 3, Rehoboam 17, Solomon 40 years. That gives us a total of 425 years. Which means Solomon would have been king of Judah and Israel around 1012 BC, keeping in line with secular dates.
The Temple was built in the 4th year of Solomon's reign (1 Kings 6:1) which means the Temple was built in 1008 BC. The same verse says it was 480 years after the Exodus that the Temple was started. So if you add that together then the Exodus was in the year 1488 BC.

By the way that means 3936 years of man's existence before Christ. As a side note: many scholars believe they were off by 4 years of Christ's birth. But if we add 3936 and 2009 we get 5945 total years of existence of man.

Back to the point, if it was 1488 BC then who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus? And if it was 1488 BC then by the standards of those who study the history of Egypt (http://www.egyptologyonline.com/new_kingdom.htm) it was Tuthmosis III, who was 6 years old when he became king but his stepmother (who was also his aunt) ruled in his stead until he was 21. BUT, Tuthmosis III would have been only 16 when the Exodus happened and would have still been under his stepmother-aunt's authority. So maybe the Pharaoh of the Exodus was not a man. Maybe it was Hatshepsut. She was known for trying to be very masculine such as wearing a false beard. Maybe this is why we are not given the name of the Pharaoh because it was not the true and rightful leader. Maybe the son that was taken as one of the plagues was her son who was going to be the heir which caused her so much pain, so she let the Israelites go. But why address her as "he" in the Bible? All pharaohs were considered masculine and given that she posed herself as a man, she became a "man".

Others will have a problem with the Israelites only being in Egypt for actually only 210 years. If they left Palestine to go to Egypt with only 70 people how could they leave only 210 years later with roughly 2 million? Numbers 1:46 says they left with 603,550 men over 20, not even counting the Levites. This means that the population of Israel would have had to double itself every 14 years. According to http://www.ecofuture.org/pop/facts/exponential70.html Israel's population would only have to grow 5% each year to reach the total stated. And according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(real)_growth_rate there are at least 37 countries today that jave higher growth rates, so it can be done. Even if we take the US alone, which has been a country for the past 233 years has grown from 3 million in 1790 to over 300 million in 2009. That is 297 million more people than when it first started. Of course some of that was immigration but it does show how fast a country or people can grow.

(15) Isra'el Who?, Exodus 1:1-1:22

2009-06-17T14:17:00.012-04:00

Remember in Genesis, the family of Jacob (who had his name changed by God to Isra'el) had traveled to Egypt to be with Joseph, a son of Jacob who had been sold to nomads and eventually became the 2nd in command of all Egypt, due to a drought, although at first they did not recognize Joseph for it had been 22 years since they had seen each other. The book of Exodus (Sh'mot) starts approximately 210 years after the last page of Genesis.

When the Israelites first came into Egypt around 1698 BC they numbered 70. By the time we start to Exodus it is around the year 1488 BC and the Israelites had multiplied so much that we are not even given a number. Verse 7 says, "the land became filled with them".

After 210 years and many Pharaohs had come and gone, one Pharaoh (king) had risen to power who knew nothing of Joseph. How could the Egyptians forget about a family who was once part of their history? They multiplied fast! The name of Joseph had probably become synonymous with Isra'el and Isra'el had become so numerous that each individual become less important to the Egyptians who would still see these people as foreigners (non-Egyptian). Joseph's name was lost in the crowd. This was also a time of confusion for the Egyptians called the 2nd Intermediate Period. The Hyksos came to power and the kingdom became divided for awhile. The Hyksos controlled the Delta area while native Egyptians controlled from Thebes. Perhaps during this period the Egyptians weren't really in charge of their own country and that is why the new Pharaoh did not know of Joseph.

If the Israelites though were a nuisance to the Egyptians why did they allow them to stay so long? Apparently the Israelites were prosperous for the Egyptians and maybe God had blessed Egypt due to their presence. Verses 9-10 (NAS):

9 He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.
10 "Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land."

The Israelites were more powerful than the Egyptians, yet they did not want them to leave the land. Why? Again, apparently the Israelites had made the Egyptians prosperous. So one way to keep them in the land but to keep them less powerful and to dehumanize them was to make them slaves. Verse 11 says that Egypt put slave masters over them and oppressed them with forced labor. But this action backfired; the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied putting even more fear into the minds of Egyptians. This could be where many will get the idea that the Israelites were builders of some of the pyramids. Verse 13 says that they were forced to work with mortar and brick, maybe eluding to the pyramids, at least some of them. It may have been for Egyptian history and glory. It may have been Egyptian architecture but they probably wouldn't have done the work, especially if they had slaves. The point is apparently this did not work to destroy the Israelites either. So, Pharaoh devised another plan: kill all the babies that were born male. But as you will read later...it didn't work either. God used two midwives to attend to this request by Pharaoh who secretly refused to carry out the action and God allowed them to be prosperous as well. And because of their actions, Isra'el became more numerous and powerful. So, Pharaoh had to try and carry out the order some other way...but...

Nothing man can do can stop the power of God. In the end, Pharaoh kept trying to wipe out the name of Isra'el, but with every decision came a backfire and the hand of God kept the name of Isra'el alive. Hence, the name of Isra'el means "protected by God". Who is protected by God? Isra'el, that's who.

(14) Exodus

2009-06-15T12:49:00.008-04:00

The second book in the Canonized Bible is Exodus. The Hebrew name for this book is Sh'mot and it does not mean "to leave". Sh'mot means "names". As you can see the first few lines from this book are about the names of the descendants of Israel who were in Egypt. There were 70 descendants of Israel. All of them came to be with Joseph, a child of Israel (Jacob), who had become 2nd most powerful man in the land. Yet by the time we pick up the story, a new king (Pharaoh) had risen to power and he didn't know of Joseph. All he knew is that this people had multiplied and filled the land. This book deals with names more than it does about an escape. It can be separated into 3 main parts (with many other subsections). The following is a breakdown of what it is all about.

Exodus 1:1-12:51, the dehumanization of Israel. Pharaoh tries to wipe out the names of all the Israelites by hard labor, genocide of male infants, and a refusal to allow them to be a people of their own.
Exodus 13:1-20:26, the deliverance of Israel. Once Israel had been set free, God would start to re-establish the name of Israel throughout the region by starting their journey to the Promise Land.
Exodus 21:1-40:38, the rules for Israel. To get their name back they had to prove themselves worthy and were given a set of rules to live by so their names would not be wiped off the face of the earth.

This book is the manual for being Jewish. However it is a direct parallel to the life of Christ and what He means to the world. We are dehumanized as believers in Christ but He delivers us from this world with rules to live by. It shows how God remembers us (those who love Him). It shows how God cares for us (taking our oppression away) and shows how much He wants us to be with Him (living by the law-Christ). It is also an analogy of what God can do in our life. He first prepares us. He then redeems us for His purpose and then He reveals to us what that purpose is.

(13) Bibles

2009-06-07T08:27:00.003-04:00

This one is not actually a lesson but a result of a poll about what Bibles are being used.

NIV, ASB, ESB (modern English) (69%) are using modern translations of English. The New International Version which means if you understand English you will understand it. The same word will be used in England, Canada, Australia and the US. The American Standard will be more for American English and so on. There are other modern English translations: ESV, NAS, TNIV, NCV
Hebrew, Greek (23%) said they are using original languages Bibles. Probably they are using them as a reference to see what the original meanings of the words were. The problems with many modern English language translations is that we do not have a direct word for words used in the past so many times paraphrases are inserted.
Amplified, Message (paraphrased) (15%) said they use a paraphrased version. These are the easiest to read but to many some of these verses are watered down. Some of the verses seem to have things added to them to make it easier to understand.
KJV, NKJV (any Authorized) (15%) said they use what was known as for hundreds of years as the "Authorized" version. They claim they use this because it is the most accurate. Well, yes and no. For someone who speaks English from the 17th century then yes it is the most accurate but we do not speak that language anymore. The KJV speaks of unicorns. Now maybe in the 17th century the word unicorn meant something like a rhinoceros but today it means a mythological creature, so the translation is inaccurate in that account.
Other (15%). I would like to know what the other is. I have no idea.

The point is, it doesn't matter what translaton you prefer, but you might want to carry another one around to let some other perspective in just in case. God speaks to us through scripture at different times and in different ways.

(12) Paul

2009-05-16T08:35:00.006-04:00

Life:
His name was Paul. His name was Saul. Paul was his Roman name. It comes form a family name of Paulus meaning "humble". Saul was the name Jewish people would have known him by. But the real translation in Hebrew is Sha'ul.

He was born in the Greek region known as Tarsus. He was also of course Jewish (Acts 22:3). And not only was he Jewish, he was in the top of his class. He calls himself a Pharisee among Pharisees. (Acts 26:4-8). Yet, he was Roman citizen (Acts 22:27). How could someone so devoutly given to Judaism also be a Roman citizen. Only by one of three ways 1) You could buy your way into it. 2) Do a great deed for Rome or 3) you were born into it. Paul was born into it. (Acts 22:8). But how was he born into it? By speculation his family must have done a great deed for Rome such as help their military. By profession he was a tent maker (Acts 18:3). If he like so many of the culture followed in his family's ways then his father and perhaps grandfather were tent makers as well. Maybe they built tents for the Roman army. His family is never mentioned. No one knows if he had children or even a wife. But there is hints to him being married at one time. (1 Corinthians 9:5). But probably by the time he was converted somehow he either lost his wife in death, by divorce, or they were just never together. Scripture says he was celibate because he was unmarried (at the time of the writing in 1 Corinthians 7:1-9). He also mentions how important it is to take care of the widow, which could be a hint that he was widowed himself. Since he was Greek, Jewish and Roman he undoubtedly knew all three languages and knew them well, which makes his writings even more intriguing.

Beliefs:
At first he was a Jew who hated Christianity. Being raised as a Jew, he probably did what was customary of his time; he left his home of Tarsus and went to study in Jerusalem at a young age, perhaps even as young as 13. He may have been mentored under the teacher Gamaliel, a famous teacher in the line of Jewish teachers called Hillel. (Acts 22:3) This Gamaliel has had rumors of becoming Christian himself by some historians. It would fit his character since he actually stood up for the Apostles in Acts 5:34-39

34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.
35 Then he addressed them: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.
36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.
37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.
38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.
39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

Paul was part of the Sanhedrin that Gamaliel was in charge of and may have heard this speech. He was later hired by the same Jewish council to find Christians and bring them to trial so they could execute them. He was well on his way to find Christians when Jesus came to him and changed his life and purpose.

Attitudes:
He was a very educated man. As already stated he learned from the Hillel and his training cause him to be very fluent with scripture (Galatians 1:14). He knew the Torah and Prophets like the back of his hand (Philp 3:4-6). At one time the man whom we have learned to love was filled with hate and violence (1 Timothy1:13) , which is probably why the council chose him to go after Christians: they knew he would do it! Paul gave orders to kill hundreds perhaps thousands of Christians. He was even there to see the first martyr of Christianity, Stephen. In fact he was the one who gave the order to stone him (Acts 8:1). However, this attitude did give him the edge when he had his transformation. His upbringing and zeal for Judaism was turned into an immovable object when it came to Christianity as well. He was bold. He didn't back down. One time he was stoned and left for dead and after he was helped back to his feet he ran back to those who stoned him (Acts 14:19-20) probably to argue some more.

His Life Changing Experience:
Acts 9 says it all.

1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest
2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
5 "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.
6 "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.
8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.
9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered.
11 The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."
13 "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.
14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."
15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.
16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,
19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.
20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.
21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?"
22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
23 After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him,
24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him.
25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.
27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord

From here on he was a changed man.

His importance:
Paul was the one chosen by God to be the one to carry the message to the Gentile. All of the others were mostly for those who had heard Judaism and tried to convert them. But Paul, even though he always wanted to try and convert his fellow Jews, was not picked for that calling. He was chosen to go to far away places deep into the enemy's territory; Rome, the pagan among pagans. It is there we will meet his maker. It is there he will be called home. But not until he had ran the race and wrote most of what we know as the New Testament. It is mostly accepted that Paul was beheaded by an anti-Christ figure, Nero. Josephus claims that when Paul was led to the chopping block, he did not go with resistance. He writes that when Paul saw the actual place where he was to be beheaded, he broke free from the Roman guards and ran to the block. He placed his head down and waited. It is thought that without a doubt he preached all the way while he was running. Paul is a symbol of what it means to persevere.

One thing we all need to understand and remember, Paul was not perfect. We all say I wish I had the faith of Paul but sometimes you may not want to be like him. He suffered with his own insecurities. His sin tormented him. His past caught up to him many times. God put a "thorn" in his side to remind him of his job and his cross he had to bear. But one thing we never study for some reason and so many never think about it is Paul struggled with the same things we do. He couldn't stand the fact that he had troubles like you and me. Romans 7:15

15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do...I do not do, but what I hate...I do.

Paul sinned just like you and me.

(11) John

2009-05-03T08:25:00.012-04:00

Life:

His name was John. The Hebrew translation is Yochanan which means "God gives grace".

He had a brother named James and together they are known as the sons of Thunder. There is some speculation that he may have been a cousin of Jesus but that can not be confirmed. His father's name was Zebedee and his mother's name was Salome. John, James, Zebedee, Andrew and Peter were all co-workers in the same fishing area (Luke 5:10, Mark 1:20). And since it says they had hired help apparently their work was prosperous. Later on his life though he may have stayed in the city of Jerusalem due to the fact that he was charged by Jesus to look after his mother (John 19:25-27). He replaced Jesus in the family. His brother James was the first of the Apostles to die of martyrdom around 42 AD. Peter was arrested around the same time. These two events meant John would have to watch Mary all by himself.

Beliefs:

Nothing is really said about his belief but being associated with Andrew who followed John the Baptist it's a small doubt he was hearing some stories from Andrew about the coming Messiah.

Attitudes:

John had a little bit of an ego problem. There are a couple of passages that shows he would ask to get special treatment simply because of who he was or what he was associated with. Mark 9:38 and Mark 10:35-41

9:38, "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."
10:35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
36 "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
37 They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
38 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
39 "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with,
40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."
41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.

These bold statements show how much ego he had. To actually ask the Christ to be able to take such an important chair in heaven shows a lot of chutzpah to say the least. Not many other quotes from John or other major stories about him are recorded. He has a few appearances in Acts but all of them are with Peter. After the 8th chapter of Acts we do not hear about him ever again by any other writer except once by Paul in Galatians. This date was probably around 35 AD.

His Life Changing Experience:

When Jesus took three people with Him to a high mountain, He chose Peter, James and John; a loud mouth and two sons of thunder. When they got to the top of the mountain Jesus' appearance changed right before their eyes. Jesus was met in the air with Elijah and Moses. They all three were terrified and fell down before Him. Jesus told them not to be afraid and NOT TO TELL ANYONE. Again He took with him a loud mouth and two sons of thunder (noise makers) and told them not to tell anyone. How hard it must have been for these three to keep their mouth shut. From here on out until the Resurrection John is mentioned more and he picks up a nickname: the Disciple whom Jesus loved.

His importance:

Now of course this next part of the story will be a little fabricated because no one knows exactly what John went through in his last few years but the implications were fabulous. Most scholars would say that John was last of the Apostles to die. Most would say that he died an old man around 90. Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans. John went on to Ephesus to live and where tradition says he would die after his imprisonment. Scripture says he was on the island of Patmos, a prison, when he got his Revelation and his Gospel visions to write. But consider this: most people think that since John lived the longest and died of natural causes that God must have loved him more than the rest. Now it does say that he was the disciple whom Jesus loved. But John lived until he was at least 90...in prison, with hard labor, alone. All the other Apostles that he knew had died long ago. Not only died but got to die for Jesus' name. He had no one left to help him. One can envisioned him crying out to God, "why can't I die for you?", "why am I left here alone?". Where was John's glory? He took care of Mary for Jesus. He was the closest to Jesus. All the others got to travel and spread the news, dying for the greatest cause of mankind. But John? He died alone. No glory in this life. No doubt Jesus loved John the most. No doubt he left John here not to receive glory upon the earth but maybe John did get that seat next to Christ like he asked for. John's glory was not here on earth. His was to be one of the greatest in heaven. All because he was the most faithful companion out of all them (John 19:25-27). John was a man revolutionized by God's love.

(10) Timothy

2009-04-21T22:13:00.007-04:00

Life:

His name was Timothy which is Hebrew. The Greek translation is Timotheos and means "honoring God".

He was from a place called Lystra, which was in what we know as Turkey. This is where his mentor of faith, Paul, first meets him. This meeting may perhaps may have set his life in motion and caused him more suffering, yet more honor, than anything else in his life. Timothy's family is mentioned in the New Testament. It is said that he had a mother and grandmother of Jewish faith and his father was Greek. Nothing else is known about his father. Many think he was dead by the time he met Paul. This is probably why Paul took him under his wing so easily.

Beliefs:

Apparently Timothy in his younger days followed in his father's culture because it is said that he was uncircumcised and if he followed Jewish custom this would have happened in the 8th day of his life. But it seems as though he started to follow his Jewish roots as he was grew a little older. The women in his family influenced him from birth. Paul circumcised him personally. Which is another reason to believe that his father had died.

Attitudes:

Here is where Timothy's story comes in to play. He was young, compared to Paul (1 Timothy 4:12). When Paul calls him this it is around 64 AD and this had been 20 years after Paul had picked him up as a companion. He was respected in his community. He was compassionate (Philippians 2:20-22) and committed to his work (Hebrews 13:23-24). But he was timid at times and showed some fear for Paul had to remind him not to be like that (2 Timothy 1:6-7). The question is why was he in fear. This fear may have been a cause of his sickness that Paul mentions (1 Timothy 5:23). Somewhere along his life he had developed an attitude that needed strengthening. And in the end he made it. Timothy may have been the last face of a companion that Paul saw before his execution. Timothy may have stayed with him until the end.

His Life Changing Experience:

Back in Lystra, when Timothy was still with his grandmother and mother, he may have seen something that scared his young mind. In Acts 16 Paul meets up with Timothy and takes him under his wing. But it's probably not the first time Timothy saw Paul. In Acts 14 Paul goes to Lystra and preaches but some of the Jewish faith (Timothy's own people) found Paul and stoned him so much that they thought he was dead. This could be anywhere from 5-10 years earlier than when Paul takes Timothy as his student and son in the faith. Timothy may have seen this stoning with his own eyes. Paul was stoned for his faith and now wants Timothy to travel with him, and at such a young age, 20 years earlier than when Paul actually calls him young. Maybe his sickness and his timidity started here when he witnessed what his future may have to be if he followed this man. This may have haunted him his whole life.

His Importance:

Timothy at the first stage of his life was a man with a shadow. He had a history darkened by one event. Later in life he becomes an emissary, an apostle if you will (1 Thessalonians 2:6). He becomes a church leader, the lead pastor, but not the preacher (1 Timothy 1:3-4). And because of his calling, Paul tells the NT Church what to look for in leaders. Some historians have him living from 17-80 AD. If that is the case, then he met Paul when he was around 25 but may have witnessed the stoning at the age of 15. History and the Roman Catholic Church will name him the 1st Bishop of Crete. Tradition says he was trying to break up a pagan ritual where they stopped him, dragged him through the street and, yes, stoned him to death, making him a martyr and instead of a man with a shadow he became a man with a reason!

(9) Peter

2009-01-18T08:21:00.008-05:00

Life:
His Hebrew name was Shim'om Bar Yochanan, which means Simon son of John in English, or if we want to get modern, Simon Johnson. Jesus changed Shim'on's name to Kefa. This is translated into Greek as Cephus and in Latin as Petros. This is where we get Peter. All of those names mean "rock".

He was born in the town of Bethsaida, lived in a town called Capernaum, but worked in an area called Galilee. Which is odd because he may have known Jesus for 25-30 years living so close to him. He had a brother named Andrew. He was married (Mark 1:29-31). But she is never mentioned, so we do not know if she was still alive or not. His occupation was a fisherman. And that of which he may have been quite successful since he had his own employees (Luke 5:2-10). He was not highly educated. (Acts 4:13) This will cause many to believe that he did not write the 1st book of Peter due to the sophistication of the writing. Technically they are probably correct. It was hand written by Silas (1 Peter 5:12) but it was dictated by Peter, which should be sufficient enough.

Beliefs:
He was not a follower of Christ at first. He was one of the few that had been listening to John the Baptist occasionally (John 1:35-42) but he wasn't easily convinced. It took a lot of events to seriously change his mind. Since he had heard John the Baptist, he knew of what the Messiah was going to be but he probably never knew it would happen in his life time.

Attitudes:
The first thing we see from Peter is that he was outspoken. This comes across every time we read about him (Mark 8:29-33). At times he sounded like a smart mouth who needed to be put in his place. He acted on impulse. This caused him to be very inconsistent with his thoughts and actions. Just when you think he understood the meaning of his life he does something stupid and it leaves you wondering why he did what he did. (Mark 8:27-33, 14:27-31).

His Life Changing Experience:

Peter's brother was Andrew and was apparently a follower of John the Baptist. Andrew had been listening to John who had this important message: the Messiah is coming. Andrew knew of the Messiah's coming and was waiting. Peter had other things to do like run his business. Even when Christ was told about to Peter by Andrew we can see he still didn't believe until this life changing experience. Christ once told Peter after a bad night of fishing to go back out and try again. Peter, even though knew this was Jesus who Andrew had told him about, didn't want to do it. Most people think he was just obeying the Christ. But listen to what you read in Luke 5:3-9

3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."
5 Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"
9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,

If Peter was just following the Master's command and believed, then why would he fall at the knees of Jesus after the catch? It is not until he sees this miracle that he starts to believe. Verse 5 shows the smart mouth side of him. He's not saying, "because I believe I will do it". He is saying in a sarcastic response, "Because you o' mighty one (yeah right) tell me to then by all means let's do it". He was astonished at what he saw. And then he fell to his knees and realized who was in his presence. But even then he will revert to his old self time and time again.

His Importance:

Peter will become the leader of the group. He at first becomes part of Jesus' small group (the 12). He will become part of Jesus' inner circle (the three: James, John and Peter). And he will become the Rock that Jesus restores and calls on to be the leader of his church. Historically the Roman Catholic Church will bestow upon him the title of the first Pope. He was a man who no one expected to be the man he ended up being. Simon, the smart mouth fisherman from Galilee becomes the Rock, messenger of the Almighty God.

(8) The End of the Beginning, Genesis 46-50

2008-12-28T08:14:00.008-05:00

We have seen the beginnings. Throughout Genesis we have read about the perfect become imperfect due to man's ambitions, obsessions, unfaithfulness and pride. But through all of the shortcomings of man we also see that one thing hasn't changed from the beginning; God is faithful and His promises are always fulfilled. Sometimes they aren't done in our timing or our liking, i.e., Isaac didn't want to be sacrificed, Jacob didn't want to be picked, the whole lifespan of Josephs' younger years. But in the end, it all works out for the good for those who love Him. That is why Paul wrote a little passage in the book of Romans 2000 years later:

28 and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and who have been called according to His purpose.

The question remains though, if He calls you will you answer like Abraham or run like Jacob?

(7) To Forgive, Divine, Genesis 37-45

2008-12-21T09:05:00.003-05:00

The rights of the first born included things like headship of the tribe or family and a double portion of the inheritance. But it was a common practice for a father to give that right to the firstborn of the wife he loved more. Joseph happened to be the former. His brothers resented that because Joseph was number 11 in line. But if you read about his brothers they forfeited their inheritance rights by their own actions. Reuben committed incest. Simeon and Levi committed murder. And in short, the rest plotted against Joseph which showed their hearts were not what God wanted to use. For the time being Joseph would be the deliverer of his people.

We also read that Jacob is the man of God who is ready to be used. The final sign of this was the changing of his name to Israel. The word "Israel" means "protected by God". This was a covenant. The name change is a permanent sign by God. Jacob will no longer try and make a deal with God. he knows he will be protected. There are no more ifs.

Joseph probably had the most to complain about more than any other character in the Bible, possibly enough to even be compared to Job. But he never lost his focus. He never lost his relationship with God. And that is odd knowing how wishy-washy his father was with the relationship with God. Somehow Jacob must have installed Abraham's and Isaac's beliefs on him. God never forgot about Joseph either. He made him prosper even in the "pit" of his life. If we hold on to this truth, Never will I leave you, then life can be what we want it to be. The problem is we don't acknowledge God in many situations except the hardships. He is knocking on the door but it is up to us to let him in.

After 22 years of separation and a lot of time to let his anger burn against his brothers, we never hear of such an emotion coming from Joseph. Even when he had the opportunity to get revenge, his compassion showed in the end. Many time we can't do that. His brothers tried to kill him and he forgave them. but we can't even forgive if someone says one harsh word that doesn't even mean anything in the end.

To forgive is divine, but it should also be human.

(6) Wrestling With God, Genesis 25-34

2008-12-02T19:34:00.003-05:00

The life of Jacob is probably misunderstood by most people. When we think of Jacob we remember the saying, "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob". So we think Jacob was a man of God and lived his life according to God's Word. But did he? Let's examine periods of his life and make a conclusion.

Born with a twin brother, but when Jacob came out he was grasping on to Esau's heel. This was a prophecy about how these two brother's would struggle with each other their whole lives. Even in the womb Jacob and Esau struggled with each other.
Jacob's name means "deceiver". What a horrible name to give to your child, but apparently it will fit his life very well.
When the boys were becoming of age, Esau came in to get food since he was hungry from his work. Jacob deceived his brother into forfeiting his birth rite. And when it came time to get his inheritance he deceived his own blind father by pretending to be Esau. Would a man of God use deceit like this just for an inheritance?
When Jacob went to go work for his uncle and to find a wife he tried to deceived his uncle as well. It failed this time but he still tried to use his skill as a liar.

There are other passages that can be used to see the true character of Jacob, but when it comes down to it, Jacob had no idea who God really was. Jacob was a man who knew what he wanted, but it was not God. God uses him however to start the nation of Israel.

When Jacob meets his wives he is well into his 70's. He agrees to work for her love for 7 years but is tricked by his uncle into working 7 more. By this time he is an older man but God still had not unleashed His plan completely to Jacob. Sometime God does not move because it is not the right time yet. Or it is because we have chosen to move in another direction away from God. Jacob was good at fleeing. He fled Esau after tricking him. He fled his uncle after obtaining his wives. But most of his life he fled from God. Each time he fled he needed to reconcile with the one he fled from. But to reconcile a man so stubborn, a man needs to be broken.

When we read the story about Jacob wrestling with God it's hard to understand why God couldn't overpower him. This is a translation problem. When we read this we are probably thinking more on the lines of physically overpowering him. But, it is probably more on the lines of breaking Jacob's stubborn will. We know Jacob now as being bull-headed, deceiving, and out-spoken. Apparently he had not learned that God should be in control. So God gave him something to remind him for the rest of his life, a torn hip socket. God will get through to us one way or another. The question is will we let Him do it the easy way or the hard way?

Often in life we think that our struggle is with a situation or another person when it is ultimately with God. The only time our struggles end is when we completely surrender to God. Jacob's name was changed to Israel, which means protected by God. Jacob should no longer live like a man of deception but live like a man who is protected by God.

It took him his whole life but when he finally recognized his struggle was with God, he changed. The promise of Israel and a Messiah was now finally ready to move ahead. Great things can happen when we let God do what He can do without our stubbornness getting in the way.

(5) A State of Confusion, Genesis 11:1-32

2008-11-09T08:18:00.006-05:00

After Noah was chosen to recreate civilization with a second chance one would think that humans would remember what the wrath of God meant if you did not follow His instructions. But unfortunately for the human race stupidity comes naturally and we still follow our own desires. The 11th chapter of Genesis is another lesson on human stupidity. The true meaning behind this lesson is how God told man not to settle into one place. If you read chapter 9 you will see that God gave strict orders of how man was supposed to fill the earth. Staying in one place was no a choice. But man took it anyway.

1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.
6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Man did not listen to the instruction of God so He confused our languages. If you read into it, not only did He confuse our language, He scattered the human race Himself. How did man get everywhere even on remote islands and three major landmasses? God did it. Not evolution. This passage tells us of the original sin of Adam and Eve, following our own desires, trying to become like God. Remember that is how the serpent tricked Adam and Eve. He said they would be like God. Here we have the same sin, and the same penalty---separation. This time from each other.

In this short lesson we actually learn even more about ourselves. Over the thousands of years that have passed since this event, many false interpretations have come out of it. Here are two of them:

Since Ham was cursed and his descendants became the African races and the Bible says they would become slaves to their brothers then it gives the "Europeans" the right to own slaves
Since God separated the "races" here that means He didn't want any intermixing of races.

These two misinterpretations are the main reasons why we racism today. Unfortunately we are taught, programmed and/or raised with some of these feelings. Slavery is not an institution created nor condoned by God. Racism is a form of murder. If this is not believable then you need to read Matthew 5:21-26. Murder is any feeling of hatred towards your brother. The other misconception about interracial couples starts off false because it is not about race. It is about language. The only thing God says not intermarry with is another religion! Plus different languages does not mean a different race. If that was true then German is a race. English is a race. French is a race. Or Swahili is a race. Bantu is a race. White is NOT a race. Black is NOT a race. Only different amounts of melanin. If this was the true case then anyone of German decent marrying anyone of English decent must be committing sins. No. Human stupidity.

(4) The Tidal Wave, Genesis 5:6-10:32

2008-10-24T20:56:00.007-04:00

Genesis 5:6-10:32

Some say that they flood mentioned in the Bible was just a local flood. Even some Christians believe this. Let's see what the Bible has to say about it.

Gen 6:11-19

11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
13 And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.
18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.

Five times in this passage we see that the words "all" or "every" or "everything" is used. These words mean "complete". When the Bible says that all flesh was corrupted, all flesh will be destroyed it didn't mean that somewhere on the earth some will be okay. Noah was saved due to his righteousness. Some animals he was to take on the ark for food and sacrifice and so that the human race could go on living after the flood was over. How could it have been a local flood if all flesh died in the flood?

19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.
20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive.
21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them."

All kinds of animals were taken into the ark. Not one species was left behind. All were taken. If the flood was local why would all animals have to be brought to the ark to be saved? Why was every sort of food taken if all they had to do was wait until the waters subsided and then go get more like after floods here in the US?

14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.
15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits.
16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks.

Why make Noah build an ark so large and make him work so much for a local flood? Why not just tell him to move to a different land like he did with Abraham?

Gen 7:17-20 (The Message)

17 The flood continued forty days and the waters rose and lifted the ship high over the Earth.
18 The waters kept rising, the flood deepened on the Earth, the ship floated on the surface.
19 The flood got worse until all the highest mountains were covered
20 The high-water mark reached twenty feet above the crest of the mountains.

Where did the waters stop? If it was a local flood then how would it go 20 feet over the highest mountain? Wouldn't the waters flow over the top and go somewhere else? It did. It kept going until there was no more places to go; a global flood. If it was a local flood then why did God tell the people to disperse and leave the area? People would have already been around the world if it was only a local flood. Scripture says this is where the languages were divided. What language did these other people have that were not in the flood, if it was only a local flood? If it was only a local flood, why does almost every culture have a version of the story. If their culture was not part of it, then why would they make a story about it? It had to be global. Noah's family told the next few generations about it. When the languages were divided, the story became diluted and distorted.

To say that this was a local flood wipes out the reason of Noah's life and story. Without this total destruction of a people who disregarded God then there would be no such thing as repentance. There would be no such thing as total grace. The Bible speaks of new creation, not something added on. You are the new creation. You need to be completely washed in the grace of God, not just part of you. This was a huge tidal wave.

(3) Lost in Paradise, Genesis 3:1-5:5

2008-10-16T20:58:00.007-04:00

Genesis 3:1-5:5

We (Adam and all of mankind, since we are one) had Paradise in the palm of our hands. We were supposed to live forever. We were supposed to be in a world protected by God and walk with Him all of our days but we couldn't do it. But, we had to eat from the wrong Tree.

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"
2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
3 but God said 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

The first sin was not the fact that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. The first sin dealt with our own desires. If we follow our own desires that means we have disobedience of God's Word. Disobedience causes guilt. When we feel guilt we tend to do irrational things. Disobedience separates us from God.

Adam irrationally tried to cover his sin and shame. We know that only God can do that. Notice when God did the covering, He used animal skin not fig leaves. Animal skin lasts. It can be washed. It can stand the test of time way longer than a leaf. This action shows us how our ways are always worse than His ways. This also is a foreshadowing of the shedding of blood for the covering of sin, because an animal had to be sacrificed in Eden and give it's life for us so we can be covered. Wouldn't it be amazing if the skin that covered Adam and Eve was lamb?

Because of this we are separated from God. We are now in need of some factor that will bring us back to Paradise. There needs to be another Lamb to cover our sin and shame.

Man's walk with God was no longer side by side. We now have to walk on our knees. Our walk with each other now is strained. The perfect union of man and wife is now a life journey of trying not to hurt each other. The Tree of Life was taken away from us. We now die. We now rot. We now toil; sweat, blood, and tears. Instead of living forever we now have to reproduce to keep on living. We pass down traits of ourselves and since we are imperfect beings we pass down our imperfection as well. Cain killed Abel in the next generation. Cain also tried to cover his sin. This time by denial. But we know God is all-knowing. Cain's denial was needed because he didn't want to blame himself for his own destruction. Like us, he blamed God for the scenario of his life.

One sin leads to another, leading to another, leading to another. Our desire breeds in our minds. It gives birth to sin and sin brings death. We have a natural desire in us. It's not wrong to have desires. The problem is we let it breed. We need to bring every thought into captivity under the obedience of Christ.

There is only one way to get all of what we lost back...Jesus Christ.

(2) Six Days, Genesis 1:1-31

2008-10-12T08:26:00.011-04:00

Genesis 1:1-31

Some people say that the earth and the universe are billions of years old. And on the other hand you have those who think the world is only 6000 years old. Let's take a look at what the Bible says on the subject.

1 In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

The first argument will come over the word "day". First of all, a suggestion; do not use the Greek language to decipher the OT. It was not originally in Greek. The original version is closer to Hebrew. The Hebrew word for day is "yom". Now day has a couple of meanings. It could mean: "back in my day", "24 hour period", or "daytime- when light is hitting the earth". Notice that verse 5 starts the problem. It has the word day in it twice and it is used as two of the meanings listed. But since this word has more than one meaning, there are those who will say that the second time day is used could mean an "indefinite time period". Hence this is where billions of years comes in. Christians who try and rationalize billions of years will bring in the scripture verses of Psalms 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8. Both of these scriptures link a thousand years to God is like a day. That would be an incorrect interpretation of these verses. Both passages here talk about how God has been around forever. These verses mean that time is not important to God. He is beyond all measures of time. Day one had one part daylight and one part night. If this was supposed to be billions of years then that was one long day.

Another argument will be about light. Some stars are billions of light years away from us. So, in order for us to be able to see their light then the universe has to be billions of years old for it would take that long for their light to travel. The natural law of physics would not allow this to be any other way. True. But God created the laws of physics. God is not part of the natural world. God set things into motion and to do that He created this in state of maturity. Adam was not a baby when he was created. Light was the first thing after the universe that was created. It was in its maturity. Let there be light and BOOM there was light, everywhere. They do have a neat theory. It is called doubling time theory. With the expansion of the universe happening in their eyes, every time the universe doubles in size, time is cut in half. Given the rate of the speed of light and the calculations of how big they say the universe is one can use the following to decipher how old they say the universe is:

day one took 8 billion years
day two took 4 billion
day three took 2 billion
day four took 1 billion
day five took 500 million
day six took 250 million
and the Christian scientists claims we are still in day seven

Add these together and you get 15 3/4 billion years.

www.aish.com/societywork/sciencenature/Age_of_the_Universe.asp will give you more information on this theory. It is neat but doesn't hold all the water.

Science tells us that the sun had appeared by an explosion of gas and bits and pieces were thrown into our solar system. When these pieces cooled you have some planets forming. Same with the moon. Earth started to cool and a piece of earth had broken off and cooled 300,000 miles away in the form of our moon. So science tells us the order of these things coming into existence as: Stars, Sun, Earth, Moon. But scripture tells us that the earth came first. Then the light. Then the sun and moon and stars. The earth is the oldest but not billions of years old. So, if some of these stars we could not see until today because they are 15 billion light years away, and the stars were not created until the 4th day then by their own theory the stars could only be 3 billion years old at the most. Thereby if you stick to the doubling theory then the earth is either 60 billion years old or the stars are a lot closer than they thought. Or the Bible is inaccurate about which came first. In any way, their theory now has holes in it or the Bible does.

To get the final picture you have to go back to the way Genesis was written. Remember from Lesson A, Genesis was written so we could understand it. Six days is six days.

(1) Book of Genesis

2008-10-11T08:37:00.006-04:00

The first book of the Bible, literally means "beginnings". When you start to read Genesis it may get confusing because of the way some of the stories intertwine. It seems like the timeline is disrupted and it will not make sense. Some say that the book was written as a form of poetry and that is why the flow is the way it is. Some say it was written in an analogical way and not everything can be interpreted the way it is written. To understand how Genesis is written you have to go back to what it means; beginnings. Genesis is about the beginning of everything. It is separated into many sections that deal with beginnings of many subjects. The following is break down of what it is all about.

Genesis 1:1-2:3, the beginnings of the universe. It takes us back in time before man existed. It tells us how the universe was created and the beginning of life on earth.
Genesis 2:4-25, the beginning of mankind. These passages lets us know how man and woman came into existence. This is why some of it is repeated from the 1st chapter. It is a different creation. It takes part of the creation of the universe and explains it in deeper detail.
Genesis 3:1-5:5, the beginnings of sinful nature. These chapters explain to us how man lost Paradise and his place with God. It shows the need of a bridge to get back to Him.
Genesis 5:6-10:32, the new beginning. Man was so corrupted that God in His mercy decides to give man a new beginning. He does not give a new creation, just a new beginning.
Genesis 11:1-11:32, the beginning of cultural differences and languages. It shows why languages are different.
Genesis 12:1-15:21, the beginning of God's people. These chapters describe why God chose the Hebrew race as His chosen people. It also shows the Promise of man's redemption.
Genesis 16:1-21:34, the beginning of the Covenant. Abraham is given a covenant to show the Promise will be fulfilled.
Genesis 22:1-25:18, the beginning of true faith. The story continues to show us what true faith is all about.
Genesis 25:19-39:23, the beginning of Israel. A novel about one man's struggles and how he overcomes his own insecurities to become the nation of Israel.
Genesis 40:1-45:28, the beginning of captivity. Israel will be a captive in Egypt. This outlines how they needed to have an Exodus and the break away from captivity.
Genesis 46:1-50:23, the end of the beginning. From here on out we will read what happened to the nation of Israel, it's struggles, it's triumphs, it's legacy, it's Son.

Don't get bogged down with the style more than what is being spoken to you. It is not written to confuse man. It is written from man's perspective so we can understand why we are the way we are. It should be taken as literal as possible except when the words "like" or "as" or any other words are used with the scripture.