Re: Scripture of the Day

**Admin** Mon Feb 01, 2021 5:04 pm

HI EVERYONE

THERE HAS BEEN A GLITCH AND THE SECOND PART WAS SENT OUT IN ERROR BEFORE THE FIRST PART YESTERDAY. SO HERE IS THE FIRST PART THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SENT FIRST.

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] ACTUAL DISCUSSION WITH A DELUDED TRINITARIAN, PART #1 [in two parts, 308-1/2B and 308b]

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [VOL. 308-1/2B]

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. Hebrews 3: 12, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Yes, we must stick with Almighty God (YHWH) and not depart from him as emphasized at Hebrews 3:13 - , [AV] “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

[2] ACTUAL DISCUSSION WITH A DELUDED TRINITARIAN #1

Actual Discussion With a Deluded Trinitarian #1:

FIRST, Your Comment.
<<<Paul clearly tells us that Jesus was equal with God, and "in very nature God". "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." (Philippians 2:5-7)>>>
This applies to him being a spirit being in heaven and not a human just as was the covering Cherub that rebelled and became what we now know as Satan the Devil.
Let's examine Philippians 2:6 and get a better understanding.
Philippians 2:6 who, although He existed in the from of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. (New American Standard Bible [Reference Edition by Moody Press, Chicago]; NASB-MP)

Philippians 2:6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, (New American Standard Bible [The Lockman Foundation, version]: NASB-TLF)

Philippians 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
(Authorized King James; AV)

Philippians 2:6 who, although he existed in God's form, gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God. (New World Translation; NWT)

Philippians 2:6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, (Revised Standard Version; RSV)

Philippians 2:6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. (The Holoman Christian Standard Bible)

Philippians 2:6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, (American Standard Bible; ASB)

Interesting scripture in that it is translated many ways, but to understand it, we need to look at it in context. Let's look at what follows in the Authorized King James Bible, Philippians 2:7-11, "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion F7 as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (AV). Here we see that he was an obedient Son to his Father (YHWH). He also, "and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death," and for being obedient, His Father (YHWH) has, "highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name." But the real key is "and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Clearly Philippians 2:11 shows that God (YHWH) was very proud of his Son, Jesus (Yeshua), and counted praise given to his Son, Jesus (Yeshua), as glory being given to him. Rightly so, since he, Jesus (Yeshua) was his only begotten, as shown at Colossians 1:15, "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;" He, God (YHWH) created him in his image in that he gave him some of his power and his attributes. This was also testified to at Revelations 3:14, "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;" which shows him as the first of God's (YHWH's) creation. In fact, when Jesus (Yeshua) was ascending to be with his Father in heaven, he prayed, as recorded in John 17:5, "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." (AV). Showing he was returning to where he had been before with his Father (YHWH), see John 6:62, "What then if you should behold the Son of Man ascending where He was before?" (NASB-MP). Once returned to heaven, God's (YHWH's) Son, Jesus (Yeshua) is, 1 Peter 3:22, "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him" (AV)..

As we note in this scripture, his Father (YHWH) has given him authority and power over everything including the angels; but, Colossians 1:16-19, "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;" (AV), and the Bible reaffirms the Father (YHWH) was pleased to let "in him should all fullness dwell." In 1 Corinthians 15:22-28, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." (AV), testifies that God (YHWH) had given his Son, Jesus (Yeshua) over all except himself when the scripture says "it is manifest that he is excepted." Thus these scriptures clearly show that Jesus (Yeshua) and his Father (YHWH) are two separate beings; one having always existed and having created the other as his only begotten Son.

Of this scripture, Philippians 2:6, "The Wycliffe Bible Commentary," says, 'Being in the form of God (AV). Better, through in his pre-incarnate state he possessed the essential qualities of God, he did not consider his status of divine equality a prize to be selfishly hoarded (taking harpagnos passively). 'Morphe', form, in verse 6 and 7 denotes a permanent expression of essential attributes; while 'schema', fashion, refers to outward appearance that is subject to change." ["The Wycliffe Bible Commentary," edited by Charles F. Pfeiffer (OT) and Everett F. Harrison (NT), published by Moody Press, a div. Of Moody Bible Institute of Chicago].

Thus we can see Jesus (Yeshua) was a separate individual from his Father (YHWH), but was completely loyal and obedient to him. He, Jesus (Yeshua) stated at John 14:28, "Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I." (AV); Clearly if Jesus (Yeshua) said " for my Father is greater than I" we should believe him. He further reaffirmed this at John 5:19, "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (AV). And the scripture continues on, John 5:20, "For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel." (AV), so much so as to show him, Jesus (Yeshua) greater works.

SECOND, Your Statement
<<<Jesus possessed the "fullness" of God, because He is God.

"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." (Colossians 1:19,20)>>>

Now let's look at it in context to see the error with regard your understanding, Colossians 1: , "giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; 16 for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. 19 For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." (Revised Standard Version; RSV). Just a quick look at verse 15 clearly shows that he is the first of creation; therefore, the only begotten or first born/created of all of creation. The Bible clearly shows that his Father, Almighty God (YHWH) has put him in charge of all except himself for a period at 1 Corinthians 15:27-28 once more showing his subjection to his Father (YHWH) and only having the authority given to him by his Father (YHWH), ""For God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "All things are put in subjection under him," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one." (RSV), with this distinction or hierarchy of authority clearly shown in verse 28.

<<<He also tell us "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority." (Colossians 2:9,10)>>>

Now, let's look at this in context, Colossians 2:4-12, "say this in order that no one may delude you with beguiling speech. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. 6 As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8 See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have come to fulness of life in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ; 12 and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead." (RSV), now verses 11 and 12 are the key to understanding here, since his Father (YHWH) is testified to having 'raised him from the dead.'

THIRD, Your comment,
<<<If Jesus is the head over "every power and authority", does that place Him over God? No, because He is God.>>>

Shows a great lack of understanding as just shown in SECOND above, plus forgetfulness that his Father (YHWH) is greater as clearly shown by God (YHWH) appointing his Son, Jesus (Yeshua) as the only mediator between God (YHWH) and man per 1 Timothy 2:5, "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," (RSV).

FOURTH, Your Comment,
<<<"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." (Colossians 1:15-17)

Jesus cannot be a created thing if He created ALL THINGS. He existed before all created things and created all created things.>>>

First, You appear to not to realize that God (YHWH) after creating him, used him, Jesus (Yeshua) as his master worker in the creation of all else. Let's look at the facts:

<<< Master workman in Keeping With Jewish Law of Agencies:

The Jewish Law of Agencies which is basically as follows, "Jesus (Yeshua) was God's (YHWH's) appointed agent in accordance with the 'Biblical law of agency' described as, "Scripture mentions something being done by Person A, whilst another mentions it being done by Person B. This is best understood when we grasp the Schaliach Principle, or the Jewish Law of Agency, which is expressed in the dictum, "A person's agent is regarded as the person himself." Therefore any act committed by a duly appointed agent is regarded as having been committed by the principle." (The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion, R.J.Z. Werblowski and Geoffrey Wigoder). Now that we know what the Jewish Law of Agencies is, let's see how it applies to Jesus (Yeshua).

First it is necessary to understand that Jesus (Yeshua) is often referred to as the 'Word' as shown at John 1:14, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth." (ASV); And at 1 John 1:1, "That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life " (ASV); And at Revelation 19:13, "And he [is] arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God." (ASV). That which is said about the Word in the New Testament fits remarkably the description of 'wisdom' in the Old Testament given at Proverbs 8:22-31, "Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, 28 When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, 29 When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth; 30 Then I was by him, [as] a master workman; And I was daily [his] delight, Rejoicing always before him, 31 Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men." (ASV). There wisdon is personified, and represented as able to speak and act per Proverbs 8:1, "Doth not wisdom cry, And understanding put forth her voice?" (ASV). In fact it was understood by many Christian writers of the early centuries of the C.E. that this section referred symbolically to God's (YHWH) Son, Jesus (Yeshua) in his pre-human state. Thus, in view of the scriptures already considered, there is no denying that the Son, Jesus (Yeshua) was 'produced' by God (YHWH) 'as the "beginning of his way, Before his works of old" or the earliest of his achievements very long ago and was beside God (YHWH) as his agent or master worker during the creation of the earth as described in Proverbs just quoted. Hebrew, like modern day Spanish, assigns gender to its nouns, and the word for 'wisdom' is always in the feminine gender. Thus, this would remain the case even when is personified and therefore would not rule out wisdom's being used in a figurative way to represent God's firstborn Son, Jesus (Yeshua). It is to be remembered that the title "gohe'leth"or "Kohelet" or congregator in English that Solomon applied to himself at Ecclesiastes 1:1, "The words of Kohelet, the son of David, king in Yerushalayim" (Hebrew Names Version of World English Bible ), and this word also is in the feminine gender.

God's (YHWH's) own wisdom was shown in creation at Proverbs 3:19-20, "Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding he established the heavens. 20 By his knowledge the depths were broken up, And the skies drop down the dew." (ASV), but only through his Son, Jesus (Yeshua); this is also shown at 1 Corinthians 8:6, "yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him." (ASV). Likewise God's (YHWH's) purpose toward mankind is made manifest through his Son; therefore the Apostle John could say that Jesus (Yeshua) represents per 1 Corinthians 1:24 & 30, "but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." (ASV); And at "30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:" (ASV); And at 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, "but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, [even] the [wisdom] that hath been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory: 8 which none of the rulers of this world hath known: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory:" (ASV); And at Proverbs 18-21, "Riches and honor are with me; [Yea], durable wealth and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; And my revenue than choice silver. 20 I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice; 21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance, And that I may fill their treasuries. " (ASV). Thus as we can see that Jesus (Yeshua) Christ has become to us wisdom from God, and also righteousness and sanctification and a release by ransom.

Not a Co-Creator:

Jesus (Yeshua) took part with respect the creative works, but this did NOT make him a co-Creator along with his Father (YHWH). Why not? Because all the power for creation came from God through his Holy Spirit, or active force as shown by Genesis 1:1-2, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (ASV); And at Psalms 33:6, "By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." (ASV). Of course some may object and have different views with regard to what the Holy Spirit is, but let's look at the facts. The "New American Bible Catholic Bible," says in a footnote regarding John 14:17: "The Greek word for 'Spirit' is neuter, and while we use personal pronouns in English ('he,' 'his,' 'him'), most Greek MSS [manuscripts] employ 'it.'" So when the Bible uses masculine personal pronouns in connection with pa•ra'kle•tos at John 16:7, 8, it is conforming to rules of grammar, not expressing a doctrine. And in Ancient Hebrew the word here rendered Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, or Spirit which is translated from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit." In Latin, it is spiritus, and in Sanskrit, 'prana' which means both "breath" and "spirit." Thus God (YHWH) is the source of all life, all animate creation, both visible and invisible, as shown at Psalms 36:9, "For with thee is the fountain of life: In thy light shall we see light." (ASV). Thus all of creation including his only begotten Son owes their lives to him. Thus, rather than being a co-Creator with his Father (YHWH), Jesus (Yeshua) was the agent or instrumentality through whom God (YHWH), the Creator, worked using him as his 'master worker.' Jesus (Yeshua) himself gave credit to his Father (YHWH) for all of creation, see Matthew 19:4-6, "And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made [them] from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh? 6 So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (ASV).[source - Documentary on Our Savior Jesus (Yeshua) by Iris the Preacher- 2003]>>>

FIFTH, Your comment,

<<<"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) >>>

It is quite obvious you do not recognize the defectiveness of these translational constructs, but I will first give you the simple demonstration of this and then the technical one.

First, it is impossible for someone, either human or spirit in nature, to be WITH someone and also BE that someone. You should already know this.

Second, the technical explanation in brief:
Constructs of John 1:1, Read and Learn:

Let's look at the 10 possible constructs of John 1:1 that do NOT violate any rule of Koine Greek grammar with the exception of the fact is that THEOS (=God) is a count noun, not a mass noun or an adjective. As a count noun it MUST BE countable, i.e. either definite or indefinite (i.e. either "a god" or "the God") for two of the constructs:

<1> "and a god was the Logos." [example of Bible using, Das Evangelium nach Johannes, by Jurgen Becker Harwood, 1979]

<2> "the nature of the Word was the same as the nature of God" [example of Bible using, Schonfield, 1976]

<3> "The Word dwelt with God, and what God was, the word was." [example of Bible using, The New English Bible, NEB, 1961-present standard Bible agreed to by most denominations in the United Kingdom]

<4> "And the word was a god" [example of Bible using, The New Testament in An Improved Version, Upon the Basis of Achbishop Newcome's New Translation: With a Corrected Text.]

<5> "and the Word was divine" [example of Bible using, The Bible: An American Translation, by J.M.P. Smith and E.J. Goodspeed. }

<6> "and the Word was God" [example of Bible using, American Standard Version, ASV] [note, this construct violates the count noun rule of Koine Greek]

<7> "He was the same as God" example of Bible using, Today's English Version.]

<8> "the Logos was divine" [example of Bible using, The New Testament: A New Translation, by James Moffat]

<9> "r war bei Gott und in allem Gott gleich"[He was with God and in all like God] [example of Bible using, Haenchen (tr. By R. Funk), 1982]

<10> "Gott (von Art) war der Logos" [God (of Kind/kind) was the Logos/logos] [example of Bible using, Die Bibel in heutigem Deutsch, 198

As we can see, here are ten different constructs possible without violating any rule of Koine Greek grammar except the count Noun rule. So, now, let's look at what follows in context in general format at John 1:2:

"The Word, then, was with God at the beginning," (The New English Bible, NEB)

"The same was in the beginning with God." (American Standard Version, ASB)

"The same was in the beginning with God." (Authorized King James Bible; AV)

"He was in the beginning with God." (Revised Standard Version; RSV)

"He was in the beginning with God." (The Confraternity Edition of the New Testament - Catholic)

As is easily seen, John 1:2 is substantially the same in all translations. However, in context it does not harmonize with some of the constructs used which do not violate any rule of Koine Greek grammar with the exception of the count Noun rule to be explained later.

However clearly some of the ten (10) or more basic constructs agree in context with John 1:2 and some do NOT. Let's look at the point where some do not agree or harmonize with the context of John 1:2:

John 1:2 plainly says that the Word, or Logos, who is Jesus (Yeshua) was with God in the beginning which would be impossible if Jesus (Yeshua) was Almighty God (YHWH) himself. This rules out constructs 6, 7, and 10, represented below, as impossible as they do NOT harmonize with context.

<6> "and the Word was God" [example of Bible using, American Standard Version, ASV] [note, this construct violates the count noun rule of Koine Greek]

<7> "He was the same as God" example of Bible using, Today's English Version.]

<10> "Gott (von Art) war der Logos" [God (of Kind/kind) was the Logos/logos] [example of Bible using, Die Bibel in heutigem Deutsch, 198

And two of these constructs do violate the count Noun rule of Koine Greek; to wit, constructs 6 and 7.

Now exactly what is the count Noun rule of Koine Greek? It is as follows:

The fact is that THEOS (=God) is a count noun, not a mass noun or an adjective. As a count noun it MUST BE countable, i.e. either definite or indefinite (i.e. either "a god" or "the God"). The trinitarian argument hinges on stripping THEOS of its count-ability, so that it is purely qualitative. However, if a noun is PURELY qualitative, it is not a count noun. An adjective or a mass noun may fit their requirement for emphasizing qualitativness only, but a count noun MUST BE countable, for that is what count means when describing a count noun. If he accepts this rather elementary rule of English grammar, you can demonstrate that, as a count noun, THEOS may be translated either "the Word was God" (="the Word was The God", which is Sabellianism), or "the Word was a god". Since orthodox trinitarians reject "the Word was The God" (=Sabellianism), they are left with "the Word was a god" -- that is, if they remain true to English syntax (and English syntax is what ENGLISH translations are supposed to follow!). If one argues the point, let them provide an example of a non-countable count noun that is not used in a contrary-to-fact situation, such as a metaphor. I have yet to find anyone, trinitarian or otherwise, who is able to meet this challenge. Rolf Furuli, one of the two best living Koine Greek scholars, discusses this in his book, THE ROLE OF THEOLOGY AND BIAS IN BIBLE TRANSLATION, as does Greg Stafford, in his, JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES DEFENDED: AN ANSWER TO SCHOLARS AND CRITICS. There are also some very good posts by Wes Williams on greektheology that discuss this issue. I suppose if you search the greektheology archives using the word "count" or the name "Wes" you will find much helpful information. [source Kats]

"To preserve in English the different nuance of theos [god] with and without the article, some (Moffat) would translate 'The Word was divine.'"

Notice a literal translation of John 1:1,2:

"In the beginning was the world and the word was toward the god and god was the word. This (one) was in beginning toward the god."

In these two verses we see six nouns, three referring to the Greek word logos (word, which most recognize to be Jesus) and three referring to the Greek word theos (god). We notic each reference to logos (word) is preceded by the definite article "the", while two of the three times the word theos (god) occurs, it too is preceded by the definite article "the". For some reason, John does not provide the definite article with theos when it is associated with "The Word". We thus see two definite individuals mentioned in this verse. "The Word", Jesus Christ, and "The God", who is Almighty God Jehovah. John does not say "The Word" is "The God". (In fact, most Trinitarian scholars would argue that if John had said the word was "ho theos" (The God), it would amount to sabellianism (the belief that Jesus is both the Father and the Son). As such, it is commonly agreed upon that John was not identifying Jesus as God but rather, was describing him as deity.) But if John did not say "The Word" is "The God", then what did he mean by saying, "the word was god"?

In Greek, it is possible for a noun to act as an adjective when it is not accompanied by the definite article. Consider a Biblical example of this in John 6:70. "Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!" (NIV)

Here the noun (devil) is not proceeded by the efinite article (the). To reflect this most Bibles place the indefinite article (a) in front of it. Thus, Jesus was not identifying Judas as "THE Devil", he was saying Judas had the qualities of the devil. He was acting like the devil so he was A devil though not THE devil. This example helps us to see how the lack of the definite article can cause a noun to act as a predication rather than an identification.

Regarding this point, noted Bible scholar William Barclay writes:

"When in Greek two nouns are joined by the verb to be and when both have the definite article, then the one is fully identified with the other; but when one of them is without the article, it become more an adjective than a noun, and describes rather the class of the sphere to which the other belongs...

"John has no definte article before theos, God. The Logos, therefore, is not identified as God or with God; the word theos has become adjectival and describes the sphere to which the logos belongs...

"This passage then [John 1:1] does not identify the Logos and God; it does not say that Jesus was God, nor doesit call him God; but it does say that in his nature and being he belongs to the same class as God."

Mr. Barclay's observations are duly noted in the example we considered with Judas Iscariot being "a devil".

Now let's consider what the Greek Scholar Jason BeDuhn from the Northern Arizona University has to say: "The Greek phrase is theos en ho logos, which translated word for word is "a god was the word." Greek has only a definite article, like our the, it does not have an indefeinite article, like our a or an. If a noun is definite, it has the definite article ho. If a noun is indefinite, no article is used. In the phrase from John 1:1, ho logos is "the word." If it was written simply logos, without the definite article ho, we would have to translate it as "a word". So we are not really "inserting" an indefinite article when we translate Greek nouns without the definite article into English, we are simply obeying rules of English grammar that tell us that we cannot say "Snoopy is dog," but must say "Snoopy is a dog."

Now in English we simply say "God"; we do not say "The God." But in Greek, when you mean to refer to the one supreme God, instead of one of the many other beings that were called "gods," you would have to say "The God": ho theos. Even a monotheistic Christian, who beleives there is only one God and no others, would be forced to say in Greek "The God," as John and Paul and the other writers of the New Testament normally do. If you leave off the article in a phrase like John 1:1, then you are saying "a god." (There are some exceptions to this rule: Greek has what are called noun cases, which means the nouns change form depending on how they are used in a sentence. So, if you want to say "of God," which is theou, you don't need the article. But in the nominative case, which is the one in John 1:1, you have to have the article.) So what does John mean by saying "the word was a god"? He is classifying Jesus in a specific category of beings. There are plants and animals and humans and gods, and so on. By calling the Word "a god," John wants to tell his readers that the Word(which becomes Jesus when it takes flesh) belongs to the divine class of things. Notice the word order: "a god was the word." We can't say it like this in English, but you can in Greek. The subject can be after the verb and the object before the verb, the opposite of how we do it in English (subject-verb-object). Research has shown that when ancient Greek writers put a object-noun first in a sentence like John 1:1 (a be-verb sentence: x is y), without the definite article, they are telling us that the subject belongs to the class represented by the object-noun: :"The car is a Volkswagen." In English we would accomplish the same thing by using what we call predicate adjectives. "John is a smart person" = "John is smart." So we would tend to say "The word was divine," rather than "The word was a god." That is how I would translate this phrase. "The word was a god" is more literal, and an improvement over "The word was God," but it raises more problems, since to a modern reader it implies polytheism. No one in John's day would have understood the phrase to mean "The word was God" - the language does not convey that sense, and conceptually it is difficult to grasp such an idea, especially since that author has just said that the word was with God. Someone is not with himself, he is with some other. John clearly differentiates between God from the Word. The latter becomes flesh and is seen; the former cannot be seen. What is the Word? John says it was the agent through whom God made the world. He starts his gospel "In the beginning..." to remind us of Genesis 1. How does God create in Genesis? He speaks words that make things come into existence. So the Word is God's creative power and plan and activity. It is not God himself, but it is not really totally separate from God either. It occupies a kind of ambiguous status. That is why a monotheist like John can get away with calling it "a god" or "divine" without becoming a polytheist. This divine thing does not act on its own, however, does take on a kind of distinct identity, and in becoming flesh brings God's will and plan right down face to face with humans.

APPENDIX:

(1) How some Bible translators who did not have bias translated, i.e., were striving for translation fidelity and NOT to support this or that perception:

1928: "and the Word was a divine being." La Bible du Centenaire, L'Evangile selon Jean, by Maurice Goguel.
1935: "and the Word was divine." The Bible-An American Translation, by J. M. P. Smith and E. J. Goodspeed.
1946: "and of a divine kind was the Word." Das Neue Testament, by Ludwig Thimme. 1958: "and the Word was a God." The New Testament, by James L. Tomanek.
1975: "and a god (or, of a divine kind) was the Word." Das Evangelium nach Johannes, by Siegfried Schulz.
1978: "and godlike kind was the Logos." Das Evangelium nach Johannes, by Johannes Schneider.
1979: "and a god was the Logos." Das Evangelium nach Johannes, by Jurgen Becker Harwood,
1768, "and was himself a divine person" Thompson,
1829, "the Logos was a god Torrey,
1961, "what God was,the Word was" Moffatt,
1972, "the Logos was divine Translator's NT,
1973, "The Word was with God and shared his nature Barclay,
1976, "the nature of the Word was the same as the nature of God" Schonfield,
1985, "the Word was divine Revised English,
1989, "what God was, the Word was Scholar's Version,
1993, "The Divine word and wisdom was there with God, and it was what God was" Madsen,
1994, "the Word was <EM>a divine Being" Becker,
1979, "ein Gott war das Logos" [a God/god was the Logos/logos] Stage,
1907, "Das Wort war selbst gttlichen Wesens" [The Word/word was itself a divine Being/being]. Bhmer,
1910, "Es war fest mit Gott verbunden, ja selbst gttlichen Wesens" [It was strongly linked to God, yes itself divine Being/being] Thimme,
1919, "Gott von Art war das Wort" [God of Kind/kind was the Word/word] Baumgarten et al,
1920, "Gott (von Art) war der Logos" [God (of Kind/kind) was the Logos/logos] Holzmann,
1926, "ein Gott war der Gedanke" [a God/god was the Thought/thought] Rittenlmeyer, 1938, "selbst ein Gott war das Wort" [itself a God/god was the Word/word] Lyder Brun (Norw. professor of NT theology),
1945, "Ordet var av guddomsart" [the Word was of divine kind] Pffflin,
1949, "war von gttlicher Wucht [was of divine Kind/kind] Albrecht,
1957, "gttlichen Wesen hatte das Wort" [godlike Being/being had the Word/word] Smit, 1960, "verdensordet var et guddommelig vesen" [the word of the world was a divine being] Menge,
1961, "Gott (= gttlichen Wesens) war das Wort"[God(=godlike Being/being) was the Word/word) Haenchen,
1980, "Gott (von Art) war der Logos" [God (of Kind/kind) was the Logos/logos] Die Bibel in heutigem Deutsch,
1982, "r war bei Gott und in allem Gott gleich"[He was with God and in all like God] Haenchen (tr. By R. Funk),
1984, "divine (of the category divinity)was the Logos" Schultz,
1987, "ein Gott (oder: Gott von Art) war das Wort" [a God/god (or: God/god of Kind/kind) was the Word/word]

(2) Amplification on How Some Bible Translators Translated John 1:1 And Why:

"And the word was a god" - The New Testament in An Improved Version, Upon the Basis of Achbishop Newcome's New Translation: With a Corrected Text.

"and a god was the Word" - The Emphatic Diaglott, by Benjamin Wilson.

"and the Word was divine" - The Bible: An American Translation, by J.M.P. Smith and E.J. Goodspeed.

"the Logos was divine" - The New Testament: A New Translation, by James Moffat.

"what God was, the Word was" - The New English Bible.

"He was the same as God" - Today's English Version.

"And the Word was a god" - New World Translation

Please, please look at context before asking questions as most of your questions will then self answer.

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**Admin** Wed Feb 03, 2021 2:46 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] DISCOURSE ON ISAIAH 54:5

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [VOL. 309B]

But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Ephesians 4:20 -24, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Yes, we must put on the new personality as it will act for us a protection against attacks by Satan the Devil and his evil angels as fortold at Ephesians 6:10 - 17, [AV] “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

[2] DISCOURSE ON ISAIAH 54:5

INTRODUCTION:

Some get confused with this scripture with respect who the Lord of hosts is.

First, Why? Because many Bibles substitute a pronoun for the proper name of who is being spoken about due to a Jewish superstition and/or misunderstanding of . The Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia says this about it under the heading of the Tetragrammaton:
The Tetragrammaton (Greek: tet?a???µµat?? word with four letters) is the usual reference to the Hebrew name for God, which is spelled (in the Hebrew alphabet): ? (yod) ? (heh) ? (vav) ? (heh) or ???? (YHWH); it is the distinctive personal name of the God of Israel.

Of all the names of God, the one which occurs most frequently is the Tetragrammaton, appearing 6,823 times, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia. The Biblia Hebraica and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia texts of the Hebrew Scriptures each contain the Tetragrammaton 6,828 times.

In Judaism, the Tetragrammaton is the ineffable name of God, and is therefore not to be read aloud. In the reading aloud of the scripture or in prayer, it is replaced with Adonai (Lord). Other written forms such as ? (yod) ? (vav) (yw or Yaw); or ? (yod) ? (heh) (yh or Yah) are read in the same way.

Outside of direct prayer, the word "Adonai" is not spoken by some Jews since to do so is considered a violation of the commandment not to use the Lord's name in vain. Therefore, the word is often read as HaShem (literally, "The Name"), or in some cases Ado-Shem, a composite of Adonai and HaShem. A similar rule applies to the word Elohim ("God"), which some Jews intentionally mispronounced as Elokim for the same reason.

One theory regarding the disuse of the Tetragrammaton is that the Jewish taboo on its pronunciation was so strong that the original pronunciation may have been lost somewhere in the first millennium. Since then, many scholars (particularly Christians) have sought to reconstruct its original pronunciation. For example, around 1518 Christian theologians1 introduced the pronunciation Yehovah, which is generally held to be implausible, based on the written form ??????? (read normally, "Yehovah") that was used to indicate to the reader of the Bible in Hebrew to pronounce it "Adonai" (???????). (Note that due to a rule of Hebrew grammar, the beginning E of the first transliteration is analogous to the beginning A of the second, although they are pronounced differently.)
This theory regarding the disuse of the Tetragrammaton is the result of an interpretation of the Third of the Ten Commandments. The Jewish people stopped saying the Name by the 3rd century out of fear of violating the commandment "You shall not take the name of YHWH your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7).[source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

Second, because many who believe in false creedal creeds wish to misapply who the Lord of host is so as to support their false creedal myths. But they forget, that at the time Isaiah was written Jesus (Yeshua) the Son of Jehovah (Yahweh) had NOT let walked on the earth and only future references to his coming as the promised messiah, the prince of peace were made in Isaiah; to wit, in the 9 th. Chapter. Of course being stuck in a creedal rut or with 'mental blinders' can cause individuals to see things in a wrong way. But all should remember at the time Isaiah 54:5 was written the pronouns that were substituted were all for the Tetragrammaton which applied to the Father, Almighty God (YHWH) alone. This shall be made readily apparent when we look at various Bible renderings in Bible translations that unlike the Authorized King James Bible (AV) that reads, "For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called." DID NOT substitute the pronoun for the proper name of God (YHWH).

ISAIAH 54:5 IN CONTEXT FOR ALL TO SEE THE TRUTH:

First, we will consider the American Standard Version (ASV) that retained the proper name in the form of one of the recognized transliterations for the Tetragrammaton (YHWH):

Isaiah 54:1-5, "Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith Jehovah.
2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.
3 For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth; and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more.
5 For thy Maker is thy husband; Jehovah of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer [NOTE, who is the Lord of host]; the God of the whole earth shall he be called." (American Standard Version; ASV).

Second, we will now consider the Spanish Bible, 1989 Reina-Valera Actualizada (RVA89) that retained the proper name in the form of one of the recognized transliterations for the Tetragrammaton (YHWH):

Isaiah 54:1-5, "¡Alégrate, oh estéril que nunca has dado a luz! Prorrumpe en cánticos y grita de júbilo, tú que nunca tuviste dolores de parto. Porque más son los hijos de la desolada que los de la desposada," ha dicho Jehovah.
2 "Ensancha el sitio de tu tienda, y sean extendidos los tapices de tus moradas. No te limites; alarga tus cuerdas y afirma tus estacas.
3 Porque vas a extenderte a la derecha y a la izquierda; tus descendientes herederán naciones y habitarán las ciudades desoladas.
4 "No temas, porque no serás avergonzada; no seas confundida, porque no serás afrentada. Pues te olvidarás de la vergüenza de tu juventud, y de la afrenta de tu viudez no tendrás más memoria.
5 Porque tu marido es tu Hacedor; Jehovah de los Ejércitos es su nombre. [NOTE, who is the Lord of host] Tu Redentor, el Santo de Israel, será llamado Dios de toda la tierra." (1989 Reina-Valera Actualizada; RVA89)

Third, we will now consider the Young's Literal Translation (YLT) that retained the proper name in the form of one of the recognized transliterations for the Tetragrammaton (YHWH):

Isaiah 54:1-5, " Sing, O barren, she hath not borne! Break forth with singing, and cry aloud, She hath not brought forth! For more are the sons of the desolate, Than the sons of the married one, said Jehovah.
2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, And the curtains of thy tabernacles they stretch out, Restrain not-lengthen thy cords, And thy pins make strong.
3 For right and left thou breakest forth, And thy seed doth nations possess,
4 And desolate cities they cause to be inhabited. Fear not, for thou art not ashamed, Nor blush, for thou art not confounded, For the shame of thy youth thou forgettest, And the reproach of thy widowhood Thou dost not remember any more.
5 For thy Maker is thy husband, Jehovah of Hosts is His name [NOTE, who is the Lord of host], And thy Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, 'God of all the earth,' He is called." (Young's Literal Translation; YLT)

Fourth, we will now consider the Darby Version (DB) that retained the proper name in the form of one of the recognized transliterations for the Tetragrammaton (YHWH):

Isaiah 54:1-5, " Exult, thou barren, that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and shout for joy, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith Jehovah.
2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.
3 For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess nations, and they shall make desolate cities to be inhabited.
4 Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
5 For thy Maker is thy husband: Jehovah of hosts is his name [NOTE, who is the Lord of host], and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: the God of the whole earth shall he be called." (Darby Version - 1884; DV)

Fifth, we will now consider the World English Bible (WEB) that retained the proper name in the form of one of the recognized transliterations for the Tetragrammaton (YHWH):

Isaiah 54:1-5, " Sing, barren, you who didn't bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who did not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, says Yahweh. 2 Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations; don't spare: lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. 3 For you shall spread aboard on the right hand and on the left; and your seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. 4 Don't be afraid; for you shall not be ashamed: neither be confounded; for you shall not be put to shame: for you shall forget the shame of your youth; and the reproach of your widowhood shall you remember no more. 5 For your Maker is your husband; Yahweh of Hosts is his name [NOTE, who is the Lord of host]: and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called." (World English Bible; WEB).

Sixth, we will now consider the The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) that retained the proper name in the form of one of the recognized transliterations for the Tetragrammaton (YHWH):

Isaiah 54:1-5, " 1 "Rejoice, barren one, who did not give birth; burst into song and shout, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the forsaken one will be more than the children of the married woman," says the Lord.
2 "Enlarge the site of your tent, and let your tent curtains be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your ropes,
and drive your pegs deep.
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left, and your descendants will dispossess nations and inhabit the desolate cities.
4 "Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; don't be humiliated, for you will not be disgraced. For you will forget the shame of your youth, and you will no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood.
5 For your husband is your Maker - His name is Yahweh of Hosts- [NOTE, who is the Lord of host]: and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth. " (The Holman Christian Standard Bible; HCSB).

Seventh, we will now consider the German Elber Bible that retained the proper name in the form of one of the recognized transliterations for the Tetragrammaton (YHWH):

Isaiah 54:1-5, "Juble, du Unfruchtbare, die nicht geboren, brich in Jubel aus und jauchze, die keine Wehen gehabt hat! Denn der Kinder der Vereinsamten sind mehr als der Kinder der Vermählten, spricht Jahwe.
2 Mache weit den Raum deines Zeltes, und man spanne aus die Behänge deiner Wohnstätte; wehre nicht! Mache deine Seile lang, und deine Pflöcke stecke fest!
3 Denn du wirst dich ausbreiten zur Rechten und zur Linken; und dein Same wird die Nationen in Besitz nehmen, und wird die verödeten Städte bevölkern.
4 Fürchte dich nicht, denn du wirst nicht beschämt werden, und schäme dich nicht, denn du wirst nicht zu Schanden werden; sondern du wirst der Schmach deiner Jugend vergessen und der Schande deiner Witwenschaft nicht mehr gedenken.
5 Denn der dich gemacht hat, ist dein Mann-Jahwe der Heerscharen ist sein Name [NOTE, who is the Lord of host - Jahwe in German is equivalent of Jehovah in English]-und der Heilige Israels ist dein Erlöser: Er wird der Gott der ganzen Erde genannt werden. " (German Elber Bible).

Now we have seen that all Bibles that use proper names instead of pronouns clearly identify who the Lord of host is, and this in many languages.

ZECHARIAH 8:14 CLEARLY IDENTIFIES WHO THE LORD OF HOST IN BIBLES THAT USE PROPER NAMES:

Let's look at some Bibles which use proper names instead of pronoun at Zechariah 8:14 for the Lord of host:

Zechariah 8:14, "For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: As I thought to do evil unto you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I repented not;" (American Standard Version; ASV)

And,

Zechariah 8:14, "Entonces vino a mí la palabra de Jehovah de los Ejércitos, diciendo:" (1989 Reina-Valera Actualizada; RVA89)

And,

Zechariah 8:14, "And there is a word of Jehovah of Hosts unto me, saying:" (Young's Literal Translation; YLT)

And,

Zechariah 8:14, "And the word of Jehovah of hosts came unto me, saying," (Darby Version - 1884; DV)

And,

Zechariah 8:14, "For thus says Yahweh of hosts: "As I thought to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath," says Yahweh of Hosts, "and I didn't repent;" (World English Bible; WEB).
So Zechariah 8:14 clearly shows that Yahweh or Jehovah is the Lord of host. In fact, as the American Standard Version (ASV) in Zechariah 8:1-14 makes this even clearer, "And the word of Jehovah of hosts came to me, saying,
2 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.
3 Thus saith Jehovah: I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called The city of truth; and the mountain of Jehovah of hosts, The holy mountain.
4 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
6 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith Jehovah of hosts.
7 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;
8 and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.
9 ¶ Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets that were in the day that the foundation of the house of Jehovah of hosts was laid, even the temple, that it might be built.
10 For before those days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in, because of the adversary: for I set all men every one against his neighbor.
11 But now I will not be unto the remnant of this people as in the former days, saith Jehovah of hosts.
12 For there shall be the seed of peace; the vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.
13 And it shall come to pass that, as ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.
14 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: As I thought to do evil unto you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I repented not;" (American Standard Version; ASV).

NOTES BY TWO RENOWN BIBLE SCHOLARS ON ISAIAH 54:5:

Renown Bible scholar A.R. Fausset, said:
Isaiah 54:5. (Isaiah 62:5, Jeremiah 3:14). That God was Israel's "Maker," both as individuals and as the theocratic kingdom, is the pledge of assurance that He will be her Redeemer (Isaiah 43:1-3). Hebrew, "makers . . . husbands"; plural for singular, to denote excellency.
of Israel . . . whole earth--Not until He manifests Himself as God of Israel shall He appear as God of the whole earth (Psalms 102:13,15,16, Zechariah 14:5,9).[source - Fausset, A. R., A.M. "Commentary on Isaiah 54". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible". 1871]

And,

Renown Bible scholar, John Wesley, said:
54:5 Thy maker - Will own thee for his spouse. The Lord - Who hath the sovereign command of all men and creatures, and therefore can subdue the Gentiles to thee, and can make thee to increase and multiply in so prodigious a measure, even in thine old age, notwithstanding thy barrenness in the days of thy youth, of which he speaks in the foregoing verse. The God - The God and father of all nations, whereas formerly he was called only the God of Israel. [source - Wesley, John. "Commentary on Isaiah 54". "John Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible". 1754].

CONCLUSION:

As can readily be seen, the Bible clearly has identified who the Lord of the host is in all translations that use proper names instead of pronouns so there is no excuse for individuals to twist Isaiah 54:5 to support their pet myths - false creedal creeds that in reality dishonor our Creator, God (YHWH).

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**Admin** Fri Feb 05, 2021 6:34 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] DISCOURSE ON WHO IS GOD'S MASTER WORKER,

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [VOL. 310B]

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Yes, faith is all important as clearly shown by Hebrews 11:6, [AV] “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” The Apostle Paul emphasized what is needed of us to show true faith at Romans 12:1 - 2, [AV] “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” And Psalms 27:11 – 14, [AV] “Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. 12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. 13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” And lastly we should, Psalms 97:10, [AV] “Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.”

[2] DISCOURSE ON WHO IS GOD'S MASTER WORKER:

INTRODUCTION:

It is important for all to realize that Jesus (Yeshua), God's (YHWH's) only begotten son is his master worker. He acts only as his Father's (YHWH's) agent so just like a construction worker who helps build is not considered the builder, Jesus (Yeshua) is not the Creator of all there is, but his Father, Almighty God (YHWH) is. This will be clearly shown in this article.

SOME LACK BASIC KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ALMIGHTY GOD (YHWH):

Some individuals do not seem to realize who Jesus" (Yeshua's) Father (YHWH) is as shown by what one of these individuals said,

"YHWH has always had hands, even when He appeared to Ezekiel. Remember that the LORD God is YHWH, the Son of the unknown invisble Almighty God Father."

But this is a statement based on NOTHING as we have no idea what God (YHWH) looks like. The encyclopedia says,

"The Tetragrammaton (Greek: tet?a???µµat?? word with four letters) is the usual reference to the Hebrew name for God, which is spelled (in the Hebrew alphabet): ? (yod) ? (heh) ? (vav) ? (heh) or ???? (YHWH); it is the distinctive personal name of the God of Israel.

Of all the names of God, the one which occurs most frequently is the Tetragrammaton, appearing 6,823 times, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia. The Biblia Hebraica and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia texts of the Hebrew Scriptures each contain the Tetragrammaton 6,828 times.

In Judaism, the Tetragrammaton is the ineffable name of God, and is therefore not to be read aloud. In the reading aloud of the scripture or in prayer, it is replaced with Adonai (Lord). Other written forms such as ? (yod) ? (vav) (yw or Yaw); or ? (yod) ? (heh) (yh or Yah) are read in the same way.

Outside of direct prayer, the word "Adonai" is not spoken by some Jews since to do so is considered a violation of the commandment not to use the Lord's name in vain. Therefore, the word is often read as HaShem (literally, "The Name"), or in some cases Ado-Shem, a composite of Adonai and HaShem. A similar rule applies to the word Elohim ("God"), which some Jews intentionally mispronounced as Elokim for the same reason.

One theory regarding the disuse of the Tetragrammaton is that the Jewish taboo on its pronunciation was so strong that the original pronunciation may have been lost somewhere in the first millennium. Since then, many scholars (particularly Christians) have sought to reconstruct its original pronunciation. For example, around 1518 Christian theologians1 introduced the pronunciation Yehovah, which is generally held to be implausible, based on the written form ??????? (read normally, "Yehovah") that was used to indicate to the reader of the Bible in Hebrew to pronounce it "Adonai" (???????). (Note that due to a rule of Hebrew grammar, the beginning E of the first transliteration is analogous to the beginning A of the second, although they are pronounced differently.)

This theory regarding the disuse of the Tetragrammaton is the result of an interpretation of the Third of the Ten Commandments. The Jewish people stopped saying the Name by the 3rd century out of fear of violating the commandment "You shall not take the name of YHWH your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7)."[source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

And the Bible says, at Exodus 33:20, " And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live." (Authorized King James Bible; AV), and we all know dead men tell nothing; And John 1:18 says, " No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." (AV); And 1 Timothy 1:17, " Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen." (AV).

GOD'S (YHWH's) MASTER WORKER, JESUS (YESHUA):

In fact, God (YHWH) used his Son, Jesus (Yeshua) as his master worker in the creation of all else as shown at Proverbs 8:22-31, " Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old.[these being the creation of all else; to wit, the universe with the earth and mankind, etc.]
23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was.[before the creation of all else]
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water.[before the earth was]
25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; .[before the earth was]
26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. .[before the earth was]
27 When he established the heavens, I was there: [clearly showing that Jesus (Yeshua) was there when the earth was created, and thus Jesus (Yeshua) could say at John 8:58, "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am." (AV)] When he set a circle upon the face of the deep,
28 When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong,
29 When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth;
30 Then I was by him, as a master workman[clearly showing Jesus (Yeshua) to be his Father's (YHWH's) master worker]; And I was daily his delight, Rejoicing always before him,[showing God (YHWH) took delight in his only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua)]
31 Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men." (American Standard Version; ASV)

One Bible dictionary said the following:
" What is recorded concerning the Word in the Scriptures fits remarkably the description given at Proverbs 8:22-31. There wisdom is personified, represented as though able to speak and act. (Pr 8:1) Many professed Christian writers of the early centuries of the Common Era understood this section to refer symbolically to God's Son in his prehuman state. In view of the texts already considered, there can be no denying that that Son was "produced" by Jehovah "as the beginning of his way, the earliest of his achievements of long ago," nor that the Son was "beside [Jehovah] as a master worker" during earth's creation, as described in these verses of Proverbs. It is true that in Hebrew, which assigns gender to its nouns (as do many other languages), the word for "wisdom" is always in the feminine gender. This would continue to be the case even though wisdom is personified and so would not rule out wisdom's being used figuratively to represent God's firstborn Son. The Greek word for "love" in the expression "God is love" (1Jo 4:8) is also in the feminine gender but that does not make God feminine. Solomon, the principal writer of Proverbs (Pr 1:1), applied the title qo·he'leth (congregator) to himself (Ec 1:1) and this word is also in the feminine gender"[source - Insight on the Bible, Volume2]

BIBLICAL LAW OF AGENCIES AND CONCLUSION:

Although Jesus (Yeshua) acted as his Father's (YHWH's) master worker, his Father (YHWH) was the creator in keeping with the Biblical Law of Agencies. Let's briefly look at this law or principle:

"The law or custom commonly known as the Jewish Law of Agencies as follows, "Jesus (Yeshua) was God's (YHWH's) appointed agent in accordance with the 'Biblical law of agency' described as, "Scripture mentions something being done by Person A, whilst another mentions it being done by Person B. This is best understood when we grasp the Schaliach Principle, or the Jewish Law of Agency, which is expressed in the dictum, 'A person's agent is regarded as the person himself." Therefore any act committed by a duly appointed agent is regarded as having been committed by the principle.'" [source - The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion, R.J.Z. Werblowski and Geoffrey Wigoder].

It is important to understand this law of agencies since this will enhance our understanding of many key texts, such as why the Judges and angels were called "God" (Ex. 21:6; 22:8; Ps. 8:5; 82:1). Many more instances could be provided, but brevity is in order here. John 8:54 drives this law of agency home, "Jesus answered, 'If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God." (Confraternity Edition of The New Testament; CETNT) showing that Jesus (Yeshua) was his Father's (YHWH's) agent, and he sought not his own glory, but glory from his Father (YHWH). Therefore, Jesus (Yeshua) could say as he did at John 11:40, "Jesus said to her, 'Have I not told thee that if thou believe thou shalt behold the glory of God?'" (CETNT). Even Satan the Devil recognized this, Jesus (Yeshua), as God's (YHWH's) agent, 2 Corinthians 4:4, "In their case, the god of this world has blinded their unbelieving minds, that they should not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible).

Thus, Satan the Devil is trying to blind the minds of the unbelieving to prevent them from recognizing this truth. thus he is trying to blind the minds of the unbelieving to prevent them from recognizing this truth. We must be constantly on guard against the imaginations of Satan the Devil and his attempts to get all men to believe God (YHWH) dishonoring doctrines of men such as the Duality and the Trinity and be noble like the Beroeans, Acts 17:11, " These were more noble than those in Thesalonica in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (AV). Remember, popularity does not make a doctrine sound, and in fact usually ensures it is NOT from God (YHWH) otherwise it would NOT be popular in a world controlled by Satan the Devil.

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**Admin** Sun Feb 07, 2021 6:48 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] MUSLIMS DON'T COMPREHEND DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPECULATION VS. FACT"

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [VOL. 311B]

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 1 Peter 1:22, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Yes, it is important that all genuine followers of the Prince of Peace, Jesus (Yeshua) have love for one another and there be no strife per 1 Timothy 1:5, [AV] “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:”

[2] MUSLIMS DON'T COMPREHEND DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPECULATION VS. FACT"

Some Muslim individuals use off beat encyclopedias to try and prove their derogatory myths, it matters not that even these sources identify the information as speculative. In fact the authors/editors of this encyclopedia, LoveToKnow, clearly show they do NOT HAVE much faith in their work with the statement, " Since this information is from 1911 it is outdated and contains many OCR errors (typos). It is for research purposes only. The information is "AS IS", "WITH ALL FAULTS". User assumes all risk of use, damage, or injury. You agree that we have no liability for any damages. We are not liable for any consequential, incidental, indirect, or special damages." So if they do not vouch for its reliability we must conclude it is unreliable and just hear say speculation; whereas, I use all kinds of encyclopedias, i.e., the renown well recognized ones, not ones like, ""JOSEPH (HUSBAND OF MARY)." LoveToKnow 1911 Online Encyclopedia. (c) 2003, 2004 LoveToKnow." However, even that encyclopoedia clearly says that little is known about Joseph and only his geneology is given in the Bible, it no where gives his age; whereas, PapaMo claimed previously it was 90 years, now see the facts of what I say for yourself,

"JOSEPH, in the New Testament, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. He is represented as a descendant of the house of David, and his genealogy appears in two divergent forms in Matt. i. 1-17 and Luke iii. 23-38. The latter is probably much more complete and accurate in details. The former, obviously artificial in structure (notice 3X14 generations), traces the Davidic descent through kings, and is governed by an apologetic purpose. Of Joseph's personal history practically nothing is recorded in the Bible. The facts concerning him common to the two birth-narratives (Matt, i.-ii.; Luke i.-ii.) are: (a) that he was a descendant of David, (b) that Mary was already betrothed to him when she was found with child of the Holy Ghost, and (c) that he lived at Nazareth after the birth of Christ; but these facts are handled differently in each case. It is noticeable that, in Matthew, Joseph is prominent (e.g. he receives an annunciation from an angel), while in Luke's narrative he is completely subordinated. Bp Gore (The Incarnation, Bampton lecture for 1891, p. 78) points out that Matthew narrates everything from Joseph's side, Luke from Mary's, and infers that the narrative of the former may ultimately be based on Joseph's account, that of the latter, on Mary's. The narratives seem to have been current (in a poetical form) among the early Jewish-Christian community of Palestine. At Nazareth Joseph followed the trade of a carpenter (Matt. xiii. 55). It is probable that he had died before the public ministry of Christ; for no mention is made of him in passages relating to this period where the mother and brethren of Jesus are introduced; and from John xix. 26 it is clear that he was not alive at the time of the Crucifixion.

Joseph was the father of several children (Matt. xiii. 55), but accolding to ecclesiastical tradition by a former marriage. The reading of Matt. ~. 16, in the Sinaitic Palimpsest (Joseph . . . begat Jesus, who is called the Christ) also makes him the natural father of Jesus, and this was the view of certain early heretical sects, but it seems never to have been held in orthodox Christian circles. According to various apocryphal gospels (conveniently collected in B. H. Cowpers The Apocryphal Gospels, 1881), when married to Mary he was a widower already 80 years of age, and the father of four sons and two daughters; his first wifes name was Salome and she was a connection of the family of John the Baptist.[source - LoveToKnow 1911 Online Encyclopedia. (c) 2003, 2004 LoveToKnow
]
However, the Bible the ultimate standard does NOT say anything about a former marriage so anything said on that is pure speculation. Let's look at what the ultimate standard, the Bible says:

Matthew 1:16, " and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." (American Standard Version; ASV), NOTICE no note of Joseph having been a widow.

Matthew 1:18, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit." (ASV).
Matthew 1:20, "But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." (ASV).
Mark 6:3, "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended in him." (ASV), NOTICE , it says his brothers and sisters, NOT, half-brothers and sisters.
Luke 1:27 , "to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary." (ASV).
This same individual said,
- Aisha was engaged to another man before Muhammad (PPBUH) , that gives us an idea about her readiness for marriage as well as to traditions of a different era ...
Now is he trying to say that Muhammed stole her from another man? In those days, individuals did NOT just brake engagements on a lark as some do today. They were considered once engaged, actually betrothed, as belonging to the other family in those days, and even today to a degree in my own culture, so let's get real.

Now this same individual quoted the following in a futile attempt to justify Muhammad taking 9 year old Aisha as his wife,
Pedophilia TODAY is defined as sexual interest toward children, either prepubescent or at the beginning of puberty ..with age difference greater than 5 years ..so by today's standards ..Joseph would incorrectly be considered a pedophile ..whether he had sex with Mary or not ..[source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paedophilia]
Obviously, thereby clearly showing that Muhammad had done something wrong. This was clearly an admission by a Muslim that Muhammed had skeletons in his proverbial closet, and incredibly he did this while throwing derogatory speculative charges at Joseph the husband of the virgin Mary. This clearly shows desperation on their part to throw derogatory comments at the Bible and true Christianity. In fact, other Muslims dredge up writings of so called Bible critics who are just individuals out to grandiose themselves and their own ego and get an audience and who care NOT about facts and realities. They insinuate that apparent contradictions, ones that without further investigation, are real contradictions and make other unfounded speculative charges.

The most ridicules part of the entire absurd scenario is the fact that Muhammad was a plagiarist who actually got his material for writing the Koran from the Bible and did not even do a good job of copying; hence, if the Bible had any errors, these would have been exponentially exacerbated in the Quran (Koran). Let's look at one example of a scripture copied from the Bible not too well and how confused Muslims who do not comprehend the Bible even thing the Bible original is saying something bad as they do not comprehend it is saying the same thing as the Quran (Koran) that Muhammad got his material from. In the writing, Muslims do Not Comprehend the Bible it shows this clearly, " Muslims clearly do not comprehend the Bible and see problems where there are none, and come to completely wrong conclusions. This is strange given the fact that their holy book is actually a plagiarized knockoff from the Bible. Let's look at a few instances where they utterly fail to comprehend, one of them in fact where their book is actually saying the same thing as the Bible in different words.

LUKE 1:35 VS. SURA 3:47:

Let's first look at what the Quran (Koran) says at Sura 3:47:

Sura 3:47, "She said, "My Lord, how can I have a son, when no man has touched me?" He said, "GOD thus creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He simply says to it, `Be,' and it is."

And, Sura 3:48 says, ""He will teach him the scripture, wisdom, the Torah, and the Gospel." Interestingly here the Quran (Koran) actually speaks of the first five (5) books of the Bible, the Torah; yet today many Muslims rail against the Bible from which their book the Quran (Koran) was plagiarized from.

Now the Bible says at Luke 1:35, "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God." (American Standard Version; ASV).

Interestingly although both the Quran's (Koran's) 'Be' and the Bible's (in some translations only) overshadow both refer to exactly the same thing, but use different words, some Muslims do not comprehend this and think overshadow has bad connotations. Both these passages refer to God's (YHWH) using his active force or power referred to in the Bible as Spirit or Holy Spirit to implant the life force of his only begotten Son, that we know as Jesus (Yeshua) into the womb of the virgin Mary as recorded in Matthew 1:18-25, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us. 24 And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his wife; 25 and knew her not till she had brought forth a son: and he called his name JESUS." (ASV). Now some may not understand just what this force or power of God (YHWH) is so here is a brief explanation.

A brief consideration on and reasoning on Acts 10:19-20; Acts 16:6; Acts 13:2-4; Acts 15:28; Romans 8:14; Romans 8:26; Ephesians 4:30; and 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 will show that the Spirit or Holy Spirit is God's (YHWH's) active force or power and emanates from him and is a force completely controlled by him, and is capable of giving him feedback and gathering for him information.

But first let's see why the Spirit is indeed God's (YHWH's) active force or power from an understanding of the ancient word 'pneu'ma' translated Spirit or Holy Spirit in English. The neuter Koine Greek word for spirit (pneu'ma) is used with the neuter pronoun "it" since it is lacks gender. This fact is conveniently over looked or hidden by most Trinitarian translators of the Bible as admitted in the "New American Bible Catholic Bible," regarding John 14:17: "The Greek word for 'Spirit' is neuter, and while we use personal pronouns in English ('he,' 'his,' 'him'), most Greek MSS [manuscripts] employ 'it.'" So when the Bible uses masculine personal pronouns in connection with pa·ra'kle·tos at John 16:7, 8, it is conforming to rules of grammar, not expressing a doctrine. And in Ancient Hebrew the word here rendered Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, or Spirit which is translated from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit." In Latin, it is spiritus, and in Sanskrit, 'prana' which means both "breath" and "spirit." And the pertinent definition in the Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary (ISBN 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6) clearly states, (4) <Often Cap.> In the Bible, the creative, animating power or divine influence of God...[etymology-[<Old French, 'espirit' <Latin, 'spiritus' bredth, spirit <'spirare' to breathe]. So we can see it, the Holy Spirit or Spirit is truly God's (YHWH's) active force or power and not a spirit being as are Almighty God (YHWH) and his Son, Jesus (Yeshua). This point is very well made in the New International Version at Luke 1:35, "The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[1] the Son of God." (The New International Version; NIV). Sure shows that the Holy Spirit is nothing but God's (YHWH's) active force.

Now from the study of science and technology we know that with respect a force there can be four possibilities or possibly five applicable questions, which are as follows:

(1) Is it an uncontrolled force?

(2) Is it a controlled force?

(3) Is it controlled, but without feedback?

(4) Is it controlled, but with feedback?

Is it direct or indirect feedback?

However 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 shows it to be a controlled force with feedback that appears to be direct feedback, "But unto us God revealed [them] through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God. 12 But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God." (American Standard Version; ASV), clearly showing that the "spirit which is from God," and God "revealed [them] through the Spirit," and uses it to search all things, thus showing it is a controlled spirit capable of feedback. God (YHWH) has complete control over his power or force and can choose its fields of operations as testified to at Romans 8:14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." (ASV) clearly showing he can use to lead individuals and that it belongs to him. And John 16:13 clearly shows it as a force, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come." Since it is quite clear that it is a controlled force, "shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak,"

Clearly it is a controlled force used by God (YHWH) to do many things as testified to at Acts 10:19-20, "While Peter was meditationg on the vision, the Spirit said to him, 'There are two men looking for you. 20 Get up and go down, and without hesitation go on with them, for I have sent them.'" (The New Testament by Charles B. Williams); And the fact that it is a closely controlled force is further affirmed at Acts 16:6, "And the Spirit bade me go with them, making no distinction. And these six brethren also accompanied me; and we entered into the man's house:" (ASV); And at Acts 13:2-4, "And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus." (ASV); And at Acts 15:28, "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:" (ASV) clearly indicating direct feedback to and response by God (YHWH); which is further shown by Ephesians 4:30, "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption" (ASV) which once more indicates that is gives direct feedback and it reacts to the feelings of God (YHWH) from which it emanates thus a tightly controlled force or power.

Thus we can see and have an accurate understanding of what is being spoken of in both the Quran (Koran) and the Bible and see that it is exactly the same event and/or occurrence." [source - Muslims do Not Comprehend the Bible by Iris the Preacher 2004].

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**Admin** Thu Feb 11, 2021 3:37 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] WHO OR WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [312B]

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Revelation 21:5 – 7, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Yes, this is in keeping with what the prophet Isaiah wrote at Isaiah 42:9, [AV] “Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.” And 2 Samuel 7:14 – 17, [AV] “I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.” Therefore, we can see that Almighty God (YHWH) intends to establish a kingdom that will last forever in accordance to the Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) prayer found at Matthew 6:9 – 10, [AV] “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

[2] WHO OR WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT

An explanation of who or what the Holy Spirit is using Acts 10:19-20; Acts 16:6; Acts 13:2-4; Acts 15:28; Romans 8:14; Romans 8:26; Ephesians 4:30; and 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 as a framework to show that the Spirit or Holy Spirit is God's (YHWH's) active force or power and emanates from him and is a force completely controlled by him, and is capable of giving him feedback and gathering for him information.

But first let's see why the Spirit is indeed God's (YHWH's) active force or power from an understanding of the ancient word 'pneu'ma' translated Spirit or Holy Spirit in English. The neuter Koine Greek word for spirit (pneu'ma) is used with the neuter pronoun "it" since it is lacks gender. This fact is conveniently over looked or hidden by most Trinitarian translators of the Bible as admitted in the "New American Bible Catholic Bible," regarding John 14:17: "The Greek word for 'Spirit' is neuter, and while we use personal pronouns in English ('he,' 'his,' 'him'), most Greek MSS [manuscripts] employ 'it.'" So when the Bible uses masculine personal pronouns in connection with pa·ra'kle·tos at John 16:7, 8, it is conforming to rules of grammar, not expressing a doctrine. And in Ancient Hebrew the word here rendered Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, or Spirit which is translated from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit." In Latin, it is spiritus, and in Sanskrit, 'prana' which means both "breath" and "spirit." And the pertinent definition in the Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary (ISBN 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6) clearly states, (4) <Often Cap.> In the Bible, the creative, animating power or divine influence of God...[etymology-[<Old French, 'espirit' <Latin, 'spiritus' bredth, spirit <'spirare' to breathe]. So we can see it, the Holy Spirit or Spirit is truly God's (YHWH's) active force or power and not a spirit being as are Almighty God (YHWH) and his Son, Jesus (Yeshua). This point is very well made in the New International Version at Luke 1:35, "The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[1] the Son of God." (The New International Version; NIV). Sure shows that the Holy Spirit is nothing but God's (YHWH's) active force.

Now from the study of science and technology we know that with respect a force there can be four possibilities or possibly five applicable questions, which are as follows:

(1) Is it an uncontrolled force?

(2) Is it a controlled force?

(3) Is it controlled, but without feedback?

(4) Is it controlled, but with feedback?

Is it direct or indirect feedback?

However 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 shows it to be a controlled force with feedback that appears to be direct feedback, "But unto us God revealed [them] through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God. 12 But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God." (American Standard Version; ASV), clearly showing that the "spirit which is from God," and God "revealed [them] through the Spirit," and uses it to search all things, thus showing it is a controlled spirit capable of feedback. God (YHWH) has complete control over his power or force and can choose its fields of operations as testified to at Romans 8:14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." (ASV) clearly showing he can use to lead individuals and that it belongs to him. And John 16:13 clearly shows it as a force, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come." Since it is quite clear that it is a controlled force, "shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak,"

Clearly it is a controlled force used by God (YHWH) to do many things as testified to at Acts 10:19-20, "While Peter was meditationg on the vision, the Spirit said to him, 'There are two men looking for you. 20 Get up and go down, and without hesitation go on with them, for I have sent them.'" (The New Testament by Charles B. Williams); And the fact that it is a closely controlled force is further affirmed at Acts 16:6, "And the Spirit bade me go with them, making no distinction. And these six brethren also accompanied me; and we entered into the man's house:" (ASV); And at Acts 13:2-4, "And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus." (ASV); And at Acts 15:28, "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:" (ASV) clearly indicating direct feedback to and response by God (YHWH); which is further shown by Ephesians 4:30, "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption" (ASV) which once more indicates that is gives direct feedback and it reacts to the feelings of God (YHWH) from which it emanates thus a tightly controlled force or power.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION - BOTH TRUE AND FALSE - AT WWW.JW.ORG

**Admin** Thu Feb 11, 2021 3:39 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] MUSLIMS DO NOT COMPREHEND THE BIBLE - 2

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [313B]

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 1 Peter 1:22, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Yes, it is important that all genuine followers of the Prince of Peace, Jesus (Yeshua) have love for one another and there be no strife per 1 Timothy 1:5, [AV] “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:”

[2] MUSLIMS DO NOT COMPREHEND THE BIBLE:

INTRODUCTION:

Muslims clearly do not comprehend the Bible and see problems where there are none, and come to completely wrong conclusions. This is strange given the fact that their holy book is actually a plagiarized knockoff from the Bible. Let's look at a few instances where they utterly fail to comprehend, one of them in fact where their book is actually saying the same thing as the Bible in different words.

LUKE 1:35 VS. SURA 3:47:

Let's first look at what the Quran (Koran) says at Sura 3:47:

Sura 3:47, "She said, "My Lord, how can I have a son, when no man has touched me?" He said, "GOD thus creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He simply says to it, `Be,' and it is."

And, Sura 3:48 says, ""He will teach him the scripture, wisdom, the Torah, and the Gospel." Interestingly here the Quran (Koran) actually speaks of the first five (5) books of the Bible, the Torah; yet today many Muslims rail against the Bible from which their book the Quran (Koran) was plagiarized from.

Now the Bible says at Luke 1:35, "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God." (American Standard Version; ASV).

Interestingly although both the Quran's (Koran's) 'Be' and the Bible's (in some translations only) overshadow both refer to exactly the same thing, but use different words, some Muslims do not comprehend this and think overshadow has bad connotations. Both these passages refer to God's (YHWH) using his active force or power referred to in the Bible as Spirit or Holy Spirit to implant the life force of his only begotten Son, that we know as Jesus (Yeshua) into the womb of the virgin Mary as recorded in Matthew 1:18-25, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us. 24 And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his wife; 25 and knew her not till she had brought forth a son: and he called his name JESUS." (ASV). Now some may not understand just what this force or power of God (YHWH) is so here is a brief explanation.

A brief consideration on and reasoning on Acts 10:19-20; Acts 16:6; Acts 13:2-4; Acts 15:28; Romans 8:14; Romans 8:26; Ephesians 4:30; and 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 will show that the Spirit or Holy Spirit is God's (YHWH's) active force or power and emanates from him and is a force completely controlled by him, and is capable of giving him feedback and gathering for him information.

But first let's see why the Spirit is indeed God's (YHWH's) active force or power from an understanding of the ancient word 'pneu'ma' translated Spirit or Holy Spirit in English. The neuter Koine Greek word for spirit (pneu'ma) is used with the neuter pronoun "it" since it is lacks gender. This fact is conveniently over looked or hidden by most Trinitarian translators of the Bible as admitted in the "New American Bible Catholic Bible," regarding John 14:17: "The Greek word for 'Spirit' is neuter, and while we use personal pronouns in English ('he,' 'his,' 'him'), most Greek MSS [manuscripts] employ 'it.'" So when the Bible uses masculine personal pronouns in connection with pa·ra'kle·tos at John 16:7, 8, it is conforming to rules of grammar, not expressing a doctrine. And in Ancient Hebrew the word here rendered Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, or Spirit which is translated from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit." In Latin, it is spiritus, and in Sanskrit, 'prana' which means both "breath" and "spirit." And the pertinent definition in the Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary (ISBN 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6) clearly states, (4) <Often Cap.> In the Bible, the creative, animating power or divine influence of God...[etymology-[<Old French, 'espirit' <Latin, 'spiritus' bredth, spirit <'spirare' to breathe]. So we can see it, the Holy Spirit or Spirit is truly God's (YHWH's) active force or power and not a spirit being as are Almighty God (YHWH) and his Son, Jesus (Yeshua). This point is very well made in the New International Version at Luke 1:35, "The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[1] the Son of God." (The New International Version; NIV). Sure shows that the Holy Spirit is nothing but God's (YHWH's) active force.

Now from the study of science and technology we know that with respect a force there can be four possibilities or possibly five applicable questions, which are as follows:

(1) Is it an uncontrolled force?

(2) Is it a controlled force?

(3) Is it controlled, but without feedback?

(4) Is it controlled, but with feedback?

Is it direct or indirect feedback?

However 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 shows it to be a controlled force with feedback that appears to be direct feedback, "But unto us God revealed [them] through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God. 12 But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God." (American Standard Version; ASV), clearly showing that the "spirit which is from God," and God "revealed [them] through the Spirit," and uses it to search all things, thus showing it is a controlled spirit capable of feedback. God (YHWH) has complete control over his power or force and can choose its fields of operations as testified to at Romans 8:14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." (ASV) clearly showing he can use to lead individuals and that it belongs to him. And John 16:13 clearly shows it as a force, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come." Since it is quite clear that it is a controlled force, "shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak,"

Clearly it is a controlled force used by God (YHWH) to do many things as testified to at Acts 10:19-20, "While Peter was meditationg on the vision, the Spirit said to him, 'There are two men looking for you. 20 Get up and go down, and without hesitation go on with them, for I have sent them.'" (The New Testament by Charles B. Williams); And the fact that it is a closely controlled force is further affirmed at Acts 16:6, "And the Spirit bade me go with them, making no distinction. And these six brethren also accompanied me; and we entered into the man's house:" (ASV); And at Acts 13:2-4, "And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus." (ASV); And at Acts 15:28, "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:" (ASV) clearly indicating direct feedback to and response by God (YHWH); which is further shown by Ephesians 4:30, "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption" (ASV) which once more indicates that is gives direct feedback and it reacts to the feelings of God (YHWH) from which it emanates thus a tightly controlled force or power.

Thus we can see and have an accurate understanding of what is being spoken of in both the Quran (Koran) and the Bible and see that it is exactly the same event and/or occurrence.

This is further emphasized by John 14:26, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (Authorized King James Bible; AV).

Jesus (Yeshua) spoke of the holy spirit as a "helper," and he said it would teach, guide, and speak as recorded at John 14:16-17, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." (AV). And this same thought is carried at John 16:13, ""Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." (AV). The Greek word he used for helper (pa·ra'kle·tos) is in the masculine gender. Thus, when Jesus referred to what the helper would do, he used masculine personal pronouns as shown at John 16:7- 8, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." (AV). On the other hand, when the neuter Greek word for spirit (pneu'ma) is used, the neuter pronoun "it" is properly employed. This fact is conveniently over looked or hidden by most Trinitarian translators as admitted in the "New American Bible Catholic Bible," regarding John 14:17: "The Greek word for 'Spirit' is neuter, and while we use personal pronouns in English ('he,' 'his,' 'him'), most Greek MSS [manuscripts] employ 'it.'" So when the Bible uses masculine personal pronouns in connection with pa·ra'kle·tos at John 16:7, 8, it is conforming to rules of grammar, not expressing a doctrine.

Hence as can readily be seen, neither the Jews nor the early Christians viewed the holy spirit as part of a Trinity. That teaching came centuries later. As "A Catholic Dictionary," notes: "The third Person was asserted at a Council of Alexandria in 362 . . . and finally by the Council of Constantinople of 381." Interestingly this being approximately three and a half centuries after holy spirit filled the disciples at Pentecost! No, the holy spirit is not a person and it is not part of a Trinity. The holy spirit is God's active force that he uses to accomplish his will. It is not equal to God but is always at his disposition and subordinate to him as clearly shown by scripture and by historical reference.

The doctrine of the Trinity was hotly debated in the 4th century and is man made. When Luther blew the lid off the RCC that salvation is by faith and not by works, he didn't go far enough to eradicate the doctrine of the Trinity as well. But the mainstream churches still staunchly support it, rather than giving far more credence to what the scriptures teach us - than from what has come out of man made creeds. This false doctrine is shown false by among other things the fact that the Holy Spirit is nowhere in the Bible ever depicted as a person - but rather as a dove, John.1:32, "And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him." (AV), as a big wind and forked tongued flame at Acts 2:1-4, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (AV).

SOME OTHER MISCONCEPTIONS BY MUSLIMS THAT ARE NOT VALID:

Some Muslims have other equally invalid misconceptions. Let's deal with a couple of these to give examples of their failure to comprehend what the Bible is saying.

First Example:

"(1) Who wrote those words? Jesus? God? Or some third observer that we don't even know who he is. It is neither, God, Jesus nore the names associated in the Bible to these gospels since they themselves are spoken of in third person."

Reality with respect an invalid objection of Muslims:

As can be seen, many Muslims are obviously ignorant of the fact that the Bible is NOT the product of one committee or strongman or plagiarist as was the case with respect the Quran (Koran). It has written by over 40 individual writers who used their own words, the words of men to express the thoughts of God (YHWH) that they received by inspiration. In other words, these men were not authors of what they wrote, but simply scribes who put the thoughts of God (YHWH) they received by inspiration into the words of men.

Not only that, all the other writers of later so called religious guidance books borrowed from it and made changes in accord with their strong man or so called prophet. Take the example of Joseph Smith who borrowed from it to write the Book of Mormon, but failed to give credit or source to the Bible and twisted some borrowed things into bizarre distortions. Other examples are of course the bizarre writings of David Koresh the Prophet of the Branch Dividians of Waco, Texas; and the Quran, and the Book of Wiccim.

Even Jesus (Yeshua) acknowledged that the words he spoke and that the Apostles and Disciples of his who wrote the New or Greek Testament under inspiration recorded as scribes were not his own, but those of his Father, Almighty God (YHWH). This is clearly shown at John 14:23-24, " Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my words: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me." (ASV).

Second example:

"(2) Why does the Bible lie when God had sons by the tons according to the Bible, yet you make him his "only" son."

Reality with respect an invalid objection of Muslims:

The fact is God (YHWH) created, the angels and mankind can rightly be called sons and daughters of God (YHWH), but Jesus (Yeshua) was the only begotten and/or first of his creation as clearly testified to at Colossians 1:15, "who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; " (ASV). Also, in posing such an invalid objection they are falsely accusing God (YHWH) of having inspired men write lies as God (YHWH) does not lie. Now this is absolutely wrong.

THEIR DYSFUNCTION:

Their comments on the virgin birth of Jesus (Yeshua) clearly recorded in both the Bible and the Quran (Koran) Clearly shows they fail absolutely to comprehend the Bible any more than the eunuch at Acts 8:26-39, "But an angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza: the same is desert. 27 And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship; 28 and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare? For his life is taken from the earth. 34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other? 35 And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached unto him Jesus. 36 And as they went on the way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch saith, Behold, [here is] water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 [And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.] 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing." (American Standard Version; ASV).

However, unlike the eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, they fail to recognize that they do NOT COMPREHEND what they read in the Bible.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION - BOTH TRUE AND FALSE - AT WWW.JW.ORG

**Admin** Sat Feb 13, 2021 12:57 pm

[COMBINATION OF THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES - MANGO. With the Scripture of the Day first.

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [314B]

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Revelation 21:5 – 7, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Yes, this is in keeping with what the prophet Isaiah wrote at Isaiah 42:9, [AV] “Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.” And 2 Samuel 7:14 – 17, [AV] “I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.” Therefore, we can see that Almighty God (YHWH) intends to establish a kingdom that will last forever in accordance to the Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) prayer found at Matthew 6:9 – 10, [AV] “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES - MANGO:
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Mango, Mangifera Indica, which originated in India and Southeast Asia, but has spread world wide in the tropics and is the largest fruit crop in the world on the basis of tons of fruit picked.

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV).

And the Mango surely is a wonderful gift to mankind from our Creator, Almighty God (YHWH), and the are many varieties of Mangoes, even more than that of Apples. The trees are Evergreen and some varieties can reach 50 feet [15 to 16 meters] high, but there are miniature varieties such as the Fairchild that only grow to about 10 feet [8 meters] high. Most varieties have a very good flavor, but there are some that are known as the turpentine Mangoes that one can hardly eat; however, goats and pigs like them. My goat, named Billy, really loved them.

However, my favorite eating varieties are the Bombay, Carrie, Hayden, Julian, and Keith. I especially like the Bombay as it is one of the very few "freestone" mangoes and yet one of the very best tasting with almost no fiber - a true delight. Most Mango varieties are NOT free stone and the flesh tends to stick very hard to the big seed in the center of the fruit.

Mangoes vary in size, shape, and color. They can be round, oblong, or kidney shaped. The trees are quite beautiful and make nice additions to any tropical landscape. The leaves are long, narrow, and a beautiful deep green, and new growth comes out in flushes.

For fruit trees, the Mango is rather fast growing with respect production of fruit with the trees usually producing fruit by the third year if the trees are grafted trees or five years if they are not.

There are two principle types of Mangoes, the Indian and the Indo-Chinese. Indian mangoes usually have brightly colored fruit, but unfortunately are susceptible to anthracnose; whereas the Indo-Chinese usually do not produce brightly colored fruit, but are resistant to anthracnose.

One sad note, some people are very allergic to Mangoes and should not eat them or touch the tree.

Most Mangoes bear heavily in alternate years and the blossoms are very susceptible to cold weather, anything below 34 degrees F. can kill the blossoms and ruin the crop production. Fortunately, Mangoes for the most part are self-fruitful so you do not need more than one tree to obtain fruit. They should always be planted in full sun and well drained soil having a pH between 5.5 and 7.5.

The Mango can either be eaten fresh, made into pulp and frozen, made into jellies and jams, into pies and Mango cobbler, and into juices. The juice is a drink very rich in vitamin C and of excellent flavor if made from sweet Mangos. This fruit is one of my favorites.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE AND RELIGION - BOTH TRUE AND FALSE - AT WWW.JW.ORG b][/b]

**Admin** Mon Feb 15, 2021 2:38 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] DISCOURSE ON TRADITION

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [315B]

All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? Ezekiel 18:22 – 23, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

The Psalmist said at Psalms 25:5 - 7, [AV] “Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. 6 Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.” And this same theme also was recognized at 2 Chronicles 6:23, [AV] “Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.”

[2] DISCOURSE ON TRADITION

With regard tradition, you should read Mark 7:8-13, "For leaving the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pots and of cups: and many other things you do like to these. 9 And he said to them: Well do you make void the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition. 10 For Moses said: Honour thy father and thy mother. And He that shall curse father or mother, dying let him die. 11 But you say: If a man shall say to his father or mother, Corban (which is a gift) whatsoever is from me shall profit thee. 12 And further you suffer him not to do any thing for his father or mother, 13 Making void the word of God by your own tradition, which you have given forth. And many other such like things you do. "(DRCB), and 1 Corinthians 4:6, "Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not [to go] beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other."(American Standard Version; ASV).

In fact, adhering to tradition that conflicts with the bible makes one's worship in vain as testified to at Matthew 15:3-9, "And he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God said, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die the death. 5 But ye say, whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is given [to God]; 6 he shall not honor his father. And ye have made void the word of God because of your tradition. 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people honoreth me with their lips; But their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain do they worship me, Teaching [as their] doctrines the precepts of men. "(ASV).

In fact, the Bible clearly shows that tradition may lead one away from true worship and cause one to oppose God's servants per Colossiams 2:6-8, 'As therefore ye received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk in him, 7 rooted and builded up in him, and established in your faith, even as ye were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8 Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ:"(ASV); and Titus 1:13-16, "This testimony is true. For which cause reprove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure all things are pure: but to them that are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. 16 They profess that they know God; but by their works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate."(ASV); and Isaiah 29:13, "And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw nigh [unto me], and with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which hath been taught [them]; "(ASV); and Galatians 1:10-13 " For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? or am I striving to please men? if I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ. 11 For I make known to you, brethren, as touching the gospel which was preached by me, that it is not after man. 12 For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but [it came to me] through revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For ye have heard of my manner of life in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and made havoc of it: 14 and I advanced in the Jews' religion beyond many of mine own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers."(ASV).

However, the Bible is the Standard whereby you can check the correctness of all traditions as previously shown and reaffirmed at 2 Timothy 3:13-17, "But evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. 15 And that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 Every scripture inspired of God [is] also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. 17 That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work."(ASV).

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**Admin** Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:31 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] APPARENT CONTRADICTIONS IN THE BIBLE COMPARED TO REAL ONES IN THE QURAN AND THE BOOK OF MORMON

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [316B]

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:7 – 8, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Jesus (Yeshua) made this sure by what he said at Matthew 24:32 - 36, [AV] “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” But even he, did NOT know the hour or the day, but clearly stated that only his Father, Almighty God (YHWH) knew that.

[2] APPARENT CONTRADICTIONS IN THE BIBLE COMPARED TO REAL ONES IN THE QURAN AND THE BOOK OF MORMAN:

It is high time that some start to realize that there are only apparent contradictions in the Bible, but when examined closely we find that these are all due to failure to comprehend what is being said, failure to understand the writing styles of the time the item was written, failure to understand the sentence construction of the ancient language, errors in translation, and biases on the part of the translator.

LET'S LOOK AT ONE EXAMPLE, MATTHEW 12:37-40 FROM WELL KNOWN:

"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and {yet} no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (New American Standard Bible; NASB)

"Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (New International Version; NIV)

"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (New King James Bible; NKJB)

"Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (King James Version; KJV)

APPARENT CONTRADICTION AND ITS EXPLANATION WITH REGARD TO MATTHEW 12:37-40:

Some see an error or contradiction in these scriptures related to the amount of time Jesus (Yeshua) was in the grave, but there is NONE. The true facts are:
"Yes, it does seem that way. We must remember that the Bible was written in other languages by cultures far removed from ours. Most alleged contradictions stem from a misunderstanding of certain terms and phrases. For example, Jesus predicted that He would be in the grave for "three days and three nights"(Matt.12:40). When we read the passion narratives, we see that He was crucified late Friday afternoon and that He rose from the dead, early on Sunday morning. It is impossible to get three days and three nights out of this, and I have seen many atheists refer to Jesus' prophecy as a "blatant error which completely destroys the credibility of the Bible."[source - I'd Like To Believe In Jesus, But...By Bob Siegel , Published by Campus Ambassador Press, A ministry of Mission To the Americas Wheaton, Illinois]

COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 12:37-40 EXPLAINING THESE SCRIPTURES:

For those who want a more detailed explanation, here is an exert from a well known commentary, Coffman Commentaries on the Old and New Testament:

Verse 37
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Speech is one of the greatest endowments of humanity; and the greater the gift, the greater the sin of perverting it to unworthy purposes. It would be impossible to sum up all the sins of mankind in the area of sinful speech. It must appear even to casual thought of it that words, as used by millions, constitute the bulk of human shame and wickedness. James said, "If any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also" (James 3:2). Beyond everything else, man should watch what he says. One's words can justify when they confess Christ, or teach the truth, or serve to make peace, bestow a blessing, or give encouragement; but on the other hand, when words condemn, cast a reflection, subvert the truth, utter profanity, vulgarity, hatred, or malice, or any one of a million other evil things - then such words bring the condemnation of those who speak them.

Verse 38
Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee.
This arrogant request came from a group who had already accused Jesus of being in league with the devil and who had already seen signs aplenty; but in this case, they were demanding a sign of their own choosing. Luke stated that they sought a "sign from heaven" (Luke 11:16). By that, they no doubt meant some spectacular wonder without moral value but which would appeal sensationally to a man's curiosity. Christ always rejected that type of sign, as, for example, when he refused to jump from the pinnacle of the temple (Matthew 4:6). In fact, there is more than a suggestion that the Pharisees' request for a sign was but a renewal of Satan's temptation of the Lord in the wilderness. Christ always refused to perform wonders for his enemies like Herod or the Pharisees. He did work miracles for the benefit of John's disciples (Luke 7:18-22), and raised Lazarus that the people might believe (John 11:42). For more on "a sign from heaven," see under Matthew 16:1.

Verse 39
But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.
The "adulterous generation" refers not merely to the morals of the people but to the rejection of Israel's covenant with their God. Barnes wrote:
The relation of the Jews to God was represented as a marriage contract with God as the husband and the Jewish people as his wife (Isa. 57:3; Hosea 3:1; Ezek. 16:15). Hence, their apostasy and idolatry are often represented as adultery.
The "sign of the prophet Jonah" refers to the resurrection of Christ, the greatest and most wonderful miracle of all time. Jesus' announcement of this "sign" at that time was actually a prophecy of his death, burial and resurrection. The Old Testament had plainly indicated the Messiah would rise from the dead (Psalms 16:10); but, in keeping with his usual methods, Christ again laid claim to Messiahship, but in such terminology, and in such analogies, that his enemies would not see it, or if they did, would be unable to prove what he meant!

Verse 40
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The use of "whale" in this verse is in error; the Greek word is "sea-monster," as a glance at the English Revised Version (1885) margin will show; not that there is any essential difference, for the Bible states that "God prepared" a great fish (Jonah 1:17). In the book of Jonah is related also how God "prepared" a gourd (Jonah 4:6), a worm (Jonah 4:7), and a sultry east wind (Jonah 4:8)! Why it should be considered for God a more difficult matter to prepare a great fish than any of those other "preparations" is surely a mystery!
Regarding the truth of the Jonah narrative, it appears absolutely incredible that Christ, one of the Godhead, would have made a mere folk tale the principal prophecy and sign of his resurrection from the dead. We here register a protest against those expositors who are so wise above their Saviour in casting a reflection of doubt upon this astounding incident from the Old Testament. From Jesus' reference to it here, it appears that the experience of Jonah was an authentic event which God "prepared" to be a prophecy of a still greater one, the resurrection of Christ.
The question of "three days and three nights," as signifying the time of our Lord's remaining in the tomb, is one of the most widely discussed issues in the New Testament. An overwhelming number of scholars hold the conviction that the expression is a Hebrew idiom referring to any part of three days and nights which included an entire day, the two nights on either side of it, and portions of the other two days. The present custom of accepting a month to be 28, 30, or 31 days is held to be similar to the Hebrew custom of so loosely determining "three days and three nights." The traditional view that Christ was crucified on Friday and raised on Sunday draws its principal support from Matthew's word that Christ should be raised "the third day" (Matthew 16:21). This view asserts that if he was crucified on Thursday, and raised on Sunday, then he would have been raised on the fourth day.
In spite of the fact that a good case can be made out for the above explanation, some very respected students of God's word take another view. Torrey said, "There is absolutely nothing in favor of Friday crucifixion, but everything in Scripture is perfectly harmonized by Wednesday crucifixion." F12 Torrey's argument is the following: (1) Christ was crucified the day before the sabbath (Mark 15:42). (2) This does not necessarily mean the day before the ordinary sabbath, because the Jews always honored the day before the Passover (15th of Nisan) as a special "high" sabbath, no matter what day of the week it fell upon (Exodus 12:6; Leviticus 23:7; Numbers 28:16-18). (3) The truly important question is, therefore, whether "day before the sabbath" refers to an ordinary Saturday, or the special "high" sabbath related to the Passover, and occurring on any day of the week, depending where the 15th of Nisan fell. (4) John's gospel plainly says it was "the preparation of the Passover" (John 19:14), and that it was "an high day" (John 19:31). These Scriptures plainly show that the ordinary sabbath was not meant. (5) Thus, Christ was crucified on the day before the "high day," or first day of Passover. Since the Passover (15th of Nisan) in the year 30 A.D. fell on Thursday, the "day before" would make it Wednesday on which Christ was crucified. (6) Scriptures supporting this view are: Christ said he would rise "after three days" (Mark 8:31). "After three days" he would rise again (Mark 9:31; 10:34). "This is now the third day since these things were done" (Luke 24:31). Whatever one thinks of Torrey's argument, it must be admitted that it is supported by more Scriptures than the traditional view.
Warning: devout souls will not be troubled by this question; for, if it had been necessary to know the day of the week, the Lord would have revealed it. Furthermore, to resolve this question finally and dogmatically, it would be positively necessary to know the exact year of our Lord's passion; and THAT is not certainly known. Not even the exact year of his birth can be determined. It can never be known what day of the week was the 15th of Nisan until the overriding question of WHAT YEAR is fixed. This, of course, is the weakness of Torrey's position. He takes the year 30 A.D. as the base of his calculations.
The heart of the earth is a figurative expression for the grave which is also called "the lower parts of the earth" (Psalms 63:9; Ephesians 4:9).[source - Coffman Commentaries on the Old and New Testament, by Coffman, James Burton, Abilene Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.]

OTHER, SO CALLED HOLLY BOOKS, HOWEVER HAVE REAL CONTRADICTIONS, NOT JUST APPARENT CONTRADICTIONS:

Let's look at other so called Holy Books and see some real contradictions.

The eastern "scriptures" have no interest in history, because this is the world of illusion from which we are to be delivered. Ancient polytheistic religions likewise had no interest in history. Their gods acted only in myths, removed as far as possible from real history.

The Koran is almost entirely assertions of Allah. It has very little historical interface, and what there is contains clear inaccuracies.

Sura 26:55-60 says that the Israelites under Pharaoh were but "a scanty band" (in contrast to the multitude mentioned in Ex. 1:9) and that in leaving Egypt they forsook "their gardens and fountains and splendid dwellings" (in contrast to their slavery and hardship mentioned Ex. 1:11-14). This renders the whole motive for Israel's deliverance obscure.

Sura 5:119 reflects Muhammad's gross misunderstanding of the Trinity-that it is composed of the Father, Jesus and Mary.

The Book of Mormon makes many historical references, but it too is full of historical anachronisms and geographical inaccuracies.

1 Nephi 2:5-8 states that the river Laman emptied into the Red Sea. But there has never been any river that emptied into the Red Sea, either in historic or prehistoric times.

Alma 46:15 states that believers were called "Christians" back in 73 BC-fully seven decades before Jesus was even born![source - Xenos Christian Fellowship Christian Principles Unit 3: Provisions for Spiritual Growth]

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**Admin** Thu Feb 18, 2021 9:49 pm

COMBINATION OF THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES - Artocarpus odoratissimus With the Scripture of the Day first.

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [317B]

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

For our part to gain internal life, we must seek to avoid willful sinning as clearly shown by Galatians 2:17, [AV] “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.” And it is clear willful, unrepentant sinning will merit death per Ezekiel 18:4, [AV] “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

However,we can be found righteous per Romans 3:24, [AV] “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”

[2] THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES - Artocarpus odoratissimus
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the marang (Artocarpus odoratissimus), also called johey oak, green pedalai, madang, tarap, terap, timadang, or breadfruit cousin, is a tree native to Borneo, Palawan, and Mindanao Island . It is closely related to the jackfruit, cempedak, and breadfruit trees.
It is an evergreen tree growing to 25 m tall. The leaves are 16–50 cm long and 11–28 cm broad, similar to the Breadfruit's, but are a little less lobed. Many trees lose the leaf lobing once mature.
As indicated by the scientific name, the fruit has a strong scent, and is considered superior in flavour to both Jackfruit and Cempedak. The scent reminds some of the durian but is not so intense, and is in the thick skin and not the fruit pulp. The taste has hints of a mild creamy,almost juicy banana, and is best when not allowed to ripen thoroughly on the tree. Those ripened on the tree turn a more brownish color and will eventually fall to the ground and easily split open.
The appearance of the fruit can be regarded as an intermediate shape between the jackfruit and the breadfruit. It is round to oblong, 15–20 cm long and 13 cm broad, and weighing about 1 kg. The thick rind is covered with soft, broad spines. They become hard and brittle as the fruit matures. When fully mature the expanding arils stretch the outer rind which often appears lumpy, especially if not all seeds were pollinated. The fruit does not fall to the ground until over-ripe. It may be harvested when full size but still firm, and left to ripen until soft. Marangs change colour to greenish yellow when ripe. The ripe fruit is opened by cutting the rind around, twisting and gently pulling. If overripe they are simply pulled apart. The interior of the fruit is somewhat similar to the jackfruit's, but the color is white and the flesh is usually softer. The core is relatively large, but there are far fewer "rags" and less non-edible parts. Arils are white and the size of a grape, each containing a 15 × 8 mm seed. Once opened, the marang should be consumed quickly (in a few hours), as it loses flavour rapidly and fruit oxidizes. The seeds are also edible after boiling or roasting.
The tree is not cold tolerant (as is the breadfruit). It can grow between latitude 15° north and south, and in coastal regions where temperatures never stay under 7 °C. It is cultivated for its fruit in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and southern Thailand. The species is largely grown for local consumption; the short shelf-life of the fruit limits its wider use.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of Artocarpus can be confusing. The species Artocarpus sericicarpus and Artocarpus sarawakensis, known as the Pedalai, or buah tarap or Pingan or Mountain tarap is very similar to, and often confused with the Marang. Both these species are native to the same areas. However, they are still distinguishable based on their appearances when ripe. The Pedalai has hairs, like a large rambutan, and ripens red. The Pingan is even trickier, because it is the shape of a Marang, and it is an orange. It has smaller kernel sections. The Marang remains greenish when ripe and has very dense, straight green protrusions. [source - retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marang on 5/24/2013]

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
View this fruit at, https://www.google.com/search?q=marang,+artocarpus+odoratissimus&client=firefox-a&hs=Jpv&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=8I2fUZytCJC69gSMy4GwBw&ved=0CDsQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=776

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**Admin** Sun Feb 21, 2021 8:31 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] THE VIRGIN MARY DID NOT REMAIN A VIRGIN - A BIBLE VIEW

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [318B]

And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:5, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Yes, the scriptures make it clear that adultery and other sexual wrongs are an abomination to Almighty God (YHWH), and He intends for his son, Jesus (yeshua) to take quick action against them in the culmination of the last days. This is specifically stated at Revelation 21:8, [AV] “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” And the prophet Micah makes this clear at Micah 1:2, [AV] “Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.”

However, we should not judge others as this has been reserved for God’s son to do per Hebrews 10:30, [AV] “For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.’ Yes he will per Revelation 22:12, [AV] “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

[2] THE VIRGIN MARY DID NOT REMAIN A VIRGIN - A BIBLE VIEW

INTRODUCTION

There are some that maintain that the Virgin Mary remained a virgin after giving birth to Jesus (Yeshua) and that Biblical references to his brothers and sisters, actually half brothers and half sisters, as his Father was God (YHWH), were to cousins. But is this so? Really not as clearly shown by the context in which they were called brothers and sisters.

CONTEXT IN WHICH THEY WERE CALLED BROTHERS AND SISTERS

Matthew 13:53-56:

Interestingly the context in which they were called brothers and sisters is such as to make the arguments of some that the Koine Greek words meant something else look absurd. True some Koine Greek words could mean more than one thing including the ones in question, but the context of their usage clearly shows the truth or reality in this case. Let's look at the scriptures in question to see the facts.

The Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible at Matthew 13:53-56 says, "And it came to pass: when Jesus had finished these parables, he passed from thence. 54 And coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogues, so that they wondered and said: How came this man by this wisdom and miracles? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude: 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence therefore hath he all these things?" (Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible; DRCB). So there is no excuse to think the words mean anything but what they say given the context they were used in. This would be the case in Koine Greek as well as in English, and brings up an interesting point which is usage sometimes governs the meaning of a word and in this case that meaning is made unmistakable by the context, i.e., literal sisters and brothers who are even named.

This fact is also shown in the Jerusalem Bible at Matthew at 13:53-56 where it talks about Jesus astonishing people in the synagogue with his teaching. So the people wanted to know where he got his wisdom from since he is the carpenter's son, his mother is the woman called Mary, and his BROTHERS (GREEK, adelphoi) James and Joseph and Simon and Jude, and his SISTERS (GREEK, adelphai) were all there with them. (Mary had other sons and also had daughters). The New Jerusalem Bible says, "When Jesus had finished these parables he left the district; 54 and coming to his home town, he taught the people in their synagogue in such a way that they were astonished and said, 'Where did the man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? 55 This is the carpenter's son, surely? Is not his mother the woman called Mary, and his James and Joseph and Simon and Jude? 56 His sisters, too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man get it all?'" (The New Jerusalem Bible; TNJB).

Now, if one is to maintain the un-maintainable that by brothers and sisters some other relative was meant, then this would also apply to 'mother' and that is utterly absurd.

Mark 3:31-35:

Let's look at Mark 3:31-35 Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible which shows the same fact, that these were literal brothers and sisters, half brothers and half sisters as Jesus' (Yeshua's) Father was God (YHWY), but this fact was NOT known to the populace. Mark 3:31-35, " And his mother and his brethren came; and standing without, sent unto him, calling him. 32 And the multitude sat about him; and they say to him: Behold thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. 33 And answering them, he said: Who is my mother and my brethren? 34 And looking round about on them who sat about him, he saith: Behold my mother and my brethren. 35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, he is my brother, and my sister, and mother." (Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible; DRCB).

And in The New Jerusalem Bible, Mark 3:31-35, "His mother and brothers now arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him at the time the message was passed to him, 'Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.' 33 He replied, 'who are my mother and my brothers?' 34 And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers. 35 Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother." (The New Jerusalem Bible; TNJB).

Jesus replied, "Who are my mother and my BROTHERS"? (Here he made the clear distinction of the difference between SPIRITUAL BROTHERS AND SISTERS and FLESHLY ones, or NATURAL ones. Really, no one claims the ref to Jesus' MOTHER means anything different from what it says. Is it consistent, then, to reason that his NATURAL BROTHERS were not that but were perhaps cousins? When what is meant is not brothers but relatives, a different Greek word (syggenon) is used, as at Luke 21:16.).

Why would anyone think that Joseph and Mary had no other children after Jesus was born? Since God instituted the marriage arrangement with its many joys one would not expect Him to expect Joseph and Mary NOT to indulge in them. What would be the point?

Last, Jesus' (Yeshua's) brother James is mentioned by Flavius Josephus the ancient 1 century Jewish historian as follows, "concerning Albinus, under whose procuratorship James was slain; as also what edifices were built by Agrippa. ... Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the orad; so he assembled the sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: bus as for who seemed the most equitable of the citizens and such as were the most uneasy at the breacch of the laws, they disliked what was done; they also sent to the king [Agrippa]," [source - The Life and works of Flavius Josephus translated by William Whiston, A.M., pub. By The John C. Winston Co., in Philadelphia, Chapter IX, page 598]. So this speaks to the fact that James was the literal brother, actually half brother of Jesus (Yeshua) as his Father was God (YHWH).

THE FACTS ON JESUS' (YESHUA'S) BIRTH:

Now when you look at the facts surrounding Jesus' (Yeshua's) birth and the facts about his parents, Mary and Joseph. Strange that at Matthew 1:18-25 in this Bible it says, " Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost. 19 Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: 23 Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife. 25 And he knew her not till she brought forth her first born son: and he called his name Jesus." (Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible; DRCB).

As the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible at Matthew 1:25, " And he knew her not till she brought forth her first born son: and he called his name Jesus." (Douay -Rheims Catholic Bible; DRCB). Clearly showing that he, Joseph, did NOT have relations with his wife, Mary, until after Jesus (Yeshua). To try and maintain that he never had relations with his wife, Mary, clearly flies in the face of common sense. Now why would anyone think that Joseph and Mary had no sexual relations after Jesus was born? Since God instituted the marriage arrangement with its many joys it would anyone NOT expect Joseph and Mary NOT to indulge in them. What would be the point?

Let's look at what the New American Bible [Catholic] says at Matthew 1:25, "He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus" (New American Bible; NAB). Now note this Bible clearly states that, " He had no relations with her until she bore a son." Which by reason clearly indicates Joseph had sexual relations with his wife, Mary, after Jesus' (Yeshua's) birth. Sounds like that the creed, that translated these Bibles does NOT know how to handle the obvious, that the scriptures do NOT back their creedal creed that the Virgin Mary remained ever virgin.

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**Admin** Tue Feb 23, 2021 1:48 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] MATTHEW 1:25, AN EXPLANATION

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [319B]

O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. Jeremiah 10:32, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Here it is made clear that man can not direct his own steps, and Proverbs 20:24, [AV] “Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?” And it is shown that all should ask Almighty God (YHWH) for assistance with respect his goings at Psalm 17:5, [AV] “Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.” And that that the Lord order the steps of a good man at Psalm 37:23, [AV] “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”

[2] MATTHEW 1:25, AN EXPLANATION

INTRODUCTION:

Many do not comprehend Matthew 1:18-25 which is as follows:

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.(Authorized King James Bible; Av)

And argue with respect the meaning of "not till" found in the Authorized King James Bible or "until" found in the New American Bible (Catholic). They try to argue in error for other meanings for "not till" or "until" so as to maintain their tradition that Mary remained forever a virgin; instead of accepting the Bible fact that she did not. To resolve this issue we will look at Paraller scriptures in a number of Bibles, some of which are Catholic Bibles such as the NAB and the DRCB, some of which are Protestant and/or Bibles translated by independent scholars or committees, and one which is Jewish so as to eliminate any possible accusation of bias by these scholars.

PARALLEL BIBLES ON MATTHEW 1:25:
And he knew her not till she brought forth her first born son: and he called his name Jesus.{Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible; DRCB)

He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus. (New American Bible; NAB)

but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus. (Revised Standard Bible; RSV).

but she remained a virgin until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.(New Living Translation; NLT)
and knew her not until she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.(Third Millennium Bible; TMB)

but he did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus.(Holman Standard Christian Bible; HSCB)

but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.(English Standard Bible; ESB)

but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. (New American Standard Bible; NASB)

but he did not have sexual relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Yeshua. (The Complete Jewish Bible, Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. ; CJB)

and didn't know her sexually until she had brought forth her firstborn son. He named him Yeshua. (Hebrew Names Version of the New English Bible)

And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. (American Standard Version; ASV)

Pero no la conoció hasta que ella dio a luz un hijo, y llamó su nombre Jesús.(1989 Reina-Valeria Acutualizada)

and did not know her till she brought forth her son-the first-born, and he called his name Jesus.(Young's Literal Translation; YLT)

As we can see, although they used different words, all the translators were in agreement, and the New American Bible (Catholic) made it quite clear with " He had no relations with her until she bore a son" as did the Complete Jewish Bible with " but he did not have sexual relations with her until she had given birth to a son," as did the Holmon Standard Christian Bible with "but he did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son." So we can see those trying to perpetuate mythical traditions are just "blowing smoke" and "grasping at straws."

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS USING THE KJB AND STRONG NUMBERS:

One individual who was "grasping at straws said the following:
"The Greek word for "until" (heos) does not imply that Mary had marital relations after the birth of Christ. In 2 Samuel 6:23, we read that Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no child "until" the day of her death."

But let's look as a technical analysis using the Authorized King James Bible (AV) as the frame work of the original Koine Greek here. " And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS."
Strong's Number: 3756 "not"
Original Word
Word Origin
ouj
a primary word, the absolute negative [cf (3361)] adverb
Transliterated Word
TDNT Entry
Ou
None
Phonetic Spelling
Parts of Speech
oo /cgi-bin/lexicon.pl?id=3756g/cgi-bin/lexicon.pl?id=3756g/cgi-bin/lexicon.pl?id=3756gb/cgi-bin/lexicon.pl?id=3756gb/cgi-bin/lexicon.pl?id=3756gc/cgi-bin/lexicon.pl?id=3756gc

Definition
1. no, not; in direct questions expecting an affirmative answer
</TD King James Word Usage - Total: 1453 not 1214, no 136, cannot + (1410)&version=kjv 55, miscellaneous 48
KJV Verse Count Matthew 159 Mark 105 Luke 141 John 238 Acts 101 Romans 98 1 Corinthians 108 2 Corinthians 77 Galatians 30 Ephesians 11 Philippians 13 Colossians 8 1 Thessalonians 16 2 Thessalonians 7 1 Timothy 9 2 Timothy 12 Titus 1 Hebrews 58 James 24 1 Peter 10 2 Peter 11 1 John 35 2 John 5 3 John 4 Jude 2 Revelation 45; Total 1328

The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon

Strong's Number: 3757 'till'
Original Word Word Origin
ou| genitive case of (3739) as adverb
Transliterated Word TDNT Entry
Hou None
Phonetic Spelling Parts of Speech
hoo

Definition:
King James Word Usage - Total: 41
where 22, till 14, whither 2, when 1, wherein 1, whithersoever + (1437)&version=kjv 1
KJV Verse Count Matthew 7 Luke 8 John 1 Acts 12 Romans 3 1 Corinthians 2 2 Corinthians 1 Galatians 2 Colossians 1 Hebrews 1 2 Peter 1 Revelation 2 ; Total 41

[source - Greek lexicon based on Thayer's and Smith's Bible Dictionary plus others; this is keyed to the large Kittel and the "Theological Dictionary of the New Testament."]

CONCLUSION:

The truth is self evident based on the foregoing in the words of the Complete Jewish Bible, " but he did not have sexual relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Yeshua."

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COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] FIGHTERS AGAINST GOD (YHWH)

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [321B]

But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Matthew 5:39, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

For some this scripture is difficult to understand, but one modern translation makes it a little easier to understand that it is referring to an insult and NOT a physical attack as follows, New World Translation, “However, I say to you: Do not resist the one who is wicked, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him.” Also, Luke 6:28 – 29, [AV], “Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. 29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.” And, Isaiah 50:6, [AV] “6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.” All clearly show it is dealing with insults such as spitting on one which was perceived as a vile insult in ancient times.

[2] FIGHTERS AGAINST GOD (YHWH)

Let's face it, in our day, as in the first century there has been no shortage of 'fighters against God (YHWH) and this fact is testified to at Acts 5:26-39, " Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
33 When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.
34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;
35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.
36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.
37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God." (Authorized King James Bible:AV).

For example, when genuine (true) Christians in Nazi Germany refused to support Hitler (A Roman Catholic) and to heil Adolph Hitler (an apostate-counterfeit-Christian) as their 'Fuhrer,' Hitler vowed to exterminate them. They remembered Matthew 23:10, " Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ." (AV). His efficient death machine seemed more than equal to the job. The Nazis did succeed in rounding up thousands of genuine (true) Christians and putting them into concentration camps along with the Jews and Muslims and Gypsies.

But the Nazis failed to break the resolve of genuine (true) Christians to worship the true God (YHWH) of Abraham only, and they failed to eliminate God's (YHWH's) servants as a group in Nazi Germany. The work of these Christians was from God (YHWH), not man, and the work of God cannot be overthrown.

Sixty years later, faithful survivors of Hitler's concentration camps are still serving the God (YHWH) of Abraham per Matthew 22:37, " Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (AV)

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COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] WHY? THE DETERIORATION OF THE SYSTEM WE LIVE IN:

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [VOL. 322B]

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; Revelation 7:9, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

And Matthew 25:34, [AV],” Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” clearly showing the blessings Almighty God (YHWH) through His son shall give to obedient mankind. Also, John 10:16, [AV], reveals, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” This harkens back to the promise given Abraham at Genesis 22:18, [AV] “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” Yes, per Isaiah 60:3, [AV] “And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” God’s glory will be made known to all per Isaiah 66:18, [AV] “For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.”

[2] WHY? THE DETERIORATION OF THE SYSTEM WE LIVE IN:

INTRODUCTION:

As we all know the entire system we live in has been going down hill from perfection. New diseases are coming along all the time, man is polluting the world he lives in, people do not live as long as they did in very ancient times even with the aid of modern medicine, more wars and instabilities throughout the world, etc. Why? These things are all the result of the fall from perfection caused by the introduction of sin in the world. Let's look at what happened and then the results.

THE INTRODUCTION OF SIN INTO THE WORLD:

Side notes in one Bible said the following,

"The Introduction of Sin. Sin occurred first in the spirit realm before its introduction on earth. For unknown ages full harmony with God prevailed in the universe. Disruption came through a spirit creature referred to simply as the Resister, Adversary (Heb., Sa·tan'; Gr., Sa·ta·nas'; Job 1:6; Romans 16:20), the principal False Accuser or Slanderer (Gr., Di·a'bo·los) of God. (Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 12:9) Hence, the apostle John says: "He who carries on sin originates with the Devil, because the Devil has been sinning from the beginning."-1John 3:8.

By "the beginning" John clearly means the beginning of Satan's career of opposition, even as "beginning" is used to refer to the start of the discipleship of Christians at 1 John 2:7; 3:11. John's words show that, once having introduced sin, Satan continued his sinful course. Hence, any person that "makes sin his business or practice" reveals himself to be a 'child' of the Adversary, spiritual offspring reflecting the qualities of his "father." [source - The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. R. Nicoll, 1967, Vol. V, p. 185; John 8:44; 1 Jo 3:10-12].

And here is more information from the Concise Bible Dictionary:

"There are many different words both in the O.T. and N.T. signifying 'sin', 'iniquity,' 'wickedness', &c., with various shades of meaning. 1. It is important to notice the scripture definition of sin. It is 'lawlessness.' #1John 3:4. Hence the distinction made between 'sin' and 'transgression,' the latter being the infraction of a known command. From Adam to Moses man "had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression," yet men had sinned and died. #Romans 5:14. A positive law was given to Adam, which he disobeyed; but from Adam to Moses no definite law was proclaimed, consequently there was no transgression, yet there was sin in the sense of lawlessness, and such sin as called for the deluge. The same distinction is plainly involved in #Romans 4:15: "Where no law is, there is no transgression," yet there may be sin, and it is averred that "as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law." #Romans 2:12.

The rendering of #1John 3:4, in the A.V., "sin is the transgression of the law," is a mistranslation. The Greek word is anomia, from a, negative, and nomov, law. This word occurs fourteen times, and in this verse only is it translated in the A. V. 'transgression of the law.' In #2Corinthians 6:14 it is 'unrighteousness,' and in eleven places it is rendered 'iniquity,' signifying any wickedness. Further, anomov, from the same root, is translated 'without law' in #1Corinthians 9:21; 'unlawful' in #2 Peter 2:8; and 'lawless' in #1 Timothy 1:9. These passages clearly indicate that the meaning of #1 John 3:4 is "Every one that practises sin, practises also lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness:" that is, doing one's own will, regardless of all restraint of God and man. This applies whether there is a definite law or not, but when there is a definite law sin is also transgression.

The principal words used for 'sin' in the N. T. are amartia,-thma,-tanw, to deviate from a right course: and for 'transgression,' 'transgressor,' parabasiv,-bathv,-bainw, to pass by or over a boundary.

2. Sin did not originate in man, but with the devil. #1 John 3:8. It came into the world by man, and brought in death as its penalty.

3. An important point is to distinguish between 'sin' and 'sins,' a distinction which must exist after the first entrance of the principle. The 'sins' of a man are what he actually commits, and are the ground of judgment, while also proving the man to be the servant of sin. A Christian is one whose conscience has been perfected for ever by the one sacrifice for sins; the Spirit of God has brought him into the value of that one offering, hence his sins, having been borne by Christ on the cross, will never be brought to his charge as guilt upon him by God, but if he sins there is a holy gracious dealing with him on the ground of Christ's propitiation, so that he is led to confess the sin or sins, and has the joy of forgiveness. 'Sin' as to the principle, involving the alienation of all things from God since the fall of man, and especially seen in man's evil nature, has been judicially removed from before God in the cross of Christ. God has "condemned sin in the flesh" in the sacrifice of Christ, #Romans 8:3, and consequently the Spirit is given to the believer. The Lord Jesus is proclaimed as "the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world" (' not sins,' as it is often quoted). He will purge heaven and earth from sin, and in result there will be new heavens and a new earth, wherein will dwell righteousness. Though Christ tasted death for every one, or everything, He is not represented as bearing the 'sins' of all: His death as regards 'sins' being qualified by the words 'of many,' 'our sins,' &c.

4. In the important passage in #Romans 5:15-20, the word OFFENCE occurs. The Greek is paraptwma, from 'to fall off or away.' It is used for Adam's fall or sin, and God's free gift is in respect of many sins. "The law entered that the offence might abound," that is, that the offensiveness or heinousness of sin might be made manifest. The same word is translated 'fall, fault, trespass, and sin.' " [source - Concise Bible Dictionary by George Morrish]

And, Easton's Revised Bible Dictionary says,

"Adam was constituted by God the federal head and representative of all his posterity, as he was also their natural head, and therefore when he fell they fell with him #Romans 5:12-21, 1Corinthians 15:22-45 His probation was their probation, and his fall their fall. Because of Adam's first sin all his posterity came into the world in a state of sin and condemnation, i.e.,

1. a state of moral corruption, and

2. of guilt, as having judicially imputed to them the guilt of Adam's first sin."[source - Easton's Revised Bible Dictionary]

NOW LET'S LOOK AT THE RESULTS:

FIRST, It is no way a punishment from our loving God (YHWH), but simply due to the process of what could be called running down of the system because since the original sin. He is letting individuals run their own ruinous course. Like any system that is lacking maintenance, the systems of the earth run down from lack of service just as do cars, and because of the original sin, God (YHWH) simply is not doing anything but letting natural systems take their toll. This is clearly shown by Genesis 3:17-19, "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." (Authorized King James Bible; AV).

To add to this, the abuse the inhabitants are giving to the earth, i.e., air pollution, water pollution, ground pollution, urban sprawl, noise pollution, etc. All these things are damaging our immune system as well as the immune system of the plants, and turning beneficial microbes and organisms into dangerous ones. This is causing the system to run down at a fast rate.

SECOND, The wicked spirit force ruling over this world as shown at Revelation 12:9-12, "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 12 ¶ Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (AV); and 1 John 5:19, "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." (AV). This wicked spirit being that is working to ruin the earth even tried to tempt the Son of God (YHWH) as shown in Matthew 4:1-10, "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (AV).

So why should anyone be surprised at the degenerating conditions that now exist?

CONCLUSION:

So as can be seen, all the new diseases and bad conditions are the result of the original sin and mankind's misuse of the earth.

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SPECIAL ITEM:

YOU ARE WELCOME TO THE ANNUAL COMMEMORATION OF THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST WHICH BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC WILL NOT BE HELD IN PERSON. THE EVENT WILL BE HELD VIRTUALLY on march 27, at 7:30 p.m. (EST). TO LEARN MORE CALL 1-561-888-0560

NOW, LEARN WHAT HE DID FOR US BY PROVIDING A RANSOM FOR ALL OBEDIENT MANKIND, FROM INHERITED SIN, PLEASE READ ON AND LEARN MORE:
[[ NOTE THIS IS AN ADVANCE NOTICE AND WILL BE SENT AGAIN NEARER THE EVENT ON MARCH 27, 2021 Eastern Standard Time ]]

INTRODUCTION, THE IMPORTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AND WHAT HE DID FOR US:

This interesting article on the Ransom paid by Christ on our behalf will be in an unusual style, solely by scriptures from the Bible, Almighty God's (YHWH's) word for mankind to provide a guidance or standard for mankind to live by. The scriptures will be taken from two very different translational style Bibles so as to give the reader the flavor of both a standard Christian translation, The American Standard Version (ASV) and that of a Messianic Jewish Translation, The Complete Jewish Bible, published by the Jewish Net Testament Publications (TCJB). It uses scripture alone to tell the story of the Ransom paid by Christ on our behalf.

THE SCRIPTURAL STORY:

Ransom price corresponds to the perfect human life lost by Adam's disobedience:

1 Timothy 2:5-6, "For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, [himself] man, Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all; the testimony [to be borne] in its own times;" (American Standard Version; ASV)

Philippians 2:5-6, "but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient [even] unto death, yea, the death of the cross." (ASV).

1 Corinthians 15:22, "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." (ASV).

Christ died to provide a ransom to open the way to everlasting life for all who would believe:

Ephesians 1:3-7, "Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ: 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love: 5 having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved: 7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace," (ASV).

John 3:16-18, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him. 18 He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God." (ASV).

1 John 4:9-10, "Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins." (ASV)

John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. " (ASV).

1 Timothy 2:5-6, "For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, [himself] man, Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all; the testimony [to be borne] in its own times;" (ASV).

The Need of mankind for a ransom to free us from bondage to sin and death:

Romans 5:12, "Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned:--" (ASV) as I previously told you.

Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;" (ASV)

Psalms 49:7-9, "None [of them] can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him; 8 (For the redemption of their life is costly, And it faileth for ever;) 9 That he should still live alway, That he should not see corruption." (ASV).

Psalms 51:5, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me." (ASV).

The price paid for release from bondage to sin and death;

Matthew 20:28, "even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (ASV).

Romans 3:24, "By God's grace, without earning it, all are granted the status of being considered righteous before him, through the act redeeming us from our enslavement to sin that was accomplished by the Messiah Yeshua." (The Complete Jewish Bible, Jewish Net Testament Publications; TCJB).

Hebrews 2:14-15, "Therefore, since the children share a common physical nature as human beings, he became like them and shared that same human nature; so that by his death he might render ineffective the one who had power over death (that is, the Adversary) 15 and thus set free those who had been in bondage all their lives because of their fear of death." (TCJB).

The ransom was paid by Christ with his human life blood poured out in death:

John 10:11, ""I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (TCJB).

Ephesians 1:7, " In union with him, through the shedding of his blood, we are set free - our sins are forgiven; this accords with the wealth of the grace" (TCJB).

1 Peter 1:18-19, "You should be aware that the ransom paid to free you from the worthless way of life which your fathers passed on to you did not consist of anything perishable like silver or gold; 19 on the contrary, it was the costly bloody sacrificial death of the Messiah, as of a lamb without defect or spot." (TCJB).

Revelations 5:9, "and they sang a new song, "You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals; because you were slaughtered; at the cost of blood you ransomed for God persons from every tribe, language, people and nation." (TCJB).

Christ died, not due to sin, but as a sacrifice on behalf of mankind;

Hebrews 7:26 & 9:25-26, "This is the kind of cohen gadol that meets our need - holy, without evil, without stain, set apart from sinners and raised higher than the heavens; " & "Further, he did not enter heaven to offer himself over and over again, like the cohen hagadol who enters the Holiest Place year after year with blood that is not his own; 26 for then he would have had to suffer death many times - from the founding of the universe on. But as it is, he has appeared once at the end of the ages in order to do away with sin through the sacrifice of himself." (TCJB).

1 John 4:10, "Here is what love is: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the kapparah for our sins." (TCJB).

1 Peter 2:22, "who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:" (ASV).

After Christ was resurrected, he presented the value of his sacrifice to his Father, Almighty God (YHWH), in heaven:

Hebrews 9:11-12 & 24, " But Christ having come a high priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, 12 nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. " & " For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us:" (ASV).

Ephesians 5:2, "and walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odor of a sweet smell." (ASV).

Romans 8:34, "who is he that condemneth? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (ASV).

The Purpose and benefits of the ransom:

Isaiah 53:12, "Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (ASV).

Hebrews 2:9, "But we do see Yeshua - who indeed was made for a little while lower than the angels - now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by God's grace he might taste death for all humanity. " (TCJB).

Galatians 1:4, "who gave himself for our sins, so that he might deliver us from the present evil world-system, in obedience to the will of God, our Father." (TCJB).

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COMBINATION OF THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES - Maranta spp With the Scripture of the Day first.

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [323B]

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. John 14:6 [authorized King James Bible; AV]

This is emphised at john 1:17 - 18, [AV] “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” As John 1:4, points out, [AV] “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” Jesus (yeshua) was sent by His Father to bring light to the world as shown by John 5:19, [AV] “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.”

[2] THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES - Maranta spp - :
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Maranta spp. and Sagittaria spp., Arrowhead/Wapato.

Abundance: uncommon
What: tubers, young leaves, young flower stalks
How: boiled, roasted
Where: marshes, water
When: tubers all year, best in late fall and early winter; young leaves in early summer; flower stalks well before flower buds have opened.
Nutritional Value: carbohydrates
Dangers: Beware the similar-looking arrow arum, (Peltandra virginica) plant which has an arrowhead-shaped leaf and produces tubers same as Sagittaria species.

Found in marshes, rivers, lakes and ponds, the arrowhead plant’s distinctive leaf and flowers are easy to spot. Most arrowhead plants have three-pointed leaves shape like an arrowhead, with either the top point bigger and broader than or the same as the two downward pointing points. The vein pattern in the leaves of Sagittaria species is palmate, which means the leaves have numerous thick veins running from the stem out to the tips and sides. THIS PAMATE VENATION IS IMPORTANT TO DISTINGUISH THE EDIBLE SAGITTARIA FROM TOXIC ARUM SPECIES.

Traditionally arrowroot tubers are freed from the mud by tearing them from the roots while walking barefoot in the water. The tubers float to the surface where the can be collected. They are prepared for eating by first peeling the bitter outer skin, followed by cooking any way you would cook a potato. The young leaves are harvested and boiled before they've had a chance to unroll/unfurl. The flower stalk is cooked like asparagus but it must be harvested before its flower buds have opened. Note, any plants harvested from water must be cooked to avoid imbibing any toxic pathogens.

Note that arrowhead tubers do not store very well, unlike traditional potatoes. If you want to keep them make sure you are storing only perfect, undamaged tubers and place them in moist, clean sand in a cool, dark place.

TOXIC MIMIC: ARROW ARUM PLANT
Arrow arum plants (Peltandra virginica) grow in wetlands, and have a leaves-with the same arrowhead-shape as the edible Sagittaria, as well as similar tubers. All parts of the arum plants are filled with calcium oxalate which will cause painful burning sensations in the lips, mouth, and throat if eaten. To tell the difference between arrowhead plants and Arum arrowhead plants look at the pattern of veins in the leaves. Toxic arrow Arum leaves have only three main veins, one each running out from the center out to the points of its leaf. From these three main veins branch out smaller veins, much like you see in a "normal" leaf of other plants. The edible arrowhead leaf has many veins radiating out from the center of the leaf where it connects to the stem, making it kind of look like a spider. These veins meet up again at the tips/points of the Sagittaria leaf. [source - retrieved from http://www.foragingtexas.com/2008/08/arrowroot_20.html on 3/15/2015]

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].

View at http://www.foragingtexas.com/2008/08/arrowroot_20.html

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**Admin** Fri Mar 05, 2021 3:18 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] TWO WRONGS DO NOT A DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [325B]

For Jehovah is a great God, And a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the mountains are his also. 5 The sea is his, and he made it; And his hands formed the dry land. 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before Jehovah our Maker: Psalms 95.3 – 6, [American Standard Version: AVS]

Yes, Almighty God (YHWH) is the great God above all the false ones which are nothing imaginary ones put in the minds of man by none other than Satan the Devil, and this is testified to at Psalms 96:4 – 6, [authorized King James Bible; AV] “For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. 6 Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” And as Psalms 97:9, affirms, [AV] “For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.” We should love the Creator as shown by Isaiah 44:8, [AV] “Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” Of course there are many false gods such as Thor, Allah, etc., but as Isaiah 44:9 – 15, [AV] “They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. 10 Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together. 12 The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house. 14 He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it. 15 Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.” Yea, it is high time for all those now worshiping false puppet gods which have the Devil behind them to switch over to worshipping the Creator, and becoming genuine followers of his son, Jesus (Yeshua).

TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT THE BIBLE REALLY SAYS, GO TO, https://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/bible-teach/

[2] TWO WRONGS DO NOT A DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT

INTRODUCTION:

The present furor over cartoons published in Jyllands-Posten newspaper raise some very serious issues.

First, Why did the Jews remain rational and calm all these years with respect the very nasty and vulgar provocative cartoons against them published in Muslim newspapers?

Second, Why did Muslims who have been publishing very nasty and vulgar provocative cartoons against others arc so insane and irrational when Jyllands-Posten newspaper published 12 very tame cartoons against them? Seems like they feel it is alright to vehemently attack others with very nasty and vulgar provocative cartoons, but it's a real NO-NO for others to do likewise to them and this with even very tame cartoons.

Third, One Muslim nation is even planning an anti-Jewish cartoon campaign, probably with very nasty and vulgar provocative cartoons. Yet the reality is that the Jews had nothing to do with the cartoons published in Jyllands-Posten newspaper. So what is the rational for this? It is completely irrational behavior to do such a thing, attack a third party over tame cartoons they did not like. Hum this is getting absurd.

Fourth, The strange fact that, <<" the Egyptian Newspaper El Fagr published 6 of the Muhammad cartoons during Ramadan with no apparent adverse reaction.">> [source - http://www.jp.dk/english_news/artikel:aid=3548386/ ]

Why this provoked no reaction is difficult to contemplate.

PROVOCATIVE CARTOON THROWING BY MUSLIM NEWSPAPERS:

For many years, Muslim newspapers have been publishing very nasty and vulgar provocative vile cartoons against the Jews, the sovereign nation of Israel, and many others, but since this was Muslims doing the wrong against none Muslims, they considered this okay. In other words, Muslims newspapers like to taunt others with vile cartoons, but consider it the gravest of offense for anyone to dare to do likewise to them even in a very tame way. This is of course definitely NOT fair play nor freedom of the press. Fair play means you treat others as you want to be treated and in a civil and considerate way.

Now if they, Muslim publications, did not treat others according to the rule of fair play, what right do they have to expect others NOT to treat them in kind? Regularly anti-Christian vile cartoons have been appearing in the same Muslim publications. Now when did anyone see either Christians, either genuine (true) Christians or apostate (counterfeit) Christians, and/or Jews committing criminal acts against the property of Muslims over this? When did any of these three groups ever riot over the vile cartoons of Muslim publications? NEVER.

Why did they not turn to violence and crime with regard to the vile cartoons of Muslim newspapers? Simple, while they many not have liked the cartoons, they saw NO reason to act completely insane and irrational over them. Why? Maybe, and this applies even to the apostates, they remained rational individuals not given to insane and criminal acts.

The Muslim World League (MWL) called on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to activate international laws against insolence toward religion, but said nothing about the extreme insolence toward religion of others shown by their own Muslim newspapers for many years. Now is this NOT a double standard?

<<" It has also been pointed out that cartoons in the Arab and Islamic press "demonising" Jews and Israelis are common.">>[source - Q&A: The Muhammad cartoons row," BBC News, 3 February 2006. ]. And, <<" The latest cartoon row centres on the British paper Muslim Weekly. Andrew Dismore, the Labour MP for Hendon, said the cartoon was "obscene" and in terribly "bad taste", and has now made a formal complaint to the paper. He added: "This cartoon depicts people in the most obscene fashion, reminiscent of Die Sturmer, the Nazi propaganda sheet. It denigrates and incites hatred towards Jewish people. I sympathise with the Muslim complaints about the cartoon that appeared in Denmark, but it is hypocritical to publish a cartoon like this."

Mr Dismore hinted that if the the paper does not promise to stop carrying artwork of that type he would make a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission. The cartoon, which appeared in last week's edition of the current affairs publication, shows world leaders, including President George Bush, President Jacques Chirac, Tony Blair and Iran's new President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and a caricature of an Israeli figure meant to represent Mr Olmert. The caption reads: "The nuclear club (US, UK, France and Israel) is angry for Iran's attempt to enter the nuclear market."

A spokesman for the Muslim Weekly said the cartoon was an "evocative" caricature, not intended to offend or be "stereotypical". He said: "It's a caricature so that's the whole point of it. It's a depiction, a portrayal. If he feels it is anti-Semitic we will try to reach common ground."
Jewish groups have complained about previous cartoon portrayals of Jews that appear in the Arab press. They include a depiction in 2002 of the then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak as Hitler, with his hands dripping with blood. Another shows a Jewish devil with a huge hooked nose haranguing the Pope. The Pope says: "Peace on earth" and the Jew replies: "Colonies on earth.">> [source - The Online Edition Independent, Sunday 05/2006].

IRRATIONAL REACTIONS TO A RATHER TAME SET OF 12 CARTOONS BY A DANISH NEWSPAPER:

Now we have seen that Muslim papers have posted for many years very vile, nasty provocative cartoons against others, but now Muslims when some none Muslim newspaper publishes some rather tame cartoons that offend them do not react rationally as did their victims for many years. They react in an insane irrational manner completely without common sense and/or reason. Let's look briefly at this unconscionable irrational reaction.

<<" Violence, fatwas and online anti-Jew images: a world of protests

The ferocious Muslim protests at the publication of the cartoons in the European press escalated into a global phenomenon at the weekend. The violence appeared likely to intensify despite calls for restraint from some leading clerics. Denmark, where cartoons of the prophet Mohammed first appeared in September, was the main target of arson, threats and calls for an economic boycott.

Syria, On Saturday protesters in the capital, Damascus, set fire to the Danish and Norwegian embassies. The Swedish embassy, in the same building as the Danish mission, was damaged. Protesters also tried to storm the French embassy but were held off by riot police. No diplomats were injured. The Danish and Norwegian foreign ministries advised citizens to leave Syria as soon as possible. Last night the Syrian foreign ministry said it "expresses its regret regarding the violent acts which accompanied the protests and caused material damage at some embassies".">> [source - Owen Bowcott, Monday February 6, 2006, The Guardian (UK)]

Now, not was the reaction to some rather tame provocative cartoons insane and very irrational, but most of the anger was directed at individuals and institutions and groups that had absolutely NOTHING to do with the publication of the cartoons; to wit, the Danish government for permitting freedom of the press, other governments for reasons that does not even make sense, and at the Jews who in no way were connected to the cartoons. In fact, as previously mentioned, the Jews have been the victim of some very vile and nasty cartoons by the very same groups that go insane when some one gives them back some of what they have been doing to others for years, and that in a very tame version. I guess the motto is throw vile cartoons at others, but let not they even throw the tamest of cartoons at us.

CONCLUSION:

Muslims who for years have been throwing the most vile and nasty cartoons at others and feeling that is their right with regard to freedom of their press do NOT WANT TO permit the same freedom of the press of others even when it involves some very tame cartoons. Why? Because it appears many Muslims have no respect for the rights of others, and do not know how to act rationally, and this incident clearly proves this.

All should realize the right to satire if it is funny and not vile. One Finish newspaper made this point with respect this right, <<""Right for Satire," said a front-page headline in Het Nieuwsblad. An editorial in the newspaper called the outcry over the cartoons an attack on freedom of expression.">>
[source - Arab News - The Middle East's Leading English Language Daily]

When nations even apologize for the insane irrational behavior of some of their citizens, it shows things are out of hand, <<" Syria voices regret over embassy attacks... "The foreign ministry expresses its regret over the acts of violence which accompanied the protests yesterday, which caused damage to embassies of Chile and other countries in Damascus," the ministry said in a statement.">>
[source - AFP via Yahoo! News on 02/05/2006]

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**Admin** Mon Mar 08, 2021 4:00 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] WORSHIPERS OF FALSE GODS ARE IRRATIONAL

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [324B]

John 8:42 Jesus (Yeshua) said to them, " Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me." (Authorized King James Bible; AV).

Jesus (Yeshua) said he comes from God. The flesh cannot be speaking for the flesh was created. So Jesus (Yeshua)'s spiritual being came from God. Jesus (Yeshua) did not send himself, he did not come on his own, but before he was on earth, God sent him. Jesus (Yeshua) was sent by God into the world, so Jesus (Yeshua) is before the world with God. He is referred to a Pr. 8:22-31, “The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. 27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: 28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: 29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: 30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; 31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

[2] WORSHIPERS OF FALSE GODS ARE IRRATIONAL

INTRODUCTION:

The hypothesis is that worshippers through the ages are extremely irrational based on how worshippers of false gods reacted as recorded in 1 Kings 18:21-29, "And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:
24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.
26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.
27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded." (Authorized King James Bible; AV).

This hypothesis will be proven and/or disproved by contrasting how worshippers of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham react to a very provocative cartoons with how worshippers of false god(s) such as the old middle eastern Moon god act as to whether they act irrationally or rationally. This hypothesis will be proven by actual reactions of the two groups to provocative cartoons.

REACTION OF WORSHIPPERS OF TRUE GOD (YHWH) TO PROVOCATIVE CARTOONS:

Let's look at how worshippers of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham react to a series of provocative cartoon meant to anger and provoke them as shown by a newspaper article:
<<"Muslim cartoon provokes fury among UK Jews
By Marie Woolf, Political Editor
Published: 05 February 2006
An anti-Semitic cartoon in a Muslim paper, which depicts Israel's acting Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, as a hook-nosed figure wearing a giant Star of David, last night drew protests from MPs and Jewish groups.
For days, Muslims across the world have been protesting about European newspapers that published drawings showing the Prophet Mohamed. One MP accused the editors of hypocrisy.
Yesterday a newspaper published cartoons that Jewish groups say they find offensive, and US generals protested about a cartoon in the Washington Post. It showed Donald Rumsfeld, the Defense Secretary, beside a limbless soldier, but the generals said, on behalf of the normally robust Mr Rumsfeld, that the drawing was "tasteless".
The latest cartoon row centres on the British paper Muslim Weekly. Andrew Dismore, the Labour MP for Hendon, said the cartoon was "obscene" and in terribly "bad taste", and has now made a formal complaint to the paper. He added: "This cartoon depicts people in the most obscene fashion, reminiscent of Die Sturmer, the Nazi propaganda sheet. It denigrates and incites hatred towards Jewish people. I sympathise with the Muslim complaints about the cartoon that appeared in Denmark, but it is hypocritical to publish a cartoon like this."
Mr Dismore hinted that if the the paper does not promise to stop carrying artwork of that type he would make a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission. The cartoon, which appeared in last week's edition of the current affairs publication, shows world leaders, including President George Bush, President Jacques Chirac, Tony Blair and Iran's new President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and a caricature of an Israeli figure meant to represent Mr Olmert. The caption reads: "The nuclear club (US, UK, France and Israel) is angry for Iran's attempt to enter the nuclear market."
A spokesman for the Muslim Weekly said the cartoon was an "evocative" caricature, not intended to offend or be "stereotypical". He said: "It's a caricature so that's the whole point of it. It's a depiction, a portrayal. If he feels it is anti-Semitic we will try to reach common ground."
Jewish groups have complained about previous cartoon portrayals of Jews that appear in the Arab press. They include a depiction in 2002 of the then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak as Hitler, with his hands dripping with blood. Another shows a Jewish devil with a huge hooked nose haranguing the Pope. The Pope says: "Peace on earth" and the Jew replies: "Colonies on earth."
Cartoonists are defending their right to lampoon public and religious figures, even the prophet Mohamed. Dave Brown, of The Independent, said: "If there was some important strong, valid point which would have necessitated the drawing of Mohamed, then fine. The one with the turban in the shape of a bomb: the only point it makes is that all Muslims are terrorists, which is crass, stupid and objectionable."
Ralph Steadman said: "I can draw whatever comes into my mind if whatever comes into my mind is legitimate. If it does not incite violence or cause people to get hurt or endangered, I can produce that drawing and make it what it is."
An anti-Semitic cartoon in a Muslim paper, which depicts Israel's acting Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, as a hook-nosed figure wearing a giant Star of David, last night drew protests from MPs and Jewish groups.
For days, Muslims across the world have been protesting about European newspapers that published drawings showing the Prophet Mohamed. One MP accused the editors of hypocrisy.
Yesterday a newspaper published cartoons that Jewish groups say they find offensive, and US generals protested about a cartoon in the Washington Post. It showed Donald Rumsfeld, the Defense Secretary, beside a limbless soldier, but the generals said, on behalf of the normally robust Mr Rumsfeld, that the drawing was "tasteless".
The latest cartoon row centres on the British paper Muslim Weekly. Andrew Dismore, the Labour MP for Hendon, said the cartoon was "obscene" and in terribly "bad taste", and has now made a formal complaint to the paper. He added: "This cartoon depicts people in the most obscene fashion, reminiscent of Die Sturmer, the Nazi propaganda sheet. It denigrates and incites hatred towards Jewish people. I sympathise with the Muslim complaints about the cartoon that appeared in Denmark, but it is hypocritical to publish a cartoon like this."
Mr Dismore hinted that if the the paper does not promise to stop carrying artwork of that type he would make a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission. The cartoon, which appeared in last week's edition of the current affairs publication, shows world leaders, including President George Bush, President Jacques Chirac, Tony Blair and Iran's new President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and a caricature of an Israeli figure meant to represent Mr Olmert. The caption reads: "The nuclear club (US, UK, France and Israel) is angry for Iran's attempt to enter the nuclear market."
A spokesman for the Muslim Weekly said the cartoon was an "evocative" caricature, not intended to offend or be "stereotypical". He said: "It's a caricature so that's the whole point of it. It's a depiction, a portrayal. If he feels it is anti-Semitic we will try to reach common ground."
Jewish groups have complained about previous cartoon portrayals of Jews that appear in the Arab press. They include a depiction in 2002 of the then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak as Hitler, with his hands dripping with blood. Another shows a Jewish devil with a huge hooked nose haranguing the Pope. The Pope says: "Peace on earth" and the Jew replies: "Colonies on earth."
Cartoonists are defending their right to lampoon public and religious figures, even the prophet Mohamed. Dave Brown, of The Independent, said: "If there was some important strong, valid point which would have necessitated the drawing of Mohamed, then fine. The one with the turban in the shape of a bomb: the only point it makes is that all Muslims are terrorists, which is crass, stupid and objectionable."
Ralph Steadman said: "I can draw whatever comes into my mind if whatever comes into my mind is legitimate. If it does not incite violence or cause people to get hurt or endangered, I can produce that drawing and make it what it is."
[source - The Online Edition Independent, Sunday 05/2006]">>

The rational reaction to these provocative anti-Jewish cartoons was rational. Why? Because the Jews are worshippers of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham even though they were not always faithful to him. The reaction can be summarized as follows, <<" The latest cartoon row centres on the British paper Muslim Weekly. Andrew Dismore, the Labour MP for Hendon, said the cartoon was "obscene" and in terribly "bad taste", and has now made a formal complaint to the paper. He added: "This cartoon depicts people in the most obscene fashion, reminiscent of Die Sturmer, the Nazi propaganda sheet. It denigrates and incites hatred towards Jewish people.">>. As can be seen the reaction was one of rational people, and not an irrational reaction such as the reaction of 1 Kings 18:27-29, " And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded." (AV).

REACTION OF WORSHIPPERS OF FALSE GOD(S) TO PROVOCATIVE CARTOONS:

Let's look at how worshippers of false god(s), such as the old middle eastern Moon god, react to a series of provocative cartoon meant to anger and provoke them as shown by a newspaper article. We will look at several newspaper accounts of their reactions:

First, <<" DAMASCUS, Syria - Several thousand Syrian demonstrators set the Danish and the Norwegian embassies on fire on Saturday to protest at the publishing of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad by European newspapers. The protest marked an escalation in the Muslim world's uproar over the cartoons, which have been reprinted in a number of European publications. One depicted Prophet Mohammad wearing a turban resembling a bomb. The fire badly damaged the Danish embassy's building, a Reuters witness said. Firefighters put out the blaze.
[source - Embassies torched as cartoon furor grows by Reuters]">>

Second, <<"'Cartoons Infused Muslims With a Spirit of Defiance'
Arab News
JEDDAH, 4 February 2006 - An influential imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah proclaimed a new spirit of defiance among Muslims after worldwide protests over cartoons denigrating the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in European newspapers.
"A great new spirit is flowing through the body of the Islamic Ummah... The world can no longer ignore this Ummah and its feelings," Saleh Bin-Humaid said while delivering his Friday sermon.
"The nation has worked hard in support of its Prophet Muhammad in recent days. It is the right of every Muslim to show joy at this defense of our beloved Prophet," he told hundreds of thousands of faithful who packed the Grand Mosque.
Bin-Humaid commended the leading role played by Saudi Arabia in campaigns protesting the provocative cartoons. The Kingdom withdrew its ambassador to Denmark, saying the government had not done enough to assuage anger over the cartoons published last September in the Jyllands-Posten newspaper.
...
Flemish newspapers yesterday printed a slew of cartoons of the Prophet, including those published by Jyllands-Posten. "Right for Satire," said a front-page headline in Het Nieuwsblad. An editorial in the newspaper called the outcry over the cartoons an attack on freedom of expression.
[source - Arab News - The Middle East's Leading English Language Daily]">>

Third, <<" Syria voices regret over embassy attacks
DAMASCUS - Syria voiced its regret over attacks against the Danish and Norwegian diplomatic missions in Damascus by angry mobs protesting at cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed as a terrorist. Crowds stormed the buildings housing two embassies on Saturday, setting fire to both and pillaging the contents of the first-floor office of the Chilean embassy in one of the buildings. "The foreign ministry expresses its regret over the acts of violence which accompanied the protests yesterday, which caused damage to embassies in Damascus," the ministry said in a statement.
[source - AFP via Yahoo! News on 02/05/2006]">>

Fourth, <<" BEIRUT, Lebanon - Thousands of Muslims rampaged Sunday in Beirut, setting fire to the Danish Embassy, burning Danish flags and lobbing stones at a Maronite Catholic church as violent protests over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad spread from neighboring Syria. Troops fired bullets into the air and used tear gas and water cannons to push the crowds back after a small group of Islamic extremists tried to break through the security barrier outside the embassy. Flames and smoke billowed from the building. Security officials said at least 30 people were injured.
[source - Associated Press 12:00 AM, 02/05/2006]">>

These newspaper accounts speak for themselves with respect to the very irrational reaction of worshippers of the old middle eastern Moon god. The worshippers of this false god are attacking even individuals and groups, such as the Maronite Catholic church that have absolutely NO connection to the provocative cartoons they are objecting to.

CONCLUSION:

The very irrational acts and reactions of false god(s) of ancient times as shown in 1 Kings 18:21-29, previously quoted, and the present day very irrational acts and reactions clearly prove the hypothesis that worshippers of false god(s) do NOT react rational. Even over thousands of years, worshippers of false god(s) remain the same; to wit, reacting very irrational to the slightest provocation.

Whereas, the worshippers of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham do not react irrationally to the slightest provocation even though it is the exact same type of provocative thing, i.e., provocative cartoons. Clearly there is a major difference in the reactions of the two groups. The worshippers of false god(s) react violently and very irrationally; whereas, the worshippers of the true God (YHWH) react very rationally.

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**Admin** Fri Mar 12, 2021 8:15 am

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] A COMMENTARY ON INSANE IRRATIONALITY OVER SILLY CARTOONS AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [326B]

Declare his glory among the nations, His marvellous works among all the peoples. 4 For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols; But Jehovah made the heavens. 6 Honor and majesty are before him: Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Psalms 96:3 – 6, [American Standard Version: AVS]

Yes, His marvelous works will be spread to all people as foretold at Isaiah 66:19, [authorized King James Bible; AV]`”And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.” And, Almighty God (YHWH) is a deliverer as testified to at 2 Peter 2:9, [AV] “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:” He is the Creator of all there is and Psalms 72:17 – 18, [AV] “ His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. 18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.” Yes, Titus 2:13, [AV] Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; “ As Deuteronomy 10:17, says, [AV] “For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:” He, Psalms 95:3, [AV] “For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”

[2] A COMMENTARY ON INSANE IRRATIONALITY OVER SILLY CARTOONS AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT:

FIRST, Let's face it, any grown-up or group of grown-ups that would go insanely irrational over silly cartoons is only grown-up in size and age, but is mentally a very immature person or group of persons. Now why would any so called grown-up act so insane? Only because he/she is a worshipper of false god(s) such as the old middle eastern Moon god, 'Allah,' one of the Celestian puppet god(s) of Satan the Devil. Let's look at the facts in brief:
In Arabia, the sun god was viewed as a female goddess and the moon as the male god. As has been pointed out by many scholars such as Alfred Guilluame, the moon god was called by various names, one of which was Allah! [source - Islam: Muhammad, and His Religion, New York: The Liberal Arts Press, 1958 p. 7].

The name Allah was used as the personal name of the moon god, in addition to other titles that could be given to him.

Allah, the moon god, was married to the sun goddess. Together they produced three goddesses who were called "the daughters of Allah." These three goddesses were called Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat.

The daughters of Allah, along with Allah and the sun goddess were viewed as "high" gods. That is, they were viewed as being at the top of the pantheon of Arabian deities.

"Along with Allah, however, they worshipped a host of lesser gods and "daughters of Al-lah" [source - Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, I:61]
Worshippers of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham do not act that way over silly cartoons, so get a dose of reality!

SECOND, Now here is my comment on a post out on the internet that I shall use to clarify the situation with respect who should be punished and why:
Gwladys Fouché
Monday February 6, 2006

Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper that first published the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that have caused a storm of protest throughout the Islamic world, refused to run drawings lampooning Jesus Christ, it has emerged today.
The Danish daily turned down the cartoons of Christ three years ago, on the grounds that they could be offensive to readers and were not funny.

In April 2003, Danish illustrator Christoffer Zieler submitted a series of unsolicited cartoons dealing with the resurrection of Christ to Jyllands-Posten.
Zieler received an email back from the paper's Sunday editor, Jens Kaiser, which said: "I don't think Jyllands-Posten's readers will enjoy the drawings. As a matter of fact, I think that they will provoke an outcry. Therefore, I will not use them."

The illustrator said: "I see the cartoons as an innocent joke, of the type that my Christian grandfather would enjoy."

"I showed them to a few pastors and they thought they were funny."

But the Jyllands-Posten editor in question, Mr Kaiser, said that the case was "ridiculous to bring forward now. It has nothing to do with the Muhammad cartoons.
"In the Muhammad drawings case, we asked the illustrators to do it. I did not ask for these cartoons. That's the difference," he said.

"The illustrator thought his cartoons were funny. I did not think so. It would offend some readers, not much but some."

The decision smacks of "double-standards", said Ahmed Akkari, spokesman for the Danish-based European Committee for Prophet Honouring, the umbrella group that represents 27 Muslim organisations that are campaigning for a full apology from Jyllands-Posten.
Jens Kaiser, the Sunday editor, but NOT for the reasons that any of you may agree or disagree with his actions. For example, the political and religious satire cartoons published in various south Florida newspapers for their humor and people living in south Florida do NOT get 'wrapped up' in them. When the readers of a particular publication no longer find them interesting and/or humorous then a paper would be well advised NOT to publish them.

I have no objections to cartoons meant to be humorous for their INTENDED audience. For example, I am quite sure readers of newspapers in the middle east, Indonesia, Nigeria, etc. would not find the cartoons about Florida's governor Jeb Bush humorous and if I were a newspaper editor in those areas, I would definitely not publish them! Cartoon humor depends on the audience so stop being childish.

With respect the tame provocative cartoons about a prophet, the general audience in Denmark probably found them quite humorous; whereas, they would NOT find the ones about Christ humorous. What one culture finds humorous is NOT necessarily what another culture finds humorous. Now if one is posting on the Interned, a world wide medium, they should only post what almost all cultures will find humorous. Why? Every culture has its own type of humor, take the English, they love hyperbole; whereas, I can NOT stand it do to my Arab-Spanish upbringing. I find NO humor in it.

The Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, published strictly for a Danish audience, and not on a middle eastern or world wide media. Now if anyone should be punished and/or apologize it should be the individual who intentionally took the tame provocative cartoons to another area to stir up trouble. I feel he should be tried for high treason by the world community, the UN, as he did so with the intent of causing unrest/harm as he knew, or should have known, that some groups, due to being worshippers of false god(s) other than the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, react in a very insane irrational way. So let's get realistic.

As I previously said, worshippers of false god(s) have always reacted insanely and irrationally, take a look at what I previously posted.
The very irrational acts and reactions of false god(s) of ancient times as shown in 1 Kings 18:21-29, previously quoted, and the present day very irrational acts and reactions clearly prove the hypothesis that worshippers of false god(s) do NOT react rational. Even over thousands of years, worshippers of false god(s) remain the same; to wit, reacting very irrational to the slightest provocation.

Whereas, the worshippers of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham do not react irrationally to the slightest provocation even though it is the exact same type of provocative thing, i.e., provocative cartoons. Clearly there is a major difference in the reactions of the two groups. The worshippers of false god(s) react violently and very irrationally; whereas, the worshippers of the true God (YHWH) react very rationally.

THIRD, The following was found out on the Internet and shows how absurd some of the conspiracy theories are that worshippers of false god(s) put forth.
Flemming Rose, the cultural editor responsible for the offensive anti-Muslim cartoons, on a trip to Estonia. Rose is a supporter of the Zionist "clash of civilizations" promoted by the Neo-Con Daniel Pipes.
First, this claim has NOT been substantiated.

Second, If true, this gentlemen would be guilty of hate speech if he published the tame provocative cartoons with the intent of inciting wrong action, but I have seen zero evidence of this as he did NOT send them to any area out of Denmark, i.e., the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, is ONLY published for a Danish audience and NOT a world wide audience.

Third, As I have said previously in this article, the individual that took them to the middle east for the purpose of inciting wrong acts, in my way of thinking, is like the evil individual that would yell "FIRE" in a crowded confined place and cause a stampede that resulted in the deaths of others. This individual who intentionally took the tame provocative cartoons to another area with the intent to stir up trouble should be tried and punished. I feel he should be tried for high treason by the world community, the UN, as he did so with the intent of causing unrest as he knew, or should have known.

Fourth, The entire affair is mass insanity and irrationality whipped up by a person who lacked love, and just wanted to stir up and cause much trouble.

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**Admin** Sat Mar 13, 2021 3:26 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD OF RESEARCH USED BY LEGITIMATE RELIGIOUS RESEARCHERS:

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [327B]

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 2 Peter 3:11 – 13, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

As Malachi states at, Malachi 4:1 – 2, [AV] “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” Isaiah the prophet pleads for all to return to Almighty God (YHWH) at Isaiah 63:17, [AV] “O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.” And, Isaiah 34:4 - 5, shows what will happen to those who do not return, [AV] “And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. 5 For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.”

[2] UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD OF RESEARCH USED BY LEGITIMATE RELIGIOUS RESEARCHERS:

First, A research report/product is a report based on the scientific method of research where one starts out with a hypothesis and seeks to either prove and/or disprove the hypothesis. Thus a research product is A research report is just that one based on research and not opinion with everything as far as is reasonable backed up/buttressed with evidence usually of quotations and/or paraphrases from reliable secular sources and/or from the ultimate authorative source, God's (YHWH's) word, the Bible. With any research report you start out with a hypothesis and seek to either prove and/or disprove it. This is SOP in research and academia.

Second, Most of my research reports are reviewed by knowledgeable experts for accuracy. The one in particular that you do not like and consider arrogant, which a research report/product is not, was in particular reviewed by my husband, a PhD Theologian who had top grade point averages-graduated with a 4.0 in Theology, and by Conference Bishop Ingram, and they found little fault with it except they thought I should have used more decisive language than I did and apparently, if I read you correctly, you feel I should have used less decisive language.

Third, The entire concept behind research products/reports is that one should accurately assemble as much as possible knowledge/findings on a subject, i.e., know your subject, and present it as such. This is in no way arrogance.

Fourth, I take issue with those who insult the Bible by wrongly claiming, as one poster did on this forum-but apparently later withdrew it after I challenged him on it, contradictions when they do not understand and/or comprehend the scriptures. I know there are a number of things that many individuals claim as contradictions that when properly understood are actually not. For more details on this, go to:

Countering Bible Contradictions
http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/bible.htm

and,

Bible Data and Bible Canon
http://www.network54.com/Forum/388559

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**Admin** Wed Mar 17, 2021 11:14 am

COMBINATION OF THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES - Marrubium vulgare With the Scripture of the Day first.

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [329B]

Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. 2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. 3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. 4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. Psalms 83:1 – 4, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Here is where the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; and others conspired to commit genocide against the people of Almighty God (YHWH). Yes, the neighbors of the Hebrews were always plotting violence against them and an account at Judges 8:28, [AV] says, “Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.” No wonder the Psalmist who wrote under inspiration Psalms 64:2, [AV] wrote, “Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:” And at Psalms 27:5, [AV] “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.”

THE RARE FRUIT TREES AND VEGETABLES - Marrubium vulgare

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Marrubium vulgare, Horehound

Abundance: uncommon
What: leaves, flowers
How: tea, candied
Where: fields, dry areas, poor soils
When: spring, early summer
Nutritional Value: flavonoids, medicinal properties
DANGERS: LARGE DOSES CAN INCREASE BLOOD PRESSURE

Horehound has a long history of medicinal use, which, to anyone who's ever tasted a concoction containing this plant, will not find surprising. Horehound's flavor is somewhat unusual to modern tastes. If forced to describe horehound's flavor I'd say it's what happens when root beer and licorice mate.

Both fresh and dried horehound leaves can be used to make a tea. Chop up or crumble the leaves fairly finely to maximize exposed surface area, but you need to leave the pieces big enough to strain out of the finished product. The best way is to start with 1 cup fresh leaves or 1/4 cup dried leave and boil them in 2 cups of water for ten minutes, followed by straining out the leaves. As is, the resulting fluid is too strong to drink straight. The next step is to mix one part of this infusion with 2 parts boiling water. This tea can now be drank straight as a hot beverage or cooled down to make an ice tea.

The original infusion mentioned above can be turned into a pleasant and beneficial cough syrup by combining one part infusion with two parts honey. Perhaps the most famous form of horehound is in hard candies sucked to sooth coughs. To make these candies mix 1 cup of the original infusion with two cups granulated sugar and a pinch of cream of tartar. Stir these together until the sugar dissolves, then slowly cook the mixture down until its temperature reads 290 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer. At this point pour the solution out onto a non-stick or buttered tray and then as it cools cut it into bite-sized pieces as it cools. [sourc - retrieved from http://www.foragingtexas.com/2012/07/horehound.html on 7/ 1 /2015]

In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].

To view this plant, go to, http://www.foragingtexas.com/2012/07/horehound.html

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**Admin** Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:56 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] DISCOURSE ON A CREATIVE DAY NOT A LITERAL 24 HOUR DAY

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [330B]

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; Ephesians 4:22 – 23, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

We must make our life over in keeping with Romans 6:5 – 6, [AV] “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Remember per Romans 8:13, [AV] “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Yes, ask Almighty God (YHWH) to Psalms 51: 9 - 10, [AV] “Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

[2] DISCOURSE ON A CREATIVE DAY NOT A LITERAL 24 HOUR DAY

INTRODUCTION:

Many wonder whether a creative day is a 24 hour day or a much longer period of time. Some misguided creationist attempt to maintain that it is a 24 hour day because they claim if it is longer that an evolutionist view would have more support. However, they are wrong on both accounts and the evolutionist of course are wrong with respect how life came into being.

Even a quick look at Genesis 2:1-3 clearly shows this as impossible, "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended 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 sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." (Authorized King James Bible; AV).

But to get a better understanding of what time period is covered, let's get an understanding of the different meanings the word 'day' can have as used in the Bible.

MEANING OF THE WORD DAY IN THE BIBLE:

Let's look at what an encyclopedia says on the subject,

<<"No names were used by the Hebrews for the days of the week, except for the seventh day, called the Sabbath. (See SABBATH DAY.) Reference was made to the various days by their numerical order. In the days of Jesus and his apostles, the day preceding the Sabbath was called the Preparation. (Mt 28:1; Ac 20:7; Mr 15:42; Joh 19:31; see WEEK.) The practice of naming the days after the names of the planets and other heavenly bodies was pagan. The Romans named the days after the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn, but in northern Europe, four of these names were later changed into the Germanic equivalents of the Roman gods whom the days represented.

Sometimes the word "day" is used to indicate a measure of distance, as in the expressions "a day's journey" and "a sabbath day's journey."-Nu 11:31; Ac 1:12; see WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

In prophecy a day is at times used to stand for one year. This can be noted at Ezekiel 4:6: "You must lie upon your right side in the second case, and you must carry the error of the house of Judah forty days. A day for a year, a day for a year, is what I have given you."-See also Nu 14:34.

Certain specific numbers of days given in connection with prophecies are: three and a half days (Re 11:9); 10 days (Re 2:10); 40 days (Eze 4:6); 390 days (Eze 4:5); 1,260 days (Re 11:3; 12:6); 1,290 days (Da 12:11); 1,335 days (Da 12:12); and 2,300 days (Da 8:14).

The term "day(s)" is also used with reference to a time period contemporaneous with a particular person, as for example, "the days of Noah" and "the days of Lot."-Lu 17:26-30; Isa 1:1.

Other cases where the word "day" is used in a flexible or figurative sense are: "the day of God's creating Adam" (Ge 5:1), "the day of Jehovah" (Zep 1:7), the "day of fury" (Zep 1:15), "the day of salvation" (2Co 6:2), "the day of judgment" (2Pe 3:7), "the great day of God the Almighty" (Re 16:14), and others.

This flexible use of the word "day" to express units of time of varying length is clearly evident in the Genesis account of creation. Therein is set forth a week of six creative days followed by a seventh day of rest. The week assigned for observance by the Jews under the Law covenant given them by God was a miniature copy of that creative week. (Ex 20:8-11) In the Scriptural record the account of each of the six creative days concludes with the statement: "And there came to be evening and there came to be morning" a first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth day. (Ge 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31) The seventh day, however, does not have this ending, indicating that this period, during which God has been resting from his creative works toward the earth, continued on. At Hebrews 4:1-10 the apostle Paul indicated that God's rest day was still continuing in his generation, and that was more than 4,000 years after that seventh-day rest period began. This makes it evident that each creative day, or work period, was at least thousands of years in length. As A Religious Encyclopaedia (Vol. I, p. 613) observes: "The days of creation were creative days, stages in the process, but not days of twenty-four hours each."-Edited by P. Schaff, 1894."">> [source A Religious Encyclopedia, Volume 1, edited by P. Schaff in 1894]

Those who state a day must always be 24 hours are of course in error. We are still in God's (YHWH's) rest day with regard to further creation, our literal day has nothing to do with a creative day; to wit, we can have many days within a creative day. This is also so for the day spoken of at 2 Peter 3:8, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (Authorized King James Bible; AV)

For example, 2 Peter 3:8 that " But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (AV) is nothing but an indication that our Lord is transcendent; i.e., He is outside of time. Therefore, this gives clear indication that a creative day is something other than a literal 24 hour day.

And Psalms 90:4 clearly also shows this to be the case, "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." (AV). So clearly 'creative days' must be symbolic days which can consist of many literal days. Even to day this is the case in the far north where night is about 6 months long and day is about 6 months long, but are composed of 365+ literal days based on revolving of the earth.

Now when we look at Genesis 2:1-3," Genesis 2:1-3 clearly says, " 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." (American Standard Version: ASV). And he is still in his rest "day" as NO NEW WORKS OF CREATION have occurred for thousands of years.

We are still in God's (YHWH's) rest day with regard to further creation, our literal day has nothing to do with a creative day; to wit, we can have many days within a creative day. This is also so for the day spoken of at 2 Peter 3:8, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (Authorized King James Bible; AV). In fact, almost 6,000 years have passed since God (YHWH) entered into his rest day so clearly a creative day can NOT be a literal day of 24 hours.

In fact, God (YHWH) informed Adam that the sentence for eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad would be his death in the same day as recorded at Genesis 2:15-17, " And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16 ¶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (AV). Now let's see what happened when Adam disobeyed with a view to understanding that here to 'day' did not mean a 24 hour day. Let's look at Genesis 3:17-19, " And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." (AV).

Now, we all know, he did not die in that literal 24 hour day, but went on to have a family and lived many literal days after that; therefore, 'day' as used here was NOT a 24 hour day, but another period of time. So as can be seen 'day' as used in Genesis really is a much longer period of time than a literal 24 hour day.

WHAT EXPERTS IN THE FIELD SAY WITH RESPECT CREATIVE DAY:

How Long Are the Creative Days?
<<"The Bible mentions days of various lengths; for instance, "the day of temptation in the wilderness" - forty years (Heb. 3:8, 9); "A day with the Lord is as a thousand years" (2 Pet. 3:8); our Lord's "day," etc. (John 8:56). While God could have accomplished the great work of ordering the earth for man in six 24-hour days, or in six minutes, for that matter, there is no reason to think that such short days are meant.

God arranged a great week of seven days for His great work of bringing man to perfection. The first six of these days were used in preparing our planet to receive Adam as its earthly king. The seventh day of the creative week began after Adam's disobedience and fall and when God rested. The seventh day is not yet completed and has already lasted over six thousand years, according to Bible chronology, and is to be completed with the thousand years of Christ's reign. The seventh creative day will be 7000 years long. During this period, the Bible tells us the earth will be brought to a paradise condition and man will be restored by his Redeemer to God's image.

It is the length of the seventh day, so distinctly marked by history, chronology, and prophecy, that furnishes the clue that the length of the other creative days cannot be 24-hour days. Because the seventh day is 7000 years long, it is reasonable to expect that each of the six creative days preceding it were of equal length 3/4 7000 years each.">>[source - The Hartford Bible Students].

And,

<<" In summary, young earth creation science ministries of the 20th century have been successful in adding the doctrine of creation to the church. For nearly 1,900 years, this doctrine was not needed. However, because of a vision (dream) from some Seventh Day Adventists, we are now stuck in this creation battle, as young earth / old earth proponents argue their position against each other.

A young earth doctrine is not a part of most church denominations, nor was it ever a part of any pre twentieth-century church organizations which were responsible for setting doctrinal beliefs. As such, this doctrine should pass into history.

Millions of people, when given the choice of believing in a young earth, when all the evidence from God's creation says it is old, were turned away from the gospel. Fundamentalists of the 1920s and later made a fundamental mistake by insisting on a young earth. From that time, the word "Fundamentalism" has been used by the secular world to stereotype Christians, and it has done much harm. It is clear from scripture that you can believe in an old earth, and still believe in an inerrant Bible. You can be a fundamentalist and believe in an old earth.

We must stop turning people off to the Bible by insisting on young earth belief. Yes, many thousands have been saved by young-earth ministries...but compared with the millions that have been lost, the choice is clear.">>[source - Creation Science Exposed - The Doctrine of Creation by Greg Neyman]

And,

<<"Literal or Symbolic Creative Days?

Part of the implausibility of creation to both scientists and many Christians exists in the view of seven literal, 24 hour days. The argument for 7 literal days has been easily ridiculed by Darwinists. Many can recall the scandal of the Scopes Trial where a well meaning Christian was declared a fool by an already skeptical public.

As seekers of truth, we must not blindly accept handed-down interpretation as fact. This would be no better than the scientist who assumes evolution to be true simply because it is the only answer science has to offer.

The Genesis account of seven days is true, but the traditional conclusion of these being 24 hours each is based upon interpretation. When viewed in the light of investigation, the Bible in fact teaches a far more reasonable creative process, and thus, on this score, harmony can be found between claims of science and the Bible account of creation.

Genesis 1:1-2 states: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Note that no length of time is given for this act of creation. It is reasonable to assume, then, that this period of time could have been quite long. Not until verse 3 does the narrative of the creative days begin. But even here, Bible evidence points to these being vastly longer than 24 hour days. The Hebrew word yom, here translated "day," can be used to denote not only a 24 hour day, but also longer periods of time or epochs. For example, Israel's forty years in the wilderness is called "the day [yom] of temptation in the wilderness . . . forty years long . . ." Psalm 95:8-10

Determining the length of the seventh day is key to discovering the length of the other six creative days. The seventh creative day is unique in its record compared to the other six in that it does not conclude "...the evening and the morning were the seventh day...," nor does it indicate that the seventh day ended. Genesis 2:2-3 Theologians generally teach that we are still in this last creative day, for God rested after the creation of Adam and Eve on the sixth day. Bible chronology and secular history agree that it is now approximately 6,000 years since the first recorded evidence of man. The Bible also teaches that the final work of Christ will be a millenial reign or "judgment day" of 1000 years. 2Pet. 3:8 Most Bible scholars agree that we are at the threshold of this Messianic reign. A quick addition will conclude 7,000 years for the last creative day. Thus, we can make a logical deduction of 7,000 years for each of the other creative days. Although this time period is vastly shorter than the scientific claim of millions of years needed for evolution, it is quite sufficient for God to develop the fixed species and their habitats.">>[source - Confirming the Creation Account by BibleStudents.com]

And,

<<" When we look up the word "Day", in a concordance, we find every scripture that uses the word "Day" listed one after another. If you take the time to go through them all, you'll find some very interesting things about the usage of that word within the Bible. Most of the time it is referring to 24 hours but not always.

2 Pet 3:8 But do not forget this one thing dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. (NIV)

2 Pet 3:8 But beloved be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. (KJV)

Notice above that "do not forget" and "be not ignorant" can have two different meanings on their own . Nonetheless, they convey exactly the same message in both the scriptures above.

In the message of the above scriptures, Peter is telling us that in relation to mankind, God equates a thousand years as being the same as one day to him. This is also telling us is that each creative day is at least a thousand years long. I say at least, because there is a Biblical reason to believe that each day was longer than a thousand years. Remember a thousand years equaling a day is to how God relates His time to mankind. But that is not saying how long a period He considers his own day to be. Everyone knows the Bible tells us that God rested on the seventh day, but you will not find a scripture anywhere in the Bible that says ... there was an evening and a morning ... a seventh day. The reason for that is because that seventh day has not ended yet.

Still tracing the word day in a concordance, we find Peter in the book of Hebrews, in the fourth chapter, tells us we are still in God's rest day. Therefore, reason tells us this means each creative day would have to be at least six thousand years long. Why? Because the calendar tells us we are into the sixth thousandth year of the seventh day. That would make a total, so far, of THIRTY SIX thousand years for creation, on the earth. I say "so far" because we don't know how long each of God's days lasts, because His day of rest is not over yet. God knows when His next day begins, and Christ knows, and probably the angels know, but we don't. And the truth of the matter is it isn't important to our existence. Interesting yes! Important no! Just the same, in relation to the rest of God's Word, this one little word "day" has unfolded a wealth of information. Information coming from God's own interpretation from His own word the Bible.">>

And,

Let's look even further. Strong's Hebrew dictionary defines day as:

<<"3117 yowm (yome);
From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), [often used adverb]:

It turns out that the original Hebrew written in Gen 2:4 used the word "Beyowm" distinguishing the word as an adverb. Clearly marking it as being used to define a space of time. Just as we might say "In George Washington's day." Or, "In the day of the dinosaur." The very word "Beyowm" here represents an undefined space or period of time in relation to the topic it is being used with. Now in the first case above "In George Washington's day." that figurative day represents roughly 67 years. In the second case "The day of the dinosaur." represents over 150 million years.

So how long was each creative day? The truth is we have no idea. Nor, for that matter do we even know that each day was the same space or length in time. What we do know from all this is that these creative days were NOT 24 hours long.">> [source - THE BIBLE'S CREDIBILITY ]

CONCLUSION:

A creative day is many thousands of years, probably 7,000 years or greater and NOT 24 literal hours as some claim in error.

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**Admin** Sun Mar 21, 2021 8:21 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] GOD (YHWH) HATES PAGAN BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [331B]

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galations 5:22 – 23, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

Yes, against all these beneficial traits there is indeed no law as made clear at Phillipians 1:10 – 11, [AV] “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” Though some formerly walked in other ways, Ephesians 5:8 – 9, [AV] shows, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)” Indeed, what comes from above is, James 3:17, [AV] “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” Laws are for those who are lawless per 1 Timothy 1:9, [AV] “Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,”

[2] GOD (YHWH) HATES PAGAN BELIEFS AND PRACTICES (short)

INTRODUCTION:

God (YHWH) hates pagan beliefs and practices as shown time and time again in the Bible, and he does not accept them if someone and/or group wraps them in a so called Christian façade. Why? This just masquerades their true pagan nature just as a con man hides the facts, but in no way changes it. Since all pagan beliefs/doctrines/practices have their origin with the god of this system, they are in effect anti-God (YHWH). Now who is the god of this system or world? Let's look at what Jesus (Yeshua) said at John 14:30-31, " No longer, many things, will I speak with you; for, the world's ruler, is coming, and, in me, hath, nothing,-- 31 But, that the world may get to know that I love the Father, and just as the Father hath given me commandment, so, I do. Be rousing yourselves! let us be leading on from hence." (Rotherham Bible; RB).

A BIBLE EXAMPLE FROM EXODUS OF GOD'S (YHWH) HATE OF PAGANISM:

First, as shown in Exodus 23:31-33, true worshippers of the God (YHWH) of Abraham were NOT to have anything to do with the pagan nations around them or with their beliefs, " So will I set thy bounds from the Red Sea, even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert, unto the River[[=Euphrates]], --for I will deliver into your hand the inhabitants of the land, so shalt thou drive them out from before thee.
32 THOU SHALT NOT MAKE, WITH THEM OR WITH THEIR GODS, A COVENANT:
33 THEY SHALL NOT DWELL IN THY LAND, LEST THEY CAUSE, THEE, TO SIN AGAINST, ME,--FOR THOU MIGHTEST SERVE THEIR GODS, VERILY! IT WOULD BECOME TO THEE, A SNARE!" (RB). This clearly shows that all true worshippers of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham should stay far from the wrong beliefs and practices of the pagans, and 2 Corinthians 4:4 clarifies why, " In whom, the god of this age, hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, to the end they may not discern the radiance of the glad-message of the glory of the Christ--who is the image of God." (RB).

And this fact is echoed at Exodus 34:11-16, " Take thou heed what, I, am commanding thee this day,--behold me! driving out from before thee--the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 12 Take heed to thyself, Lest thou solemnise a covenant with the inhabitant of the land, whereupon, thou, art about to enter,--Lest he become a snare in thy midst; 13 FOR, THEIR ALTARS, SHALL YE SMASH, AND, THEIR PILLARS, SHALL YE SHIVER,--AND, THEIR SACRED-STEMS, SHALL YE FELL. 14 FOR THOU SHALT NOT BOW THYSELF DOWN TO ANOTHER GOD,--FOR, AS FOR YAHWEH, JEALOUS, IS HIS NAME, A JEALOUS GOD, HE IS: 15 LEST THOU SOLEMNISE A COVENANT, WITH THE INHABITANT OF THE LAND,--AND THEN, AS SURELY AS THEY GO UNCHASTELY AFTER THEIR GODS, AND SACRIFICE TO THEIR GODS, SO SURELY WILL HE INVITE THEE, AND THOU WILT EAT OF HIS SACRIFICE; 16 And thou wilt take of his daughters, for thy sons,--And his daughters will go unchastely after their gods, And will cause, thy sons, to go unchastely after their gods." (RB) clearly we can see this scripture shows that all true worshippers of the God (YHWH) of Abraham should stay far from the practices of the pagans and definitely NOT adopt them.

This is also in keeping with Exodus 20:3-5, the first three of the Ten Commandments, " Thou shalt not have other gods, besides me. 4 Thou shalt not make to thee an image, or any form, that is in the heavens above,--or that is in the earth beneath,--or that is in the waters, beneath the earth: 5 thou shalt not bow thyself down to them, nor be led to serve them--For, I, Yahweh, thy God, am a jealous GOD, visiting the iniquity of fathers, upon sons, unto three generations and unto four, of them that hate me;" (RB).

CONCLUSION:

So now all can see why worshippers of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham must stay away from pagan practices and beliefs as the are something detestable to the true God (YHWH) of Abraham no matter how many believe them okay as this is the Devil's trick to deceive one even into thinking that they are really Christian when they DEFINITELY are NOT.

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**Admin** Wed Mar 24, 2021 4:36 pm

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] DOCUMENTARY ON 1 JOHN 5:7, THE INFAMOUS COMMA JOHANNEUM

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [332B]

And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. Exodus 16:1, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

This is one part of the detailed journey of the Hebrews from Egypt back to the land promised to them as a gift by Almighty God (YHWH). This part of their audious journey is detailed at Numbers 33:10 – 12, [AV] “And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea. 11 And they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin. 12 And they took their journey out of the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah.”

[2] Documentary on 1 John 5:7

INTRODUCTION:

1 John 5:7 "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (Authorized King James: AV)

1 John 5:7 "And there are Three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one." (Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible)

1 John 5:7 " For there are three that testify:" (New American Standard Bible: NASB)

1 John 5:7 "There are three that testify:" (New Revised Standard Version; NRSV)

1 John 5:7 "quia tres sunt qui testimonium dant (The Latin Vulgate)

DETAIL:

As one can clearly see these three scriptures all of 1 John 5:7, are quite different, now why is this? Let's find out!

Many say 1 John 5:7 is the center masterpiece for the concept of the Trinity, i.e., the center or sustaining gem so to speak of this doctrine. One such follows:

This is the only passage in the whole Bible that gives any color to the trinity or "oneness" doctrines. It is the central crystal of the Christian faith upon which we hold the blessed trinity to be ever eternal self-evident to all. [Catholic pamphlet from 1903]

Now for this to be true, the Authorized King James and the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible versions would of necessity have to be true and the New American Standard Bible rendering false; but then Jerome's original Latin Vulgate had a rendering more in line with the New American Standard Bible (NASB) so there is cast the question of why the earliest Catholic bible was quite different from the present.

Really one or the other would have to be an intentional corruption of scripture in violation of Revelation 22:18, "It testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book;" (NASB)

Clearly someone has added to one of these two renderings of 1 John 5:7 since this is clearly NOT a difference resulting from differs in translation. Now which has been added to in violation of God's (YHWH's) commandment as recorded by his Apostle John?

Well let's see what the Moody Bible Institute has to say on this in one of their publications. "The text of this verse should read, 'Because there are three that bear record.' The remainder of the verse is spurious. Not a single manuscript contains the Trinitarian addition before the fourteenth century, and the verse is never quoted in the controversies over the Trinity in the first 450 years of the church era." [The Wycliffe Bible Commentary," edited by Charles F. Pfeiffer (OT) and Earett F. Harrison (NT), by Moody Press, Chicago, a division of Moody Bible Institute, ISBN: 0-8024-9695-4, Library of Congress Catalogue Card #: 62-20893, page 1477].

Quite an admission from an institute that is pro-Trinitarian; therefore, the New American Standard Bible is correct and the Authorized King James and the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible are in gross error here with respect to this addition made in violation of the command of Revelation 18:22. My what a surprise. In fact this corruption, "and these three are one" was added by a monk, and is so well knows, as previously mentioned, as a corrupt and spurious verse addition that it even has its own name, Comma Johanna (in Greek, Comma Ioanneum), can you imagine that?

In fact this corruption of scripture does not appear in any manuscript in or out of the New Testament earlier than the 13 th. Century. It occurs in NO ancient Gree, manuscript, nor in the writings of any Greek Christian writers. "It is universally discredited by Greek scholars and editors of the Greek text of the New Testament." ["The Goodspeed Parallel New Testament," by Edgar J. Goodspeed - Chicago 1943, page 557].

Strange, all good Bible scholars recognize this as spurious including Catholic scholars, but, "....most Catholic writers of the present day agree the words were not contained in the original test; at the same time, until further action be taken by the Holy See it is not open to Catholic editors to eliminate the words from a version made for use of the faithful." [The Westminister Version of the Sacred Scriptures," Cutbert Lattey, S.J., and Joseph Keating, S.J., general editors, Vol. IV, pages 145 and 146, London 1931]. Now really why is this, obviously they do NOT want the 'faithful' to know they have NOT been told the truth and that their false Trinity doctrine does not 'hold water.'

Most modern Bibles have eliminated this spurious addition done against the command found at Revelations 22:18: see the following:

For there are three that testify: (New American Standard Bible: NASB)

There are three that testify: (New Revised Standard Version: NRSV)

And the Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth. (The Revised Standard Version; RSV)

There are three witnesses: (The Good News Translation)

So there are three witnesses that tell us about Jesus: (New Century Version)

It is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth. (World English Version)

For they that bear witness are three. (The Darby Translation)

For there are three that testify: (Holman Standard Christian Translation)

For there are three that give testimony-- the Spirit, the water, and the blood; (Weymouth Translation)

For there are three that testify: (New International Version)

Now really, how can anyone in all honesty believe a false doctrine whose principle support has been text that is spurious or test that can be translated at least nine (9) different ways without violating the grammatical rules of Koine Greek as can John 1:1? Especially so when the common rendering is shown to be out of context by John 1:2 and John 1:14 right after it.

Obviously thinking individuals should recognize the nonsense doctrine of the three-in-one god as spurious God (YHWH) dishonoring doctrine of men and NOT from God (YHWH).

APPENDIX TO COMMENTARY ON 1 JOHN 5:7:

(1) The Textual Problem in 1 John 5:7-8 by Daniel B. Wallace, Ph.D.
"5:7 For there are three that testify, 5:8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three are in agreement." --NET Bible

Before toV pneu'ma kaiV toV u{dwr kaiV toV ai|ma, the Textus Receptus reads ejn tw'/ oujranw'/, oJ pathvr, oJ lovgo", kaiV toV a{gion pneu'ma, kaiV ou|toi oiJ trei'" e{n eijsi. 5:8 kaiV trei'" eijsin oiJ marturou'nte" ejn th'/ gh'/ ("in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. 5:8 And there are three that testify on earth"). This reading, the infamous Comma Johanneum, has been known in the English-speaking world through the King James translation. However, the evidence-both external and internal-is decidedly against its authenticity. Our discussion will briefly address the external evidence.1

This longer reading is found only in eight late manuscripts, four of which have the words in a marginal note. Most of these manuscripts (2318, 221, and [with minor variations] 61, 88, 429, 629, 636, and 918) originate from the 16th century; the earliest manuscript, codex 221 (10th century), includes the reading in a marginal note which was added sometime after the original composition. Thus, there is no sure evidence of this reading in any Greek manuscript until the 1500s; each such reading was apparently composed after Erasmus' Greek NT was published in 1516. Indeed, the reading appears in no Greek witness of any kind (either manuscript, patristic, or Greek translation of some other version) until AD 1215 (in a Greek translation of the Acts of the Lateran Council, a work originally written in Latin). This is all the more significant, since many a Greek Father would have loved such a reading, for it so succinctly affirms the doctrine of the Trinity.2 The reading seems to have arisen in a fourth century Latin homily in which the text was allegorized to refer to members of the Trinity. From there, it made its way into copies of the Latin Vulgate, the text used by the Roman Catholic Church.

The Trinitarian formula (known as the Comma Johanneum) made its way into the third edition of Erasmus' Greek NT (1522) because of pressure from the Catholic Church. After his first edition appeared (1516), there arose such a furor over the absence of the Comma that Erasmus needed to defend himself. He argued that he did not put in the Comma because he found no Greek manuscripts that included it. Once one was produced (codex 61, written by one Roy or Froy at Oxford in c. 1520),3 Erasmus apparently felt obliged to include the reading. He became aware of this manuscript sometime between May of 1520 and September of 1521. In his annotations to his third edition he does not protest the rendering now in his text,4 as though it were made to order; but he does defend himself from the charge of indolence, noting that he had taken care to find whatever manuscripts he could for the production of his Greek New Testament. In the final analysis, Erasmus probably altered the text because of politico-theologico-economic concerns: he did not want his reputation ruined, nor his Novum Instrumentum to go unsold.

Modern advocates of the Textus Receptus and KJV generally argue for the inclusion of the Comma Johanneum on the basis of heretical motivation by scribes who did not include it. But these same scribes elsewhere include thoroughly orthodox readings-even in places where the TR/Byzantine manuscripts lack them. Further, these KJV advocates argue theologically from the position of divine preservation: since this verse is in the TR, it must be original. But this approach is circular, presupposing as it does that the TR = the original text. Further, it puts these Protestant proponents in the awkward and self-contradictory position of having to affirm that the Roman Catholic humanist, Erasmus, was just as inspired as the apostles, for on several occasions he invented readings-due either to carelessness or lack of Greek manuscripts (in particular, for the last six verses of Revelation Erasmus had to back-translate from Latin to Greek).
In reality, the issue is history, not heresy: How can one argue that the Comma Johanneum must go back to the original text when it did not appear until the 16th century in any Greek manuscripts? Such a stance does not do justice to the gospel: faith must be rooted in history. To argue that the Comma must be authentic is Bultmannian in its method, for it ignores history at every level. As such, it has very little to do with biblical Christianity, for a biblical faith is one that is rooted in history.

Significantly, the German translation done by Luther was based on Erasmus' second edition (1519) and lacked the Comma. But the KJV translators, basing their work principally on Theodore Beza's 10th edition of the Greek NT (1598), a work which itself was fundamentally based on Erasmus' third and later editions (and Stephanus' editions), popularized the Comma for the English-speaking world. Thus, the Comma Johanneum has been a battleground for English-speaking Christians more than for others.

Unfortunately, for many, the Comma and other similar passages have become such emotional baggage that is dragged around whenever the Bible is read that a knee-jerk reaction and ad hominem argumentation becomes the first and only way that they can process this issue. Sadly, neither empirical evidence nor reason can dissuade them from their views. The irony is that their very clinging to tradition at all costs (namely, of an outmoded translation which, though a literary monument in its day, is now like a Model T on the Autobahn) emulates Roman Catholicism in its regard for tradition.5 If the King James translators knew that this would be the result nearly four hundred years after the completion of their work, they'd be writhing in their graves.

1 For a detailed discussion, see Metzger, Textual Commentary, 2nd ed., 647-49.
2 Not only the ancient orthodox writers, but also modern orthodox scholars would of course be delighted if this reading were the original one. But the fact is that the evidence simply does not support the Trinitarian formula here-and these orthodox scholars just happen to hold to the reasonable position that it is essential to affirm what the Bible affirms where it affirms it, rather than create such affirmations ex nihilo. That KJV advocates have charged modern translations with heresy because they lack the Comma is a house of cards, for the same translators who have worked on the NIV, NASB, or NET (as well as many other translations) have written several articles and books affirming the Trinity.
3 This manuscript which contains the entire New Testament is now housed in Dublin. It has been examined so often at this one place that the book now reportedly falls open naturally to 1 John 5.
4 That Erasmus made such a protest or that he had explicitly promised to include the Comma is an overstatement of the evidence, though the converse of this can be said to be true: Erasmus refused to put this in his without Greek manuscript support.
5 Thus, TR-KJV advocates subconsciously embrace two diametrically opposed traditions: when it comes to the first 1500 years of church history, they hold to a Bultmannian kind of Christianity (viz., the basis for their belief in the superiority of the Byzantine manuscripts-and in particular, the half dozen that stand behind the TR-has very little empirical substance of historical worth). Once such readings became a part of tradition, however, by way of the TR, the argument shifts to one of tradition rather than non-empirical fideism. Neither basis, of course, resembles Protestantism.

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**Admin** Mon Mar 29, 2021 9:04 am

COMBINATION OF [1] THE SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY AND [2] THE FACT ON THE NAME "ALLAH"

[1] SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY [333B]

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. Revelation 20:11 – 12, [authorized King James Bible; AV]

And as, Hebrews 12:23, [AV] “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,” Also, Revelation 4:2, [AV], says, “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” But remember per 2 Peter 3:7, [AV] “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

[2] THE FACT ON THE NAME "ALLAH"

It should not come as a surprise that the word "Allah" was not something invented by Muhammad or revealed for the first time in the Quran.

The well-known Middle East scholar H.A.R. Gibb has pointed out that the reason that Muhammad never had to explain who Allah was in the Quran is that his listeners had already heard about Allah long before Muhammad was ever born [Mohammedanism: An Historical Survey, New York: Mentor Books, 1955, p.38]

Dr. Arthur Jeffery, one of the foremost Western Islamic scholars in modern times and professor of Islamic and Middle East Studies at Columbia University, notes:

"The name Allah, as the Quran itself is witness, was well known in pre-Islamic Arabia. Indeed, both it and its feminine form, Allat, are found not infrequently among the theophorous names in inscriptions from North Africa" [Islam: Muhammad, and His Religion, New York: The Liberal Arts Press, 1958, p. 85]

The word "Allah" comes from the compound Arabic word, al-ilah. Al is the definite article "the" and ilah is an Arabic word for "god." It is not a foreign word. It is not even the Syriac word for God. It is pure Arabic. (There is an interesting discussion of the origins of Allah, in "Arabic Lexicographical Miscellanies" by J. Blau in the Journal of Semitic Studies, Vol. XVII, #2, 1972, pp. 173-190)[source - Arabic Lexicographical Miscellanies by J. Blau in the Journal of Semitic Studies, Vol. XVII, #2, 1972, pages 173-190]

Neither is Allah a Hebrew or Greek word for God as found in the Bible. Allah is a purely Arabic term used in reference to an Arabian deity. Hastings' Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics I:326, T & T Clark, states:

'"Allah" is a proper name, applicable only to their [Arabs'] peculiar God. '

According to the Encyclopedia of Religion:

'"Allah" is a pre-Islamic name . . . corresponding to the Babylonian Bel' [Encyclopedia of Religion, I:117 Washington DC, Corpus Pub., 1979]

For those who find it hard to believe that Allah was a pagan name for a peculiar pagan Arabian deity in pre-Islamic times, the following quotations may be helpful:

"Allah is found . . . in Arabic inscriptions prior to Islam" [Encyclopedia Britannica, I:643]

"The Arabs, before the time of Mohammed, accepted and worshipped, after a fashion, a supreme god called Allah" [Encyclopedia of Islam, I:302, Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1913, Houtsma]

"Allah was known to the pre-Islamic . . . Arabs; he was one of the Meccan deities" [Enyclopedia of Islam, I:406, ed. Gibb]

"Ilah . . . appears in pre-Islamic poetry . . . By frequency of usage, al-ilah was contracted to Allah, frequently attested to in pre-Islamic poetry" [Encyclopedia of Islam, III:1093, 1971]

"The name Allah goes back before Muhammad" [Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, I:41, Anthony Mercatante, New York, The Facts on File, 1983]

"The origin of this (Allah) goes back to pre-Muslim times. Allah is not a common name meaning "God" (or a "god"), and the Muslim must use another word or form if he wishes to indicate any other than his own peculiar deity" [Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, I:326, Hastings]

To the testimony of the above standard reference works, we add those of such scholars as Henry Preserved Smith of Harvard University who has stated:

"Allah was already known by name to the Arabs" [The Bible and Islam: or, The Influence of the Old and New Testament on the Religion of Mohammed, New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1897, p. 102].

Dr. Kenneth Cragg, former editor of the prestigious scholarly journal Muslim World and an outstanding modern Western Islamic scholar, whose works are generally published by Oxford University, comments:

"The name Allah is also evident in archeological and literary remains of pre-Islamic Arabia" [The Call of the Minaret, New York: Oxford University Press, 1956, p. 31].

Dr. W. Montgomery Watt, who was Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Edinburgh University and Visiting Professor of Islamic studies at College de France, Georgetown University, and the University of Toronto, has done extensive work on the pre-Islamic concept of Allah. He concludes:

"In recent years I have become increasingly convinced that for an adequate understanding of the career of Muhammad and the origins of Islam great importance must be attached to the existence in Mecca of belief in Allah as a "high god." In a sense this is a form of paganism, but it is so different from paganism as commonly understood that it deserves separate treatment" [William Montgomery Watt, Muhammad's Mecca, p. vii. Also see his article, "Belief in a High God in Pre-Islamic Mecca", Journal of Semitic Studies, Vol. 16, 1971, pp. 35-40]

Caesar Farah in his book on Islam concludes his discussion of the pre-Islamic meaning of Allah by saying:

"There is no reason, therefore, to accept the idea that Allah passed to the Muslims from the Christians and Jews" [Islam: Beliefs and Observations, New York, Barrons, 1987, p. 28].

According to Middle East scholar E.M. Wherry, whose translation of the Quran is still used today, in pre-Islamic times Allah-worship, as well as the worship of Ba-al, were both astral religions in that they involved the worship of the sun, the moon, and the stars [A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran, Osnabruck: Otto Zeller Verlag, 1973, p. 36].

Also, I have shown 'Allah' is a proper name for the Moon god, and the title for any god in Arabic is 'Ilah.' The title god in Arabic is 'Ilah,' and not Allah. 'Ilah' is a title; whereas, Allah is a proper name of a specific 'Ilah,' so get a dose of reality. Also, several New Testament Bibles in Arabic the title ' Ar-Rab' means "The Lord" is used.[/quote]

APPENDIX:

[1]Interestingly, here are the meanings of several important words in Arabic:

Jesus in Arabic is Yesua

Word in Arabic is Kalam

Spirit in Arabic is Ruh

God in Arabic is Ilah

The in Arabic is El

[2] Astral Religions
In Arabia, the sun god was viewed as a female goddess and the moon as the male god. As has been pointed out by many scholars such as Alfred Guilluame, the moon god was called by various names, one of which was Allah! (Islam, p. 7).

The name Allah was used as the personal name of the moon god, in addition to other titles that could be given to him.

Allah, the moon god, was married to the sun goddess. Together they produced three goddesses who were called "the daughters of Allah." These three goddesses were called Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat.

The daughters of Allah, along with Allah and the sun goddess were viewed as "high" gods. That is, they were viewed as being at the top of the pantheon of Arabian deities.

"Along with Allah, however, they worshipped a host of lesser gods and "daughters of Al-lah" [SOURCE - Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, I:61].

[3] The old middle eastern Moon god who has gone by many names is still well venerated. This is shown by "The Archeology of The Middle East" which states, "The religion of Islam has as its focus of worship a deity by the name of "Allah." The Muslims claim that Allah in pre-Islamic times was the biblical God of the Patriarchs, prophets, and apostles. The issue is thus one of continuity. Was "Allah" the biblical God or a pagan god in Arabia during pre-Islamic times? The Muslim's claim of continuity is essential to their attempt to convert Jews and Christians for if "Allah" is part of the flow of divine revelation in Scripture, then it is the next step in biblical religion. Thus we should all become Muslims. But, on the other hand, if Allah was a pre-Islamic pagan deity, then its core claim is refuted. Religious claims often fall before the results of hard sciences such as archeology. We can endlessly speculate about the past or go and dig it up and see what the evidence reveals. This is the only way to find out the truth concerning the origins of Allah. As we shall see, the hard evidence demonstrates that the god Allah was a pagan deity. In fact, he was the Moon-god who was married to the sun goddess and the stars were his daughters.

Archaeologists have uncovered temples to the Moon-god throughout the Middle East. From the mountains of Turkey to the banks of the Nile, the most wide-spread religion of the ancient world was the worship of the Moon-god. In the first literate civilization, the Sumerians have left us thousands of clay tablets in which they described their religious beliefs. As demonstrated by Sjoberg and Hall, the ancient Sumerians worshipped a Moon-god who was called many different names. The most popular names were Nanna, Suen and Asimbabbar. His symbol was the crescent moon. Given the amount of artifacts concerning the worship of this Moon-god, it is clear that this was the dominant religion in Sumeria. The cult of the Moon-god was the most popular religion throughout ancient Mesopotamia. The Assyrians, Babylonians, and the Akkadians took the word Suen and transformed it into the word Sin as their favorite name for the Moon-god. As Prof. Potts pointed out, "Sin is a name essentially Sumerian in origin which had been borrowed by the Semites." [source - The Archeology of the Middle East]"[additional references - "South Arabia's stellar religion has always been dominated by the Moon-god in various variations" (Berta Segall, The Iconography of Cosmic Kingship, the Art Bulletin, vol.xxxviii, 1956, p.77).; Isaac Rabinowitz, Aramaic Inscriptions of the Fifth Century, JNES, XV, 1956, pp.1-9; Edward Linski, The Goddess Atirat in Ancient Arabia, in Babylon and in Ugarit: Her Relation to the Moon-god and the Sun-goddess, Orientalia Lovaniensia Periodica, 3:101-9; H.J.Drivers, Iconography and Character of the Arab Goddess Allat, found in Études Preliminaries Aux Religions Orientales Dans L'Empire Roman, ed. Maarten J. Verseren, Leiden, Brill, 1978, pp.331-51); Richard Le Baron Bower Jr. and Frank P. Albright, Archaeological Discoveries in South Arabia, Baltimore, John Hopkins University Press, 1958, p.78ff; Ray Cleveland, An Ancient South Arabian Necropolis, Baltimore, John Hopkins University Press, 1965; Nelson Gleuck, Deities and Dolphins, New York, Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1965).; Another Aramaic Record of the North Arabian goddess Han'Llat, JNES, XVIII, 1959, pp.154-55.[source - There is Only One True God by Iris the Preacher 2005]

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