WHERE WAS JESUS REALLY BORN?

It is easy to see why we misunderstand as much as we do about the birth of Christ, since Matthew 2:1 begins almost 2 years after he was born, when the Magi came bearing gifts. We have to turn to Luke chapter 2 to find the account of his actual birth. The following will be from Young's Literal Translation:Luke 2:2-7

2 And it came to pass in those days, there went forth a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world be enrolled — this enrollment first came to pass when Cyrenius was governor of Syria —3 and all were going to be enrolled, each to his proper city, and Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, that is called Bethlehem, because of his being of the house and family of David, to enroll himself with Mary his betrothed wife, being with child. And it came to pass, in their being there, the days were fulfilled for her bringing forth, and she brought forth her son — the first-born, and wrapped him up, and laid him down in the manger, because there was not for them a place in the guest-chamber. YLT

(The guest-chamber in those days was a room adjacent to the house for the lodging of guests. These days some people have Guest-houses, while others may have Guest-rooms. The Greek word this is translated from is used 1 other time in Luke and once in Matthew. In both instances it is translated "guest-chamber" in the King James Version: 

Mark 14:14
And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
KJV;

 Luke 22:11
And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? KJV)

Joseph and Mary were not out in the cold with no place to go. They were at a friend's house or at the very least a friend of a friend. They were like royalty, direct descendants of King David and they were in the city of David. They didn't just arrive but had been there at least a few days already . Anyone would have been glad to have them in their home, let alone the fact Mary was in her 9th month of pregnancy. John Schoendeit of Spirit and Truth Fellowship adds this light on the subject: 

"Another thing we must understand about houses in the East is that it was common for people to bring their animals, such as the family donkey, a couple of milk goats, or a cow or two, into the home at night. Such animals were very valuable, and the people brought them in at night to keep them from being stolen and to protect them from harm. Also, the animals added heat to the house, which would be very welcome on chilly nights. The woman in Endor who King Saul visited at night had her calf in the house with her: “And the woman had a fat calf in the house” (1 Sam. 28:24, KJV). [10] Of course, if the family were shepherds or herdsmen, they would not bring the whole flock or herd into the house, but would have a family member or hired guard watch them in the field, just as the shepherds were in the field on the night Jesus was born.

It was a common practice to raise the floor of the part of the house where the family lived, and keep the animals in an area that was a little lower. [11] Knowing this helps us understand Luke 2:6 and also where that idea that Jesus was born in a stable came from. Jesus was laid in a manger, which is an open trough, box, or bin, where the animal food was placed so the animals could feed easily. In Western society, mangers are in barns or stables, so if Jesus was laid in a manger it made sense he was born in a stable. However, in Eastern society, where the animals grazed outside during the day and were brought into the house at night, the manger was in the house. Having the manger in the house kept the animals calm and contented in the tighter quarters of the house, just as many modern farm animals have a feeding trough in their stall stay calm and content.

Everyone knew the manger was in the house, so when the Bible says that Jesus was laid in a manger “because” there was no space in the guest room, any Easterner would understand perfectly that the guest room was full so Jesus was born in the main part of the house where the family and animals stayed. Sometime after his birth he was safely placed in the manger, which would have been filled with clean hay or straw and would have been the perfect size for him. This was not to demean him in any way, but to care for him. The protective walls of the manger kept him safely guarded and away from busy feet and a bustling household, as well as warm and protected from any drafts or cold air in the home.

Another thing that helps us understand the Christmas story is understanding Eastern hospitality. In the East, guests were given special treatment of all kinds, including behavior that seems very extreme to us. For example, in the record of Lot and the two strangers, Lot would have handed over his own daughters to the mob before surrendering his guests (Gen. 19:8). Similarly, the people with whom Joseph and Mary stayed would never displace their guests from the guest room, but instead would inconvenience themselves, graciously bringing the couple into their living space."

See more athttp://www.fredswolfe.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

THE SECRET REVEALED!

Rom 16:25 reads, 

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept silent for long ages past, 26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the (Christian) prophets,
NASU

1 Cor 2:7 says, "But we speak the wisdom of God in a secret, even the hidden, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: KJV

Eph 3:1-5 says, "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to youward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the secret; (as I wrote afore in few words,whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the secret of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy (Christian) apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

     Why did God keep The Secret a secret until he revealed it to the Apostle Paul?
  Answer:

1 Cor 2:8 "Which none of the princes of this world (The devil and his cohort of evil spirits) knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. KJV

     As you can see from the quote in Ephesians the Administration of Grace to which you and I belong is part of The Secret, musterion.  The point I want to make now, is that even the Angels of Heaven and Jesus didn't know it; Peter, John, Matthew, Mark and Luke didn't know it either, until it was revealed to Paul at least 4 years after the Day of Pentecost!

1 Peter 1:12  things into which angels long to look. NASU

     Since they didn't know it, they could not speak of anything concerning it.  This is why Paul's Gospel, everything he wrote, is so-o important for us to be super knowledgeable of.  His epistles are the gospel of Jesus Christ, because he received them by revelation from our risen Lord and Savoiur!  My main point, is whatever we read anywhere besides these places, does not relate to the times which we now live in, because the time which we now live in were kept SECRET from everyone else. 

 The "gathering together" of all born again believers, known as the rapture, is only pertinent to those of us in this administration of grace, because it is part of The Secret.  The return of Christ we read about in the 4 Gospels and the Book of Revelation has nothing to do with us. 

     THIS IS THE BIGGEST DEAL OF ALL TIME, to understand, which is why I feel the conviction that I do about this subject, as Paul did:

Eph 6:19-20  "And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known THE SECRET of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. KJV

God bless,

Christian Myths Buster: Pentecost Myths--the Upper Room

Christian Myths Buster: Pentecost Myths--the Upper Room: Myth #1 What occurred on Pentecost did not occur in an upper room of someone's home. The upper room of Acts 1:13 is where 11 of Jesus&...

What is this Secret The apostle Paul wrote so much about?

Rom 16:25 reads, "Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the secret, which was kept secret since the world began, KJV

1 Cor 2:7 says, "But we speak the wisdom of God in a secret, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: KJV

Eph 3:1-5 says, "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to youward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the secret; (as I wrote afore in few words,whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the secret of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

     Why did God keep The Secret a secret until he revealed it to the Apostle Paul?  Answer:

1 Cor 2:8 "Which none of the princes of this world (The devil and his devil spirits) knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. KJVt

     As you can see from the quote in Ephesians the Administration of Grace to which you and I belong is part of The Secret, musterion.  There is a lot more to The Secret than what I am going to say now, because it is not the point I want to make now.  The point I want to make now, is that the Angels of Heaven and Jesus didn't know it; Peter, John, Matthew, Mark and Luke didn't know it either, until it was revealed to Paul after the Day of Pentecost (June 12th,) the greatest day in the history of the church to which you and I belong.

     Since they didn't know it, they could not speak of anything concerning it.  This is why Paul's Gospel, everything he wrote, is so-o important for us to be super-knowledgable of.  His epistles are the gospel of Jesus Christ, because he received them by revelation from our risen Lord and Savoiur!  My main point, is whatever we read anywhere besides these places, does not relate to the times which we now live in, because the time which we now live in were kept SECRET from everyone else.  The "gathering together" of all born again believers, known as the rapture, is only pertinent to those of us in this administration of grace, because it is part of The Secret.  The return of Christ we read about in the other Gospels and the Book of Revelation has nothing to do with us.  This is why I entitled my previous teaching the "3rd Coming of Christ." 

     THIS IS THE BIGGEST DEAL OF ALL TIME, to understand, which is why I feel the conviction that I do about this subject, as Paul did:

Eph 6:19-20  "And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the secret of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. KJV

God bless,

Myth # 2 of the Cross Christ Bore

MYTH-- The Cross that Christ bore was made of 2 pieces

TRUTH-- It was a single piece of wood like the bottom portion of a tree.

The Greek word translated "cross," is stauros, which means an upright pale or stake. Here is what Vines says:

Topic: Cross, Crucify

<A-1,Noun,4716,stauros>
denotes, primarily, "an upright pale or stake." On such malefactors were nailed for execution. Both the noun and the verb stauroo, "to fasten to a stake or pale," are originally to be distinguished from the ecclesiastical form of a two beamed "cross." The shape of the latter had its origin in ancient Chaldea, and was used as the symbol of the god Tammuz (being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initial of his name) in that country and in adjacent lands, including Egypt. By the middle of the 3rd cent. A.D. the churches had either departed from, or had travestied, certain doctrines of the Christian faith. In order to increase the prestige of the apostate ecclesiastical system pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols. Hence the Tau or T, in its most frequent form, with the cross-piece lowered, was adopted to stand for the "cross" of Christ.

As for the Chi, or X, which Constantine declared he had seen in a vision leading him to champion the Christian faith, that letter was the initial of the word "Christ" and had nothing to do with "the Cross" (for xulon, "a timber beam, a tree," as used for the stauros, see under TREE). See 1 Peter 2:24.

As you can clearly see, the symbol that Christians use to represent "the Cross" did not become associated with the crucifixion until 200 some years after the eventand is in reality a pagan symbol of another god. In other words, in their/your attempt to identify yourself /themselves as Christians you, they and them are ignorantly glorifying the Chaldean god, Tammuz.

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother writing things of this nature since no one if anyone at all will be changed by what I write. The reason I continue to do it is to expose the error that is being believed and practiced by religious Christians and expose unbelievers to the real truth of what the Bible says about itself.

Furthermore, since Christ was not crucified on 2 cross-membered pieces of wood, his hands were over his head. It only took 2 nails to do the job. If anyone comes up with the 3 nails that were used you will know it is not true.

Do the the things I write about here in this blog make any difference to you?

MYTH #1 of THE CROSS CHRIST BORE FOR US

MYTH-- He carried a physical piece of wood

TRUTH-- He carried a spiritual Cross

     Much like my last post where we saw that 4 were crucified with Christ instead of 2, we will soon learn that Jesus was too abused to carry an 8-12' timber on his shoulder, so the Roman soldiers made someone else do it.
     Matt 27:31-32 tells us:
And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. KJV

     Mark 15:20-21 tells the same story:
And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.

     And Luke 23:26 says the same thing:
And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.

     Here we have three very clear accounts of who carried Jesus' cross, where he came from, who his sons were and the fact that he followed Jesus on the way to Golgotha. Whenever there are a majority of clear verse on a given subject, the seemingly ambiguous verse or verses must fit with the majority of clear ones, not vice versa. 

     John 19:16-18 gives us the seemingly contradictory verse:

 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.

 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

     Most of the Commentaries say that they believe that Jesus initially carried his own cross but then they made Simon carry it for some unknown reason. Keep in mind that Jesus had just been through roughly 40 hours of torture and beatings and initially took him in the night. He probably had not had any sleep in over 2 days. It is my belief, because of the lack of any other evidence to the contrary, that he never carried his own cross. What he did carry was the figurative cross of our sins that were laid upon him

1 Peter 2:24

   Who his own self bare (carried) our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Heb 9:28

 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Furthermore, the morning after they had taken him he was bound and led away to be delivered to Pontius Pilate: Matt 27:1-2

When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. The common way to bind someone believed to be a criminal is to tie up their hands or feet or both. Here they led him away so we must assume he was walking and probably being pulled along with a rope.

     All 4 gospel accounts show Jesus being led away just as livestock would be led to water:

Luke 13:15

 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? These words in the Greek, apago, is the same 

word used in all the above passages. Jesus' hands were bound and he was being led about, keeping him from being able to carry anything upon his shoulders.

Regardless of any suppositions on my part, the 3 three clear verses above on the same exact event should be enough to convince anyone that the cross Christ bore was not a physical one.

What does the Bible really say about those crucified with Jesus?

MYTH-- There were 2 Crucified with Jesus

TRUTH-- There were 4 Crucified with Jesus

     Legend has it, as well as every movie ever produced, shows two other people crucified with Jesus, when in fact there were four. 

Luke 23:32 says,  And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.
Luke 23:32
 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. KJV

     The word malefactors here is the word is kakourgos, or evil doers. These 2 individuals accompanied Jesus to Golgatha. As we know from verse 33 one was put on Jesus' right and the other on his left.
Luke 23:33
 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. KJV

In verse 39, we see that one of the kakourgos, spoke blasphemously to Jesus. In vs. 40 the other malefactor rebuked, admonished, the one who reviled Jesus. Here in Luke we have two unspecified evil doers, one of which who rebuked the other for reviling Jesus.

In Mt. 27:35 Jesus was crucified 
Matt 27:35
 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. KJV
John 19:23-24 has this to say about it:
Then (the time word) the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. KJV

Then, they sat down and watched him a while, Matt 27:36, And sitting down they watched him there;

In vs. 37 they got up and set the accusation over his head: Matt 27:37,  And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Matt 27:38, Then (after all this time) were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.

2, duo, thieves, liestes, were crucifed with him. Liestes means plunderers, which is a specific type of malefactor They were also placed 1 on Jesus' left and the other on his right. In vs. 39, spectators reviled Jesus; in vs. 41 the chief priests, scribes and elders reviled him; in vs. 44 Both of the thieves also “cast the same in his teeth.”

Matt 27:44, The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. KJV This fact alone should be enough to remove any doubt you have that there were more than 2 crucified with Jesus. Here we have 2 who reviled Jesus while in Luke only 1 did. How can you possibly reconcile this distinct difference in these 2 sets of 2 without coming up with 4? These 4 cannot be just 2.

Furthermore, let us look at the two following translations:

John 19:18
 where they crucified him, and with him two others, on this side, and on that side, and Jesus in the midst.

YLT

John 19:18

where they crucified him, and with him two others, [one] on this side, and [one] on that, and Jesus in the middle.

Darby

The word "one" is not in any Greek texts and was added by the translators as the above translations indicate. Here we also have 3 peculiar words “enteuthen kai enteuthen” which means on both sides, or on each side. It literally means “on this side and on that side!” enteuthen (ent-yoo'-then); (literally or figuratively); (repeated) on both sides: (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

If this is not enough to convince you of another myth that has permeated itself into the fabric of Christianity, consider this:

John 19:32-33 “Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first (one of the thieves), and of the other which was crucified with him. "Was crucified with," is the Greek word sustaurooo which means
to crucify along with; This is one of the malefactors that was led "with" and crucified at the same time "with" Jesus.
Now, verse 33: But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:

 But when they came to Jesus----If there were only 2 crucifed with Jesus, the soldiers would have come to him second, right? So, here is what we have:

• 2  kakourgos were led w/him and 
• 2  Liestes came later;
• 3 reviled him and 1 didn't; 
• the 2 who got their legs broken were on one side of him.
•  It looked like this: | | | | | with Jesus in the “midst!” 

Are you convinced now?

Financial Giving--the Myth About

MYTH-- You owe God 10%, your tithe.

TRUTH-- You don't owe God anything.

     Financial giving is one of the greatest keys to financial freedom, but this type of giving has nothing to do with tithing. If you have read anything I have written you will know that the true New Testament begins with the book of Romans. You will also know that the 4 Gospels conclude the Old Testament.

     The word "tithe" is not mentioned in the Bible later than Luke 11:42. It is only mentioned one other time in what is called the New Testament in Matthew 23:23. The tithe was instituted for Israel, the Jews, for the sake of the Levites. Members of the Church of the Body of Christ, to which all believers belong, are not Israel, Jews or Levites. We are under no obligation to give any percentage of our income to anyone for any reason.

     But, your church would probably wilt away like a prickly pear cactus before the annual monsoons. They literally cannot afford to teach what is true; or so they think. Unfortunately, Christians who have had this pseudo obligation ingrained into them, would find themselves in self-condemnation if they quit. But, there is an easy way around it, by reading what is written "to" them, particularly 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9.
2 Cor 8:3-4
 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord,
NASU

2 Cor 8:7-8
 But just as you abound in everything,....see that you abound in this gracious ($$) work also.

2 Cor 8:8-9
 I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.

2 Cor 9:1-2
For it is superfluous for me to write to you about this ministry to the saints;
NASU

2 Cor 9:6-8
6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace ($$) abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;

2 Cor 9:10-14
Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. 13 Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, NASU

     Whatever you choose to sow, you will reap accordingly. You are under no commandment to do so, not to do so greviously or under any constraint or custom.

     The primary purpose of the service of financial giving is to supply the needs of the saints, your fellow believers. Yes, it can be used to supply the needs of everyone who labors in the Word as well, such as myself and your pastor, but not to the point where the needs of everyday believers go unmet.
1 Tim 5:17-19
aThe elders who rule well (rightly, honorably) are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages." NASU

What thinkest thou?

5 Things to do to Prepare for the End of Days

1.  Make Jesus your Lord and believe God has him from the dead.
2.  Make sure you are born again and have a spirit filled believer lead you into speaking in tongues.
3.  Devote yourself to the Ministry of Reconciliation, winning souls back to God through Jesus Christ.
4.  Continue working heartily as unto the Lord Jesus to enable yourself to provide for your own needs and those of the needful saints.
5.  Don't worry about the coming Tribulation because you will be departed from the earth before it begins.
 

Scriptures to support the above:
1.  Romans 10:9-10
 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

2.  1 Cor 12:3
 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and no man can say Jesus Lord, but by holy spirit.
     1 Cor 14:2
 For he that speaketh in a tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth; howbeit in the spirit he speaks secrets to God.

3.  2 Cor 5:18-19

 And all things of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

   To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

4.  All of 2 Cor 8 & 9

  2 Cor 8:4

  Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift ($$$), and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

2 Cor 9:12

 For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;

5.  2 Thess 2:1-3

 Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to him (2 different subjects), we ask you not to be quickly shaken in your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as from us, saying that the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the departure comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, WEB

Pentecost Myth #2 What really happened on Pentecost?

Myth #2

      As we all know, punctuation, capitalization, chapter and verse separations are entirely up to the translators of the Bible. Translators did what they felt best. Sometimes they even added words and sometimes left words out. Without a PC Bible program or a Teacher of the Word such as myself, it is nearly impossible to know what the original God-breathed Word said.

     Here are a couple of different translations of Acts 2:4:

 And they were all filled with the Holy (hagion) Ghost (pneuma), and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit (Pneuma )gave them utterance. KJV

 And they were all filled with [the] Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave to them to speak forth. Darby

     In the Greek there is no article "the" before Holy Ghost (Spirit), but there is one before Spirit. The presence or absence of this article determines whether or not capitalization should be used. Darby's translation indicates that there is no article "the," because it is put in [brackets], yet failed to make the following words lower case, as they should be.

      What the believers were filled with that day was the gift of holy spirit from the giver the Holy Spirit, who is God. It should read, "And they were all filled with holy spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." KJV God, Yahweh, is both holy and spirit. He gave that which he is. He didn't give Himself and he didn't give an entity separate from Himself.

Look at Acts 1:5. There is no article the before Holy Ghost, and should read, "... but ye shall be baptized with holy spirit." Acts 11:16 confirms this as well as many other places. The gift that day as well as today is holy spirit; the manifestation, the proof, that they had received the gift was speaking in tongues. Tongues was not the gift and never will be.

Take a look here for further study: http://www.amazon.com/The-Giver-Gifts-E-W-Bullinger-ebook/dp/B00365F5FQ

JUDAS MYTH #2

WHEN DID JUDAS DIE?

MYTH: Shortly after the 30 pieces of silver were returned.

TRUTH: 40 days after God raised Jesus from the dead.

Now that you know how Judas died, it is equally important to understand when he died. It is believed by many that he did so immediately after this event:

Matt 27:3-5 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he (Jesus) was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. KJV

The major key to understanding when this occurred is knowing where he was from. He was from Kerioth, a city in the land of Judea. See Matthew 10:4

[Judas Iscariot] Probably from the Hebrew °iysh Q­riyowt , a man of Kerioth, which was a city in the tribe of Judah, Josh 15:25, where it is likely this man was born. (from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

In the following record it is approximately 40 days after Jesus' being raised from the dead.

 John 21:20-22  And Peter having turned about saw the disciple whom loved Jesus, following, (who also reclined in the supper on his breast, and said, 'Sir, who is he who is delivering thee up?')  Accordingly, Peter having seen (past tense) that one (that one who? That one who delivered him up), saith to Jesus, 'Lord, and what about that one?'  Jesus saith to him, 'If  I will him to remain till I come, what — to thee? be thou following me.' AT

Here we have at least 4 people walking along with Jesus. The question Peter asked of Jesus would not have been about the one whom loved Jesus but about the one who delivered him up to the authorities. What we see next is how rumors get started: 

John 21:23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: KJV

Why were they thinking that someone should die? Because of what Judas had done. Jesus had already forgiven Judas for what he had done. We know that Judas was still alive here.

As we had to go to the Book of Acts to see how Judas died we have to go again to see when he died.

Acts 1:2-3  Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the holy spirit had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: to whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: KJV

We know that Judas was one of the 12 that Jesus chose, so it stands to reason that Judas was still alive on the day Jesus ascended to heaven.  Acts 1:10-11

 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. KJV

Sometime between Acts 1:2 and 2:1(ten days passed) Judas left the group. We know this because the 2 angels in verse 11 addressed the group as "ye men of Galilee." Judas was not from Galilee, but Judea. Sometime during the next 10 days a replacement was picked for Judas.

Jesus was okay with Judas sticking around until the day of Pentecost had fully come and even until he returned, which he believed would be within 7 years. (John 21:22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. KJV)

We know assuredly that Judas stuck it out for 40 days after Jesus' being raised from the dead. Sometime before the 2 angels spoke to the men of Galilee, he departed with so much guilt and remorse that he could not keep on living. The Father and the Son had forgiven him but he could not forgive himself.  

Ps 103:12

 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. KJV

Judas Myth #1

HOW DID JUDAS DIE?

Myth: He hung himself from a tree.

Truth: He fell onto a sword.

Matt 27:5 says:
   And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. KJV

It seems pretty clear from this verse that the myth is correct. Even upon looking up the word "hanged" in the Greek, apagchomai, to choke, strangle or throttle, it seems clear cut. Unfortunately this is the only gospel that says anything about it.

The answer lies in Acts 1:16-18:

Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. KJV

This does not happen from being hung by the neck! Let's see how some other versions handle this verse.
Acts 1:18-19 (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. NASU

Acts 1:18  "As you know, he took the evil bribe money and bought a small farm. There he came to a bad end, rupturing his belly and spilling his guts. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

Acts 1:18-19  (Judas had bought a field with the money he received for his treachery. Falling headfirst there, his body split open, spilling out all his intestines. Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

In all these different translations/versions it doesn't specifically say how this came about, but this is exactly how King Saul killed himself.

1 Sam 31:4-5  Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it (headlong). And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.

KJV

Sometimes the answers we are looking for are not always right in front of us. Sometimes they have to be searched for. Sometimes we have to spend "some time" finding them.

Pentecost Myths--the Upper Room

Myth #1

What occurred on Pentecost did not occur in an upper room of someone's home. The upper room of Acts 1:13 is where 11 of Jesus' male disciples were living at least 11 days before Pentecost. They slept there, changed clothes there, cleaned up there, etc. Women did not live there with them.

In verse 14 we are told: "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren." One accord here, homothumadon, is in regards to mind or mentality, whereas the one accord in Acts 2:1, homou, is in regards to place or time. Here is how the NASU reads:
Acts 1:14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

In verse 15 there are not just 11 people present, there are about 120 disciples! So, where was this? It was in the Temple, the "house" of God. Luke 24:53 says "and were continually in the temple praising God."

If this is not enough to convince you, let's read further in  Acts 2:5-6
 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.

Are we to believe that this multitude of Jews from every nation under heaven heard these 11 guys in someone's upper room speaking their languages? (Anyone's upper room would have been a long way away from the Temple). Or is it much more likely that this multitude who were gathered in the Temple for the Feast of Weeks, heard these 120 disciples who were near them in the Temple and could see that they were Galileans?