Monday, March 2, 2020

The Comforter has Come, the Comforter has Come, or has It/He?

To get an understanding of who or what the Comforter/Helper is let's look at everything the scriptures say about it:

John 14:15-21, 25-26

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

16 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.

18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

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.
KJV

John 16:7-13
 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:

9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;

10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

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. KJV


What I'm not going to do at this time is get into who or what the Comforter is. You can figure that out from the context. What I am going to do is get into what he, she, or it is going to do when they do come.
  1. It shall teach you all things(not some)
  2. He shall bring all things to your remembrance, whatever Jesus has said to you.
  3. He will reprove the world of sin.
  4. He will reprove the world of righteousness
  5. He will reprove the world of judgment
  6. He will guide you into all truth (not some)
  7. He will show you things to come.
I can't speak for anyone else, but the spirit I received when I made Jesus my Lord and spoke in tongues hasn't done any of these things! There is no doubt in my mind that these characteristics are talking about what God is going to do with Israel when He establishes a New Covenant with them:

Jer 31:31-34
 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:

33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. KJV

Ezek 37:26-28
 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

28 And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore. KJV

Whatever the case may be, this comforter is nothing like the spirit the believers of today have according to 1 Corinthians 14. 



Some Differences between being Born from Above and being Born Again

 In order to understand what being "born again" means we must first look at the context in which it is used.

John 3:1-8
 Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish council.

2 He came to Jesus one night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that God has sent you as a teacher. No one can perform the miracles you perform unless God is with him."

3 Jesus replied to Nicodemus, "I can guarantee this truth: No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above (anoothen)." This is normally translated born again.

4 Nicodemus asked him, "How can anyone be born when he's an old man? He can't go back inside his mother a second time to be born, can he?"

5 Jesus answered Nicodemus, "I can guarantee this truth: No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the spirit (pneuma).

6 Flesh and blood give birth to flesh and blood, but the Spirit (pneuma) gives birth to things that are spiritual (pneuma).

7 Don't be surprised when I tell you that all of you must be born from above (anoothen).

8 The wind (pneuma) blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it's going. That's the way it is with everyone born of the spirit (pneuma)."

(from GOD'S WORD Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations Bible Society. All rights reserved.)

The next usage of anothen is in verse 31:

John 3:31-34
 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the spirit by measure unto him. KJV

What was it that Jesus expected Nicodemus to know? For starters, Ezek 11:19:

 "And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:" KJV

Also, Ezek 36:26-27:  "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." KJV

Finally, Jer 31:33-34:  "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." KJV

This is what Jesus knew and expected Nicodemus to know as well. Jesus expected  "those days" that Jeremiah spoke about, to begin immediately after his ascension and culminate with the Battle of Armageddon, when the Kingdom of God would begin. His mindset was a relatively short period of time.

Now, let's take a look at anagennao, to produce again, to beget again, to beget anew. Its first usage is in 1 Peter 1:3-5:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." 
NKJV

The second and final usage 1 Peter 1:22-23:  "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, NKJV

In contrasting the usages of these Greek words we can immediately see that there is no mention of "seed" or any "begetting" in John. Not only that, but we also see with that seed is an incorruptible, undefiled inheritance that does njot fade away with time! It is also interesting that 1:5 mentions "the last time," perhaps a parallel of "after those days."

In summary we know Jesus was talking to "a master (teacher) of Israel" and that he, Jesus, was referring to some Hebrew Scriptures when he spoke of being born from above and seeing and entering the kingdom of God. For the Jews, it was going to be impossible for them to enter into the kingdom without God making it happen. Ezekiel and Jeremiah show us that God was going to put his spirit in them and they are, in the future, going to walk in his ways. 

On the other hand, both Jew and Gentile can be begotten again now, enjoy the current benefits of salvation, reap the rewards of our godly works in heaven and then enjoy the full benefits of salvation  after those days of the tribulation. I would say there is a vast difference between what Jesus and Peter were speaking of. And these are just the ones on the surface!


Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Is there Death after Life or Just another Type of Life?

Over the years I have written a lot on the subject of death, primarily because so many Christians have been led to believe that we don't really die but go on to live with Jesus in Heaven. In John W. Schoenheit's book "The Christian's Hope,*" chapter 7, The Origin of Orthodoxy he says, 

     "The vast majority of Christian denominations teach that there is no such thing as death (if "death" is properly defined as "the total absence of life"). Instead, according to their teaching, when the body dies, the "soul," the "real you," goes to heaven or hell and keeps right on living either in bliss or torment. Therefore most Christian's do not believe that people actually experience "death" when their body dies." 
     "Since a major part of the Devil's agenda was, and still is, to convince people that "You will not surely die...Genesis 3:4," it is not surprising that most Christian believe that, in some way, "you" go on living even after you die. Whether that you is your spirit, your soul, or some other "essence," the bottom line is always the same--"you" are fully conscious after death, and not in fact, "dead" (i.e., without life). THIS BELIEF HAS NO BASIS IN SCRIPTURE." (Emphasis Mine). God designed humans as integrated beings with a body, soul, and spirit that together make a whole individual. Adam's body was fully formed, but just dust until God breathed life into it (Gen. 2:7). Adam's "life" (whether it be called "soul" or "spirit") had no consciousness or life of its own apart from his body! (Emphasis mine). The idea that the soul or spirit is like a ghost that can separate from the body and still have consciousness and movement without the body was introduced into Judaism after the Babylonian captivity and came from there and other religions into Christianity. (Only under Persian and Greek influence was the Platonic notion of the divine pre-existence of the soul, its imprisonment in the human body, and its immortality taken up in Judaism. This occurred at a late stage and on the periphery of Judaism. Karl-Joseph Kuschel, Born Before All Time? The Dispute over Christ's Origin (Crossroads, New York, 1992), p. 184. The idea of a disembodied living soul did not come from the text of Scripture!"
     "According the the Bible , a person who dies, is dead until he or she  is raised to life by the Lord Jesus and made to stand at one of the Judgments. Revelation 20:4-6 speaks of some of the dead "coming to life" to reign with Christ, while others do not yet come to life. Revelation 20:13 states that the sea and the grave will give up the "dead" who are in them so they can be judged. If people are judged when they die and consigned to either heaven or hell, then there is no reason to get them up from the dead for "a day of judgment." Why drag someone out of heaven or hell and judge him again, if he had already been judged at the time of his death?"
     "In The Early History of Heaven, J. Edward Wright addresses the biblical conception of what happens to the dead:
Two verses from the book of Psalms summarize the
biblical conceptions of the afterlife and of humans' place
in the heavenly realm: "Heaven is Yahweh's heaven,
but the earth he has given to humans. The dead do not
praise Yahweh, nor all those who go down in silence"
(Psalm 115:16-17).

These verses pointedly indicate what the biblical tradents thought about humanity's place in the heavenly realm--they have no place there!"
     "It is noteworthy that belief in a "heavenly" afterlife......spread after the death of Malachi, the last of the writing prophets. After his death, there were few people left who could oppose the incursion of false doctrine into Judaism. The impact of Greek religion and the Greek language on the doctrine of life and death among the Jews cannot be overstated. Alexander the Great conquered Israel in 332 BC. As a result, by 250 BC there were so many Jews speaking Greek (many of whom could not read Hebrew) that it became necessary to develop a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. This translation is called the Septuagint. It is significant that the translators chose the Greek word "Hades" to translate the Hebrew word "Sheol" in the Hebrew text. This choice had a very powerful impact because the souls in Sheol, according to Scripture, are all dead, but the souls in Hades, according to Homer and other Greek and Roman writers, are all alive! Thus by the stroke of a translator's pen, everyone throughout the "Old Testament" who had died was granted life in the grave."

Death/Sleep/Sheol/Grave/Hell/the Pit/Hades


     Many times God refers to death and dying as sleep and sleeping and even being asleep. In De.31:16 God told Moses that one day he would sleep with his fathers. “And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers;” He told the prophet Nathan to say the same thing to David in II Sam. 7:12: “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers,”
In Ps 13:3 David asked God “…lighten mine eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death.” Jeremiah, in speaking about Babylon in 51:39 says “…sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake..” Acts 13:36 says, “ …David fell on sleep and was laid unto his fathers and saw corruption (rotted away.) In 1 Cor. 11:30 Paul says “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep.” I Thessalonians 4:14 says, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. Vs. 15 goes on to say that “we which are alive and remain (at the Rapture of The Church) shall not precede them that are asleep and vs. 16 goes on to say that “the dead in Christ shall rise first.”

Not only does The Word say David slept with his fathers, but also that he saw corruption, which means he was dead and buried over 3 days and 3 nights. We know this because the Lord Jesus Christ was dead and buried 3 days and 3 nights and did not see corruption, rot away. Now, since King David is asleep in the grave with his father and all the fathers of fathers before him, including Moses, where do we come off thinking that when we die, we go to be with Jesus? Being dead is synonymous with being asleep in this context.

  1. Ps.6:5, “For in death there is no remembrance of thee (you have no memory): in the grave (Sheol) who shall give thee  thanks.” 
  2. Ps 49:14-15 “Like sheep they are laid in the grave (Sheol;) death shall feed on them (gross); and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume, (decays,) in the grave (Sheol) from their dwelling, (residence.) But God will redeem (in the future at the Resurrection of the Just, the First Resurrection, see Rev. 20:5,6) my soul from the power of the grave (Sheol:) for he shall receive me. Selah.
  3. Ps. 30:3 speaking of the raising of Jesus “O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.” Verse 9 goes on to say, “ What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?” No, it won’t.
  4. Ecc. 9:5,6 “For the living know they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward (hire, wages;) for the memory of them is forgotten. (We haven’t forgotten them, they've forgotten us.) Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy is now perished; neither have they any more a portion (share) forever in anything that is done under the sun.”
  5. Ecc. 9:10, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there is no work (labor,) nor device (reasoning or reckoning,) nor knowledge (or understanding,) nor wisdom(skill) in the grave (SheolHades, Hell, Pit,) whither thou goest.” 


     Not only do we see all the “attributes” of death, but we also see how Sheol is translated in the KJV as Grave, Hell and The Pit. In reality, everyone who has ever lived and died, believer or not, goes to Sheolwhich The Bible also calls Hell, Hades and the Pit. Heb. 9:27 tells us, “And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” With the exception of Jesus Christ, everyone who has died, is still dead and still in the grave and will be in the grave until one of the Judgments or The Rapture of The Church. This verse tells us that until there is a judgment everyone is dead and fortunately, the dead don’t even know it!

     In 1 Corinthians 15:26, the Apostle Paul wrote by revelation from Jesus Christ, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” Death is and always will be an enemy until it is destroyed! Death is not the immediate doorway to a new life with God, Christ and the Angels in Heaven. If that were the case, I would hardly view death as an enemy. I know what some of you are saying now, what about Enoch? Wasn’t he translated? Where on earth did the “Translators” come up with “translated?” “Translated” is the word Metatitheemi, which means to transfer, to change, to transpose. Basically, God took him from one place and put him in another place where he didn’t know anyone and no one knew him. Why did God do this? Because his life, his testimony was “that he pleased God,” and he did not want to experience the death of anyone he knew. You can read this account in Heb. 11:5, then you can read vs. 13 where it says, “These all died…..” The same holds true with Elijah.

     I know this Doctrine flies in the face of practically everyone and especially those who call themselves Christians. If “the dead” were somehow happy and alive now, in Heaven, the whole Bible would fall apart. No one is any good to God, dead. There is no benefit to God when anyone dies, especially those who love him. God didn't have a plan for your still-born child, which is why they died prematurely. Premature death is a real killer: it kills dreams, destroys families and steals potential sons and daughters from God. Personally, I get a great degree of peacefulness knowing that when I die, I am going to sleep the soundest sleep I have ever slept and wake up totally refreshed, meeting the Lord Jesus in the air, along with every other born again believer who has lived or died since The Day of Pentecost. That could be days, months or years; I don't know and neither does anyone else. But, the next thing any believer is aware of after they die, is that moment, “in the twinkling of an eye,” when they will be united with their Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In closing this essay, I cannot help but to quote some other verses from 1 Cor. 15,

1 Cor 15:20-26
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 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. (The Rapture of the Church.)
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. Rev. 20:14

1 Cor 15:51-58
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery (secret;) We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we (who are alive) shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortalitythen shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

     So, in a sense of time, when a believers dies, it will seem, to them, like they died and went immediately to the Lord, because they will be in soundest sleep they have ever been and won't know anything else before then! But, to those loved ones whom they leave behind, it will seem like an eternity passes; they are those whom “death stings.” In reality, everyone who has ever lived and died, with the exception of Jesus Christ is in hell, the grave. No unbelievers are in a place of eternal torment and no believers are in a place of bliss. The only ones for whom a place of eternal torment is reserved (you could say they have reserved seats; ha) are the devil, the beast and the false prophet.  (Ez. 28:18 says that even the devil will be turned to ash). This place is called the Lake of Fire and you can read about it in Rev. 20:10-15. You will also see in verse 14, that after these 3 were cast in, that death and hell were cast in as well. This is after the Millenial Kingdom. This should tell anyone with ounce of brains that hell and the lake of fire are not one and the same. Yes, it is true that many unbelievers will be cast into the lake of fire, but it never says they will be tormented day and night, as most of the Church believes they are experiencing as you read this. This is not the will of a just God. (It's not God's will that anyone else at all will be there.) They will, as you can imagine, be burnt to a crisp and experience the 2nd death. As in the 1st death, they won't know it.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
KJV

     You might be saying, "what difference does it make, dead, alive or somewhere in between." Stay tuned for that answer. It has something to do with Mediums.
A Muslim Graveyard at the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem

Friday, April 3, 2015

ACCORDING TO JESUS, HOW MANY HOURS ARE THERE IN A DAY? IN A NIGHT?

Have you ever taken the time to wonder how the people who set important dates could have squeezed 3 days and 3 nights between sundown Friday and sunrise Sunday? Or do you just accept it as another 'Mystery" of God? According to Jesus Christ, in John 11:9 he is quoted as saying :

"Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. KJV

We all know that there are 24 hours in a complete day, so reciprocally, there must be 12 hours in a night as well. So, a day and a night = 1 complete day or 24 hours. But, just to be sure let's take a look at the context of John 11, which is the subject of "raising Lazarus from the dead." In verse 6 we read, that after Jesus found out that Lazarus was sick, he continued to stay where he was for 2 more days. This is incredible in and of itself. Most of us would scurry right over and start praying. But Jesus waited 2 days before departing. John 11:7-11 goes on to say:

Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.
8 His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?
9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.
10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

In the 2 days since Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he died. But Jesus told his disciples that Lazarus was "sleeping." His disciples replied with: "Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well." I get such a kick out of these guys! These disciples were so tired from following the Lord around, they couldn't wait to get some sleep. When Jesus told them Lazarus was sleeping, they were probably thinking to themselves, "that lucky dog, I wish I was getting some sleep!" I can just see Jesus now, shaking his head and looking up to heaven, saying, "O Lord, O Lord, what am I going to do with these guys?" Jesus had to have a great sense of humor.

John 11:13-15
13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

By the time Jesus got there, Lazarus had been dead 4 days and was all ready in a cave grave, corrupting and stinking away. 3 complete days, or 72 hours, is as long as the body can go without decaying or as the Bible puts it, corrupting. And we know that the Lord Jesus suffered no corruption:

Acts 2:3131 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

What we need to see, is that when God says something, that is what he means. To corroborate what he said, he even brought Jonah into the picture: Jonah 1:17
Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
To get even greater clarification, let's go back to the beginning:
Gen 1:55 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

It can't get much clearer than this, but still Christians are willing to fight tooth and nail to hang on to Tradition. Many will say, "what difference does it make?" It has to do with the Integrity of God's Word: Can it be believed? God does not want people just to take things on "faith," that His Word is Truth. He can prove it's truth and he wants people to be able to do the same. But, when we celebrate or commemorate or venerate Christ's life and death and resurrection on days which are biblically impossible, it makes it more difficult for the unbeliever to believe.

Jesus was raised from the dead by sunset on Saturday, at which time Sunday began in accordance with eastern Biblical Times. Counting backwards 3 days and 3 nights means he was dead and buried by sunset on Wednesday. Why? Because Thursday, which began at sunset was a "High Day," not the weekly Sabbath:
John 19:3131 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

A High Day is a particularly special Sabbath, a day of holy convocation to The Lord God, which in this case was the first day of The Feast of Unleavened Bread and fell on Thursday the 15th of Nisan, which, again, began at sunset on Wednesday the 14th.

When the Bible says 3 Days and 3 Nights, that is what it means. It does not mean 2 nights and 1 day which is what you have if Jesus was dead and buried before sunset on a Friday. There is no Good Friday in the Bible.

God Bless and Happy Resurrection Sunday


Wednesday, April 1, 2015

SINCE 4 WERE CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST, why doesn't anyone teach it?

John 19:32-33
 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.
33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:
KJV

To the student of the Bible these 2 verses should "stand out like a sore thumb" in contrast to what is traditionally taught. Here is what we have:

  1.  Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, (the first among those who were crucified that day)
  2. and of the other which was crucified with him. (One of the ones crucified WITH, at the same time as Jesus was)
  3. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: (when they came to Jesus----think about this------if there were only 2 crucified with him the soldiers would have come to Jesus 2nd, if he was between the 2 or Jesus was at the end of the three).
John makes a distinction between the first crucified and the one crucified along with him showing that everyone was not crucified at the same time.

Luke 23:26, 32-33
 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. And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. 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

Here we have:
  1. Simon a Cyrenian carrying Jesus' "cross" behind him.
  2. Cross is the Greek word, stauros, a stake, pole or post
  3. 2 Malefactors, kakourgos, workers of evil
  4. Led with him, sun, accompanying him
Contrary to tradition Scripture clearly teaches that Jesus did not carry a physical piece of wood, particularly not a 2 member piece of wood with one member perpendicular to the other. These 2 evildoers were led with him and crucified with him, at the same time as him.

Matt 27:35-37  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. And sitting down they watched him there; And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. KJV

After they crucified him they: (These things took a little bit of time to do).
  1.  and parted his garments, casting lots: 
  2. And sitting down they watched him there; 
  3. And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. KJV
Matt 27:38 Then were there two thieves, leistes crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. KJV

These 2 are a specific kind of malefactor who came up to be crucified after the other 2 who were led with Jesus. One could easily say that I am just splitting hairs here, if it were not for this verse 44:

 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. 

But we know from Luke 23:39-40 that only one malefactor reviled Jesus while the other did not:

39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
KJV

There can be no doubt in your mind what the Scriptures teach on this subject, that 4 were crucified with Christ, not just 2. Now John 19 makes sense. There were 5 people crucified in a line with Jesus in the midst of them
John 19:18

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

Here's how the KJV reads:

18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
One is not in the texts and was added by the translators. "on either side" are the Greek words enteuthen kai entheuthen.  Kai is usually translated as "and," and serves as a copulative, Here enteuthen is translated as on and side. When  enteuthen is repeated as it is here, it means both sides:
  enteuthen 
NT:1782  from the same as NT:1759; hence (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.)



It is unbelievable to me how many versions and translations have missed this: 2 on both sides! 

This should cause you to wonder how much more they've misrepresented the God-breathed Word, but, unfortunately, it probably won't because hardly anyone really cares. After all, most Christians are more content with 2,000 years of Church Tradition than they are with the truth.
Does the truth matter to you?


















Sunday, February 15, 2015

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER?

Exodus 20:12 tells us, to "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

The Epistle to the Ephesians puts it like this: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth. Eph 6:1-4 NASB

     The reason I am writing about this is because of all the parents we have spoke with in the past couple of years who are experiencing quite the opposite, with some of their children. I feel that it has grown to a point that some light needs to be shed upon it. Since the commandment is reiterated in the church Epistles, it is just as viable to New Testament believers as it was to the old.

     The promise accompanying the commandment is,when you honour your father and your mother "you will live a long, prosperous life." I would like to submit that doing the opposite will result in a shorter, poorer and unhealthier life. I have copied some popular Commentators on the subject in the following quotes:

"[Honour thy father and thy mother] There is a degree of affectionate respect which is owing to parents, that no person else can properly claim. For a considerable time parents stand as if were in the place of God to their children, and therefore rebellion against their lawful commands has been considered as rebellion against God. This precept therefore prohibits, not only all injurious acts, irreverent and unkind speeches to parents, but enjoins all necessary acts of kindness, filial respect, and obedience. We can scarcely suppose that a man honours his parents who, when they fall weak, blind, or sick, does not exert himself to the uttermost in their support. In such cases God as truly requires the children to provide for their parents, as he required the parents to feed, nourish, support, instruct, and defend the children when they were in the lowest state of helpless infancy. See the note at Gen 48:12. The rabbis say, Honour the Lord with thy substance, Prov 3:9; and, Honour thy father and mother. The LORD is to be honoured thus if thou have it; thy father and mother, whether thou have it or not; for if thou have nothing, thou art bound to beg for them. See Ainsworth.


        [Honour thy father and mother] This word was taken in great latitude of meaning among the               Jews: it not only meant respect and submission, but also to take care of a person, to nourish         and support him, to enrich. See Num 22:17; Judg 13:17; 1 Tim 5:17. And that this was the               sense of the law, as it respected parents, see Deut 27:16, and see the note at Ex 20:12. 

(from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Matthew 15:4. [For God commanded ...] That is, in the fifth commandment (Ex 20:12), and in Ex 21:17. To "honor" is to obey, to reverence, to speak kindly to, to speak and think well of. To "curse" is to disobey, to treat with irreverence, to swear at, to speak ill of, to think evil of in the heart, to meditate or do any evil to a parent. All this is included in the original word.

(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Matthew 15:1-9 The sanction of this law in the fifth commandment, is, a promise, that thy days may be long; but our Saviour waives that, lest any should thence infer it to be only a thing commendable and profitable, and insists upon the penalty annexed to the breach of this commandment in another scripture, which denotes the duty to be highly and indispensably necessary; He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death: this law we have, Ex 21:17. The sin of cursing parents is here opposed to the duty of honouring them. Those who speak ill of their parents, or wish ill to them, who mock at them, or give them taunting and opprobrious language, break this law. If to call a brother Raca be so penal, what is it to call a father so? By our Saviour's application of this law, it appears, that denying service or relief to parents is included in cursing them. Though the language be respectful enough, and nothing abusive in it, yet what will that avail, if the deeds be not agreeable? it is but like him that said, I go, Sir, and went not, ch. 21:30.

(from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, PC Study Bible Formatted Electronic Database Copyright © 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All Rights reserved.)

Mark 7:10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

Matthew 15:4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

Ex. 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother - by expressions of respect and reverence for them, as instrumentally the representatives of God, and by every token of attention and considerate regard for their support and comfort. This commandment holds a high place in the rank of social duties, and comes next in order after the law of the Sabbath, with which it is associated (Lev 19:3). Love is the sentiment required to be cherished toward our fellow-men (Lev 19:18), but honour or 'fear' toward parents.
(from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

As you can see, there is a lot more to this commandment than meets the eye. Jesus concluded the matter with this and so do I, Mark 7:16  If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. KJV

Monday, December 8, 2014

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!