God will supply you with all your needs; clothes, food, and shelter (Matthew 6:31-33, Luke 12:22-31, Philippians 4:19, Psalms 34:10). In Mark 8:14-21, the disciples apparently failed to realize from the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6:30-44) and from the feeding of the four thousand, that Jesus can certainly provide for their needs.
The
theory that Moses wrote Genesis, and the other four books of the Pentateuch, is
not supported by the internal evidence. For one thing, Moses never identifies
himself as the author. For another, he is always referred to in the third
person. And lastly, there is an account of his death at the end of Deuteronomy. But, I hardly think that any man could write about his own death.
Moses and the Burning Bush (mosaic)
It
was customary to have registers of citizenship, in which were entered the names
of citizens, both natural and adopted (Luke 2:1-5). Heaven is represented as a
city (Revelation 3:12; 21:2,10), and its inhabitants are registered (Isaiah
4:3; Daniel 12:1; Luke 10:20; Revelation 13:8; 17:8; 20:15; 21:27). When one
was deprived of citizenship his name was erased from the roll of citizens
(Exodus 32:32, Psalms 69:28, Revelation 3:5). Christians are citizens with the
saints, and of the household of God (Ephesians 2:19, Phillippians 3:20).
Godly
people are not to let anyone in their house who is not godly themselves (2 John
1:10, Proverbs 24:15, Ecclesiasticus 11:29,34).
Jesus'
only double miracle is recorded in Mark 8:22-25, when he healed the man in
Bethsaida. After he healed his blindness the first time, the man could not see
clearly, and could not distinguish trees from man. Since he was blind at birth,
his mind needed to be able to make the connection as to what shapes, colors,
textures, etc. belonged to what. Only someone who was blind at birth would
perceive the world as confusing in this way. This shows that the blind man
could not have been faking his blindness. After Jesus healed him the second
time, the man was able to see clearly. Some may ask why Jesus needed to heal
this man twice, and why he did not complete it the first time he healed this
man. This miracle pictures the disciples slow but progressive spiritual
comprehension, which climaxes in verse 29 with their confession of Jesus as
Messiah.
The
word "immortal" appears only one time in the entire Bible. Only God
is immortal (1 Timothy 1:17).
During
the persecution of the early Christians, they communicated with each other by
drawing a symbol of a fish consisting of two intersecting curved lines. When
two would meet, one would draw half the symbol upon the ground with the foot.
The other, to show like belief, would complete the drawing. The Greek acronym
"IXThUS" (meaning 'fish') derives from the first letters of this
early statement of belief: "Iesous Xristos Theos Uios Soter." Meaning,
"Jesus Christ God's Son Savor."
Adam
and Eve didn't have just two children, as is usually believed. There were three
named sons; Cain, Abel and Seth, but had an additional unspecified number of
sons and daughters (Genesis 5:4).
According
to the Bible. Adam lived 930 years (Genesis 5:5).
There
is a great deal revealed in the scripture about angels. Angels can speak as man
does, and can eat food (Genesis 18:8; 19:3,16); they are capable of direct
physical combat (Genesis 19; 32:24-30, Exodus 12, 2 Kings 19:35); they are
principle forces behind government powers (Daniel 10); They don't marry in
heaven (Matthew 22:30); they are capable of much mischief (Genesis 6:1-2, 2
Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6); they are limited, like men, in respect to certain things
(Revelation 5:2-4); they can appear in human form (Acts 11:13, Hebrews 13:2);
an angel took Lot and his family by the hand and placed them outside the city
because Lot was hesitant to leave Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:5,10,16); an
angel freed Peter from Prison (Acts 12:6-11). Nowhere in scripture does it
mention that people turn into angels after they die. Nowhere in scripture does
it mention that angels have wings. Even though angels are usually presented as
feminine figures, scriptural angels are always referred to in the masculine
gender.
Two Angels (an icon)
It is usually assumed by most people that Christ is the last name (surname) of Jesus. This is not true. Christ is not a name, but a title. Last names were virtually unknown during the time that Jesus lived. In fact, last names did not appear as a regular custom until the tenth century after the Normans conquered England. Prior to that, second names were not really names at all. If anything followed someone's name, it was usually an indication of the geographic origin or description of the man. Thus, Jesus was frequently referred to as Jesus of Nazareth. Christ is an early Hebrew word used as a title and means "the anointed one."
The
Old Testament standard of justice of an "eye for eye, tooth for
tooth" (Exodus 21:24) was not intended as a justification for
revenge, as is popularly believed When originally framed and set forth by
Moses, this code was intended to attain equal and consistent justice and to
limit vengeful retaliation. Under most ancient legal systems, noblemen and
higher classes received less punishment than did servants or slaves who
committed similar offenses. It was also common for a lower class person to be
killed or seriously injured in retaliation for a very minor injury caused to
someone of a privileged class. As part of the law of retaliation, this
ordinance was meant to check passionate vengeance for a slight injury, and was
meant to limit retaliation only to the extent of the first wrongful act and to
provide equal justice for everyone.
There
is only one reference to Lucifer in the scripture (Isaiah 14:12), and it does
not refer to Satan or the Devil, but to the king of Babylon, who was
Nebuchadnezzar at the time.
Lucifer
Lucifer
The name Lucifer means "light bringer" or "bringer of light". The word "light" in that conext means "truth". It is derived from Latin lux "light" and ferre "to bring". In Latin this name originally referred to the morning star, Venus, but later became associated with the chief angel who rebelled against God's rule in heaven (see Isaiah 14:12).
It
is not true that Samson lost his strength because Delilah didf not cut off
Samson's hair. It was shaved off was and it was not even shaved by
Delilah, but by another man (Judges 16:19).
The
scripture makes no mention of a snake in the Garden of Eden, it was a "serpent" that
tempted Eve and convinced her to eat the "fruit of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil." A serpent in antiquity refers to any
creeping thing that was especially noxious or venomous.
The
feast of the Passover was the first feast on the Jewish yearly calendar and was
kept in commemoration of the national deliverance from Egypt in the Exodus
under Moses. Passover takes its name from the Hebrew term related to the death
angel passing over those who had applied the blood of a lamb to their homes
(Exodus 12). During the last supper, "Jesus took bread" (Matthew
26:26). The head of the Jewish household was accustomed to doing this during
the Passover feast. Jesus gave a completely new significance to the action by
saying "This is my body." During the Passover feast, the
Jewish householder took bread in his hand and said, "This is the
bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt," meaning
that the one represented the other. By His words, our Lord changed the whole
significance and emphasis of the feast from looking back to the typical
redemption from Egypt to faith in the redemption from sin accomplished by His
death.
Jesus'
final prediction about his death was made two days before Passover (Matthew
26:1-2, Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1-2), which was eaten on the evening of Nisan 14.
Thus the prediction was made on the twelfth of the month (April).
King
Zimri had the shortest reign for a king, seven days (I Kings 16:15).
The
man who helped carry Jesus' cross to his crucifixion, was called Simon (Matthew
27:32). He was from Cyrene (North Africa), and is also called “Niger” in Acts
13:1, which means “the black” in Greek. Simon had two sons, Alexander and
Rufus, who later became well-known Christians (Mark 15:21).
Scripture
does not portray Jesus as an unmoved problem solver sweeping serenely and
unemotionally from incident to incident, but Jesus was moved with compassion,
as in Mark 1:41; 6:34, when he healed those in need.
Jesus
friends and family thought Jesus insane and mentally unsound, so they tried to
quiet Jesus' controversial operations with some demands or service (Mark
3:21,31).
We
should give careful attention to what we hear. For according to the proportion
of study given God's Word, a corresponding amount of knowledge will be given
you, and generously multiplied at that. God's truth, instead of being divinely
hidden from man, will be understood in proportion to ones attention to and
study of it (Mark 4:24-25).
Jesus,
in Mark 4:34-41, fulfilled Psalm 107:23-31.
Contrary
to normal human assumptions, greatness is not a matter of dominance but
of service – of being dominated by the will of God (Mark 9:33-35).
Even
though Paul wrote most of the books in the New Testament, Luke's 2 books (Luke
and Acts) make up over half of the New Testament writings.
The
Apostle Paul was called Saul before his conversion and missionary journeys
(Acts 7:58 – Acts 13:9). He was the most prominent apostle in the first century
due to his effectiveness in forming so many assemblies. Paul was from Tarsus of
Cilicia and was born into a well-to-do home. Paul, as a rabbi and Pharisee
(Acts 23:6; 26:5), was required to learn a trade and so labored in the low
paying, menial task of tent making (Acts 18:3). But two facts demonstrate the
social status of his family: 1) his Roman citizenship (Acts 22:28); 2) his
opportunity to study in Jerusalem under the foremost teacher, Gamaliel (Acts
22:3).
Saint Paul (icon)
Paul's
primary attribute, however, was not his education but his zeal, which was as
much a part of his life before his conversion as afterward. Paul was the first
to martyr the Christians (Acts 7:58) and to wreak havoc for believers in
Jerusalem (Philippians 3:4-5, Acts 8:1-4; 22:4; 26:10), pursuing them even as
far as Antioch. At that time God graciously saved him and commissioned him
(Acts 9, Galatians 1:13-17). Paul became the apostle to the gentiles (Galatians
2:9, Romans 11:13) and immediately preached in Damascus, Jerusalem, Tarsus, and
throughout Syria and Cilicia (Galatians 1:21-23). About ten years later while
serving in Antioch, Paul was sent to Cyprus and Galatia in what is called his
first missionary journey (Acts 13-14). He later evangelized Greece (Acts 16-18)
and then Asia Minor (called Asia in Acts 19). When he returned to Jerusalem he
was arrested and imprisoned: two years in Caesarea (Acts 23-26) and two years
in Rome (Acts 28). During his missionary journeys he wrote Galatians, 1 and 2
Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Romans. While in Rome he wrote the
so-called Prison Epistles: Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon.
The
books of Acts and 2 Timothy (along with the statements of church history) imply
that Paul was released from prison, preached in Spain and the Aegean Sea area,
wrote 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, was rearrested, and was finally martyred by
Nero. Paul was neither physically impressive nor an orator (2 Corinthians
10:10), but his unquenchable zeal and love, plus his powerful pen, have
endeared him not only to Christians of the first century, but also to those of
the last 20 centuries.
The
“swaddling clothes” that Mary put on Jesus when he was a baby (Luke 2:7) were
bandage like strips of cloth wrapped around an infant to ensure that the limbs
would grow straight. Not to swaddle a child would be a form of abuse (Ezekiel
16:2-4). This wrapping would aid the shepherds in identifying Jesus (Luke
2:12).
It
was the practice in Old Testament days for a newly married man to be absolved
from military service in Israel for one year so that he could spend time with
his new bride (Deuteronomy 24:5). Whether this was to give them time to have
children or, as it seems from the text, simply to "enjoy themselves",
is not clear. But perhaps the intent was that a couple could develop a close
relationship for a year before having children with its great demands on the
marriage relationship.
There's
a revealed will of God and a hidden will of God (Deuteronomy 29:29).
When
acting in Christ's name and doing things in His name, we should always try to
take at least one other brother or sister with us (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Mark
6:7, Luke 10:1).
There
were only 15 crimes that had the death penalty imposed upon man: premeditated
murder, kidnapping, adultery, homosexuality, incest, bestiality, persistent
disobedience to parents and authority, striking or cursing parents, offering
human sacrifices, false prophesy, blasphemy, profaning Sabbath, sacrificing to
false gods, magic and divination, rape of a betrothed woman.
Some
people say that the Cerastes hides himself in the sand, in order to bite the
horse's foot, that he might throw off his rider. Jacob makes an allusion to
this in the blessing he gave to Dan. "Dan shall be a serpent by the
way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall
fall backward" (Genesis 49:17).
Did
you know the word for "witness" in the Greek is "martyr"?
Speaking to His apostles, Jesus said, in Acts 1:8, "But ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto
me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost
part of the earth." This is Greek word #3144, “martus.” What
he is really saying is, “I want you to be martyrs.”
Today,
we believe the word “martyr” means somebody who died a terrible death for
believing in the Christ. But the word “martyr” doesn't really mean someone who
is tortured to death; the word “martyr” means “witness.” So how did we come to
feel that the word martyr means killed? Because a lot of believers, down
through history, have been killed for their witness about Jesus.
Here
are words and phrases that do not appear in scripture: sermon,
original sin, second coming, rapture, trinity, denominations, Jewish sabbath,
Christian Sabbath, immortal soul, bible, theocracy, millenium, omniscience,
omnipotence, omnipresence, the unpardonable sin, physical resurrection, end of
time.
Acts
19:19-20 records a book burning. The burning of these occultist books, valued
at over one million dollars by current standards, might be considered a
senseless waste by some. The sale of these scrolls could only provide financial
resources. The rejection of and separation from them resulted in God's
blessing, and "so mightily grew the word of God and prevailed."
When
the psalmist wrote Psalm 90:10, he declared that man's average lifespan was seventy
to eighty years. Today, over 3,000 years later, we find that our average life
span is essentially the same! It is sobering to realize that despite all the
money spent recently on biomedical research, we have not increased our
lifespan.
Under
God's Law, an accessory to a crime is just as guilty as the one perpetuating
the crime (Psalms 50:18, 1 Timothy 5:22). Scripture also shows that those who
participate in evil through somebody else are guilty of the act themselves. For
example, David gave orders to Joab and instructed him to have Uriah killed.
Even though David did not kill him himself, but had another do it for him, God
placed the sin of murder on David himself (II Samual 11:14 - 12:9). In
addition, if a man has seen a crime, or has heard of a crime, and does not bear
witness of this crime as a witness, then this man shall bear the criminals
iniquity (Leviticus 5:1).
Egyptian
magicians withstood Moses (Exodus 7:11 - 9:11). Their names are never mentioned
in the book of Exodus. Nor are their names mentioned anywhere in the entire Old
Testament books. Their names are revealed in 2 Timothy 3:8 as Jannes and
Jambres.
It
is not certain where the apostle obtained their names; but they are frequently
mentioned by the Hebrew writers, and also by other writers; so that there can
be no reasonable doubt that their names were correctly handed down by
tradition. Nothing is more probable than that the names of the more
distinguished magicians who attempted to imitate the miracles of Moses, would
be preserved by tradition; and though they are not mentioned by Moses himself and
the Jews have told many ridiculous stories respecting them, yet this should not
lead us to doubt the truth of the tradition respecting their names. They are
also mentioned by Pliny and by Numenius, the philosopher, as quoted by Eusebius.
By the rabbinical writers, they are sometimes mentioned as Egyptian magicians
who opposed Moses in Egypt, and sometimes as the sons of Balaam. The more
common account is that they were the best of the Egyptian magicians.
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