Bible Words & Terms
- Thread starter Webers.Home
- Start date
-
Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.
If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!
To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
.
His Rest
● Ex 31:16-17 . .The children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the
sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign
between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days The Lord made
the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was
refreshed.
The Jews' weekly routine day of rest is a liturgical day. As such it is no more
than twenty-four hours in length, whereas the creator's day of rest is very
different.
Six of the creation days were bounded by an evening and a morning;
whereas the seventh day wasn't bounded at all, viz: God has yet to
terminate His rest and pick up where He left off making things. In other
words; God's rest has thus far been a perpetual, never-ending day, viz: it's
an on-going rest primarily because the entire work of creation, from
beginning to end, was completed and God left no unfinished business
awaiting His return to work. (Gen 2:1)
● Heb 4:10 . . For all who enter into God's rest will find rest from their labors,
just as God rested after creating the world.
"their labors" are relative to the covenant that Moses' people entered into
with God by means of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy--
a.k.a. the Law -- which rewards compliance with blessings, while at the
same time penalizes non compliance with retribution, e.g. Lev 26:3-38, Deut
27:15-26, and Deut 28:1-69.
So then, the people can never relax because the law-- with its requirements
and its consequences --is constantly hanging over their heads like a sword of
Damocles, suspended by a slender thread easily severed by the slightest
infraction.
By no stretch of the imagination is the Law comparable to God's rest wherein
He ceased from His labors when He was all done and there was nothing else
to do; whereas the Law doesn't permit the people to cease from their labors
because the Law's sacrificial system is never satisfied. In other words; every
year starts them off from square one all over again because they can't get
by on only one Yom Kippur.
● Heb 4:11 . . Let us do our best to enter that place of rest.
_
His Rest
● Ex 31:16-17 . .The children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the
sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign
between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days The Lord made
the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was
refreshed.
The Jews' weekly routine day of rest is a liturgical day. As such it is no more
than twenty-four hours in length, whereas the creator's day of rest is very
different.
Six of the creation days were bounded by an evening and a morning;
whereas the seventh day wasn't bounded at all, viz: God has yet to
terminate His rest and pick up where He left off making things. In other
words; God's rest has thus far been a perpetual, never-ending day, viz: it's
an on-going rest primarily because the entire work of creation, from
beginning to end, was completed and God left no unfinished business
awaiting His return to work. (Gen 2:1)
● Heb 4:10 . . For all who enter into God's rest will find rest from their labors,
just as God rested after creating the world.
"their labors" are relative to the covenant that Moses' people entered into
with God by means of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy--
a.k.a. the Law -- which rewards compliance with blessings, while at the
same time penalizes non compliance with retribution, e.g. Lev 26:3-38, Deut
27:15-26, and Deut 28:1-69.
So then, the people can never relax because the law-- with its requirements
and its consequences --is constantly hanging over their heads like a sword of
Damocles, suspended by a slender thread easily severed by the slightest
infraction.
By no stretch of the imagination is the Law comparable to God's rest wherein
He ceased from His labors when He was all done and there was nothing else
to do; whereas the Law doesn't permit the people to cease from their labors
because the Law's sacrificial system is never satisfied. In other words; every
year starts them off from square one all over again because they can't get
by on only one Yom Kippur.
● Heb 4:11 . . Let us do our best to enter that place of rest.
_
.
Abba
● Eph 1:4-5 . . He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus
Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will
There are important differences between adopted kids and foster kids.
The latter have no inheritance rights, they have no right to be known by a
foster family's name, they have no right to address their foster parents by
means of family relations like mom and/or dad, and they have no right to a
place in the family's genealogy.
Plus, foster care is temporary. Older kids eventually age out of the foster
system and the State ceases to assist foster parents to continue providing
for them. At 18 the older kids are legally adults in my country, and the
responsibility for their providence is upon themselves. Ouch!
Adopted kids' circumstances are so, so much better. They are legally just as
much an adopted family's children as their natural offspring. Ergo: adopted
kids have inheritance rights, they have a right to be known by their adopted
family's name, they have a right to address their adopted parents as family
relations like mom and/or dad, and they have a right to a place in the
family's genealogy.
Plus, adoption is permanent. Older kids don't age out of their adopted homes
so they always have a family support base to fall back on should their
circumstances become difficult.
Not every Christian is related to God as His kin by adoption. And fortunately
those in His family circle aren't left to guess whether they are or not.
● Rom 8:15-16 . . For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to
fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we
cry out: Abba! Father! The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that
we are children of God.
Abba is neither English nor Greek; it's Aramaic. The word means father, but
not as an ordinary noun. Grammatically, it's a filial vocative.
When my son points me out to one of his friends at the mall and says:
"That's my dad over there" then his use of dad simply indicates how he and I
are related. But when he shouts: Hey dad, I'm over here! Then his use of
dad is a filial vocative because he's addressing me personally to get my
attention-- same noun; different sense.
* I was raised a Catholic boy and trained to address the supreme being as
"our Father" but that came to an end when the spirit of adoption began
compelling me to address God as "my Father" which is quite a bit closer to
home than I ever imagined possible.
_
Abba
● Eph 1:4-5 . . He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus
Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will
There are important differences between adopted kids and foster kids.
The latter have no inheritance rights, they have no right to be known by a
foster family's name, they have no right to address their foster parents by
means of family relations like mom and/or dad, and they have no right to a
place in the family's genealogy.
Plus, foster care is temporary. Older kids eventually age out of the foster
system and the State ceases to assist foster parents to continue providing
for them. At 18 the older kids are legally adults in my country, and the
responsibility for their providence is upon themselves. Ouch!
Adopted kids' circumstances are so, so much better. They are legally just as
much an adopted family's children as their natural offspring. Ergo: adopted
kids have inheritance rights, they have a right to be known by their adopted
family's name, they have a right to address their adopted parents as family
relations like mom and/or dad, and they have a right to a place in the
family's genealogy.
Plus, adoption is permanent. Older kids don't age out of their adopted homes
so they always have a family support base to fall back on should their
circumstances become difficult.
Not every Christian is related to God as His kin by adoption. And fortunately
those in His family circle aren't left to guess whether they are or not.
● Rom 8:15-16 . . For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to
fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we
cry out: Abba! Father! The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that
we are children of God.
Abba is neither English nor Greek; it's Aramaic. The word means father, but
not as an ordinary noun. Grammatically, it's a filial vocative.
When my son points me out to one of his friends at the mall and says:
"That's my dad over there" then his use of dad simply indicates how he and I
are related. But when he shouts: Hey dad, I'm over here! Then his use of
dad is a filial vocative because he's addressing me personally to get my
attention-- same noun; different sense.
* I was raised a Catholic boy and trained to address the supreme being as
"our Father" but that came to an end when the spirit of adoption began
compelling me to address God as "my Father" which is quite a bit closer to
home than I ever imagined possible.
_
.
The Grave
The Hebrew word sheol (sheh-ole') first appears in the Bible at Gen 37:35
where some versions translate it "grave" but although sheol includes the
grave, there's a bit more to it than that.
Jonah spent some time in sheol (Jonah 2:1-2). According to the information
given in his book, sheol for him included not only the tummy of a big fish,
but also a netherworld region located at the roots of the mountains. (Jonah
2:6) In other words: at some point in his adventure, Jonah and his body
parted company and went their separate ways. (This is not impossible
because according to Matt 10:28, the death of the soul and the body aren't
necessarily simultaneous.)
Jesus likened his own afterlife experience to Jonah's.
● Matt 12:40 . . For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of
a big fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart
of the earth.
Now when you think about it, Jesus' remains weren't interred in the heart of
the earth. In point of fact they weren't even interred in the earth's soil
rather, above the soil, in a rock-hewn tomb.
According to Ps 16:8-11 & Acts 2:25-31, Jesus' soul spent some time
confined in sheol which we know from Jonah's adventure wasn't limited to
the tomb but also included a netherworld region located at the roots of the
mountains. So at some point in his afterlife adventure, Jesus and his body
parted company and went their separate ways in a manner similar to
Jonah's.
_
The Grave
The Hebrew word sheol (sheh-ole') first appears in the Bible at Gen 37:35
where some versions translate it "grave" but although sheol includes the
grave, there's a bit more to it than that.
Jonah spent some time in sheol (Jonah 2:1-2). According to the information
given in his book, sheol for him included not only the tummy of a big fish,
but also a netherworld region located at the roots of the mountains. (Jonah
2:6) In other words: at some point in his adventure, Jonah and his body
parted company and went their separate ways. (This is not impossible
because according to Matt 10:28, the death of the soul and the body aren't
necessarily simultaneous.)
Jesus likened his own afterlife experience to Jonah's.
● Matt 12:40 . . For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of
a big fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart
of the earth.
Now when you think about it, Jesus' remains weren't interred in the heart of
the earth. In point of fact they weren't even interred in the earth's soil
rather, above the soil, in a rock-hewn tomb.
According to Ps 16:8-11 & Acts 2:25-31, Jesus' soul spent some time
confined in sheol which we know from Jonah's adventure wasn't limited to
the tomb but also included a netherworld region located at the roots of the
mountains. So at some point in his afterlife adventure, Jesus and his body
parted company and went their separate ways in a manner similar to
Jonah's.
_
.
Soul
● Gen 2:7 . .The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living
soul.
The Hebrew word translated soul isn't unique to human life. Its first
appearance is at Gen 1:20-21 in reference to aqua creatures and winged
creatures; again at Gen 1:24 as terra creatures; viz: cattle, creepy crawlies,
and wild beasts; and again in Gen 2:7 as the human creature; and yet again
at Gen 9:10 to classify every living thing aboard Noah's ark.
NOTE: I have yet to discover a passage in the Bible saying God is a soul,
however I've run across several saying He has a soul. (Lev 26:11, Lev
26:30, Judg 10:16, Isa 42:1, Jer 32:41, Zech 11:8)
Soul is somewhat ambiguous. It can be said that creatures are souls and
also that they have souls. But here in the beginning, nephesh (neh'-fesh)
simply refers to consciousness. (It's sometimes a reference to one's heart,
e.g. Gen 34:3, and to the core of one's being, e.g. Gen 27:4)
All fauna life was created conscious in the book of Genesis. However, I've
yet to discover a passage in the Bible indicating that flora life was created
conscious, viz: vegetation has no soul.
So then it's safe to say Man is a person, and it's safe to say that parakeets
and meerkats are persons (in their own way) but it would likely be unwise to
posit that turnips, saguaro cactus, and kelp are persons because it's
necessary to be a soul and/or have a soul, in order to qualify as a person.
* According to Matt 10:28, the body and the soul are perishable. However;
though the body is perishable by most any means, the soul is perishable
only by divine means. The deaths of body and soul aren't necessarily
simultaneous, viz: the soul lives on until such a time as God decides to give
it either a thumb up or a thumb down.
_
Soul
● Gen 2:7 . .The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living
soul.
The Hebrew word translated soul isn't unique to human life. Its first
appearance is at Gen 1:20-21 in reference to aqua creatures and winged
creatures; again at Gen 1:24 as terra creatures; viz: cattle, creepy crawlies,
and wild beasts; and again in Gen 2:7 as the human creature; and yet again
at Gen 9:10 to classify every living thing aboard Noah's ark.
NOTE: I have yet to discover a passage in the Bible saying God is a soul,
however I've run across several saying He has a soul. (Lev 26:11, Lev
26:30, Judg 10:16, Isa 42:1, Jer 32:41, Zech 11:8)
Soul is somewhat ambiguous. It can be said that creatures are souls and
also that they have souls. But here in the beginning, nephesh (neh'-fesh)
simply refers to consciousness. (It's sometimes a reference to one's heart,
e.g. Gen 34:3, and to the core of one's being, e.g. Gen 27:4)
All fauna life was created conscious in the book of Genesis. However, I've
yet to discover a passage in the Bible indicating that flora life was created
conscious, viz: vegetation has no soul.
So then it's safe to say Man is a person, and it's safe to say that parakeets
and meerkats are persons (in their own way) but it would likely be unwise to
posit that turnips, saguaro cactus, and kelp are persons because it's
necessary to be a soul and/or have a soul, in order to qualify as a person.
* According to Matt 10:28, the body and the soul are perishable. However;
though the body is perishable by most any means, the soul is perishable
only by divine means. The deaths of body and soul aren't necessarily
simultaneous, viz: the soul lives on until such a time as God decides to give
it either a thumb up or a thumb down.
_
.
Eternal Life vs Immortality
Eternal Life is often mistaken for Immortality. The two are not the same.
Immortality pertains to a body that's immune to death. Eternal Life, on the
other hand, pertains to a soul that's immune to death.
It's possible for people to obtain eternal life prior to obtaining immortality.
For example: Christ had eternal life all along (John 5:26, 1John 1:1-2) but
according to Rom 6:9 and Rev 1:18, he didn't obtain immortality till after his
crucified dead body was restored to life.
Likewise his believing followers have eternal life now (John 5:24, 1John
5:13) but according to Rom 8:23-25, 1Cor 15:51-53, and 1Thss 4:14-17
they won't obtain immortality until their resurrections.
Eternal Life and Immortality are very important benefits primarily because
they protect people from the second death depicted by Rev 20:11-15.
● Matt 10:28 . . And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to
kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body
in Hell.
FAQ: Don't people in perdition have eternal life? Wouldn't they have to in
order to be there forever?
REPLY: If they had eternal life; they wouldn't be in perdition.
● John 3:16-17 . . God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save
the world through him.
● John 10:27-28 . . My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they
follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish.
The thing is: eternal life has more to do with divine qualities than it does
with longevity. Folks in perdition are there because they departed with
human nature instead departing with the divine nature mentioned in 2Pet
1:2-4.
_
Eternal Life vs Immortality
Eternal Life is often mistaken for Immortality. The two are not the same.
Immortality pertains to a body that's immune to death. Eternal Life, on the
other hand, pertains to a soul that's immune to death.
It's possible for people to obtain eternal life prior to obtaining immortality.
For example: Christ had eternal life all along (John 5:26, 1John 1:1-2) but
according to Rom 6:9 and Rev 1:18, he didn't obtain immortality till after his
crucified dead body was restored to life.
Likewise his believing followers have eternal life now (John 5:24, 1John
5:13) but according to Rom 8:23-25, 1Cor 15:51-53, and 1Thss 4:14-17
they won't obtain immortality until their resurrections.
Eternal Life and Immortality are very important benefits primarily because
they protect people from the second death depicted by Rev 20:11-15.
● Matt 10:28 . . And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to
kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body
in Hell.
FAQ: Don't people in perdition have eternal life? Wouldn't they have to in
order to be there forever?
REPLY: If they had eternal life; they wouldn't be in perdition.
● John 3:16-17 . . God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save
the world through him.
● John 10:27-28 . . My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they
follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish.
The thing is: eternal life has more to do with divine qualities than it does
with longevity. Folks in perdition are there because they departed with
human nature instead departing with the divine nature mentioned in 2Pet
1:2-4.
_
.
Sleep
The night was black, rain fallin' down
Looked for my baby, she's nowhere around.
Traced her footsteps down to the shore
'fraid she's gone forever more.
I looked at the sea and it seemed to say:
I took your baby from you away.
I heard a voice cryin' in the deep:
Come join me, baby, in my endless sleep.
Endless Sleep, Jody Reynolds, 1957
A useful story, relative to the sleep of death, is told at John 11:1-44 wherein
one of Jesus' friends had passed away, and in John 11:11 Jesus said of him:
"Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."
Now; I have read that story several times in as many years and not once
have I come away from it assuming Jesus was speaking of soul sleep; not
when the entire focus is upon Lazarus' corpse. In point of fact, Jesus
deliberately delayed his journey to Lazarus' home to make sure he was so
dead that there could not be even the slightest glimmer of sensible doubt
about it.
"But, Lord --said Martha, the sister of the dead man-- by this time there is a
bad odor, for he has been there four days." (John 11:39)
The prophet Daniel spoke of the sleep of death.
"Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to
everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." (Dan 12:2)
Those sleepers Daniel spoke of are not soul sleepers 'cause as far as I know,
God didn't predict Adam's soul would return to the dust because his soul
didn't come from thence rather, it came from the breath of life (Gen 2:7)
viz: it was Adam's body that came from the dust and was to eventually
return there. (Gen 3:19)
Anyway, point being: Jody Reynold's best girl didn't end up in an endless
sleep like he thought because all human remains are on track to be
eventually restored to life for one reason or another. The sleep of death is
called sleep because the first time around isn't final.
_
Sleep
The night was black, rain fallin' down
Looked for my baby, she's nowhere around.
Traced her footsteps down to the shore
'fraid she's gone forever more.
I looked at the sea and it seemed to say:
I took your baby from you away.
I heard a voice cryin' in the deep:
Come join me, baby, in my endless sleep.
Endless Sleep, Jody Reynolds, 1957
A useful story, relative to the sleep of death, is told at John 11:1-44 wherein
one of Jesus' friends had passed away, and in John 11:11 Jesus said of him:
"Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."
Now; I have read that story several times in as many years and not once
have I come away from it assuming Jesus was speaking of soul sleep; not
when the entire focus is upon Lazarus' corpse. In point of fact, Jesus
deliberately delayed his journey to Lazarus' home to make sure he was so
dead that there could not be even the slightest glimmer of sensible doubt
about it.
"But, Lord --said Martha, the sister of the dead man-- by this time there is a
bad odor, for he has been there four days." (John 11:39)
The prophet Daniel spoke of the sleep of death.
"Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to
everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." (Dan 12:2)
Those sleepers Daniel spoke of are not soul sleepers 'cause as far as I know,
God didn't predict Adam's soul would return to the dust because his soul
didn't come from thence rather, it came from the breath of life (Gen 2:7)
viz: it was Adam's body that came from the dust and was to eventually
return there. (Gen 3:19)
Anyway, point being: Jody Reynold's best girl didn't end up in an endless
sleep like he thought because all human remains are on track to be
eventually restored to life for one reason or another. The sleep of death is
called sleep because the first time around isn't final.
_
.
Paradise
● Luke 23:39-43 . . One of the criminals hanging there hurled insults at him:
Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us! But the other criminal rebuked
him saying: Don't you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We
are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man
has done nothing wrong. Then he said: Jesus, remember me when you come
into your kingdom. Jesus answered him: I tell you the truth; today you will
be with me in paradise.
The thing is: Jesus didn't go up that day when he passed away on the cross;
in point of fact he went down. (Matt 12:40, John 20:17)
So then I think we can safely assume that paradise isn't restricted to a
single location, rather, any heavenly area can be characterized as paradise--
for example the afterlife zone that at one time provided accommodations for
Lazarus and Abraham in the story told at Luke 16:19-31) the so-called the
third Heaven (2Cor 12:2-4) and the paradise of God. (Rev 2:7)
In other words: I rather suspect that the sphere of paradise is a whole lots
more extensive than we've thus far been told about it.
For example the New York City park system. There's first of all the mega
recreational area called Central Park; but that isn't New York's only
recreational area. There are lots of smaller parks throughout the city that
although they have their own individual names-- e.g. The Highline, Bryant,
World Trade Center, Washington Square, etc -- they're all incorporated in
the New York City park system, and they are all paradise in comparison to
the rest of the city; in point of fact, the Greek word translated paradise
basically means parks
_
Paradise
● Luke 23:39-43 . . One of the criminals hanging there hurled insults at him:
Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us! But the other criminal rebuked
him saying: Don't you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We
are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man
has done nothing wrong. Then he said: Jesus, remember me when you come
into your kingdom. Jesus answered him: I tell you the truth; today you will
be with me in paradise.
The thing is: Jesus didn't go up that day when he passed away on the cross;
in point of fact he went down. (Matt 12:40, John 20:17)
So then I think we can safely assume that paradise isn't restricted to a
single location, rather, any heavenly area can be characterized as paradise--
for example the afterlife zone that at one time provided accommodations for
Lazarus and Abraham in the story told at Luke 16:19-31) the so-called the
third Heaven (2Cor 12:2-4) and the paradise of God. (Rev 2:7)
In other words: I rather suspect that the sphere of paradise is a whole lots
more extensive than we've thus far been told about it.
For example the New York City park system. There's first of all the mega
recreational area called Central Park; but that isn't New York's only
recreational area. There are lots of smaller parks throughout the city that
although they have their own individual names-- e.g. The Highline, Bryant,
World Trade Center, Washington Square, etc -- they're all incorporated in
the New York City park system, and they are all paradise in comparison to
the rest of the city; in point of fact, the Greek word translated paradise
basically means parks
_
.
Fertility
● Gen 1:27-28 . . So God created man in his own image, in the image of
God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed
them, and God said unto them: Be fruitful, and multiply.
● Gen 2:1-3 . .Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their
vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been
doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed
the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work
of creating that he had done.
The previous six days of creation were all bounded by an evening and a
morning, whereas the seventh day wasn't bounded at all; meaning of course
that it's an everlasting day and God will never return to work and pick up
where He left off making stuff. The reason for His permanent work stoppage
is because the cosmos-- all its forms of life, matter, and energy --is
complete and nothing was left undone needing attention.
Now the thing is: during those six days, God created only one human soul--
just the one --and He hasn't created any new human souls for the cosmos
ever since, viz: Adam is the origin and root stock of the entire human family.
In other words: we all descend from a common ancestor. (Acts 17:26)
So then, the blessing of fertility enabled Adam to reproduce and perpetuate
not only his human form, but also his human soul, viz: Adam's entire
posterity is one man with him in both body and soul. In other words; though
each of us is a unique individual, none of us are unique creations. On the
contrary we are all extensions of that one man by means of the remarkable
blessing of fertility.
_
Fertility
● Gen 1:27-28 . . So God created man in his own image, in the image of
God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed
them, and God said unto them: Be fruitful, and multiply.
● Gen 2:1-3 . .Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their
vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been
doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed
the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work
of creating that he had done.
The previous six days of creation were all bounded by an evening and a
morning, whereas the seventh day wasn't bounded at all; meaning of course
that it's an everlasting day and God will never return to work and pick up
where He left off making stuff. The reason for His permanent work stoppage
is because the cosmos-- all its forms of life, matter, and energy --is
complete and nothing was left undone needing attention.
Now the thing is: during those six days, God created only one human soul--
just the one --and He hasn't created any new human souls for the cosmos
ever since, viz: Adam is the origin and root stock of the entire human family.
In other words: we all descend from a common ancestor. (Acts 17:26)
So then, the blessing of fertility enabled Adam to reproduce and perpetuate
not only his human form, but also his human soul, viz: Adam's entire
posterity is one man with him in both body and soul. In other words; though
each of us is a unique individual, none of us are unique creations. On the
contrary we are all extensions of that one man by means of the remarkable
blessing of fertility.
_
.
Leaven
Leavened bread back in Bible days was made by either allowing a fresh
batch of dough time to spoil, or by blending a fresh batch of dough with the
fermented remains of a previous batch, viz: leavened bread in the Bible was
either a bread made with sour dough, or a bread consisting of a mixture of
old dough and new dough.
The thing is: yeast isn't the deciding factor. If it was, then bakers would find
it impossible to make unleavened bread because even fresh new flour leaves
the mill containing traces of naturally-occurring fungi that no amount of
processing can remove. Because of that, all dough will eventually go sour on
its own no matter how careful one is to preserve its freshness.
So then we may regard unleavened bread as made with unspoiled dough,
and leavened bread as that made with dough that's gone bad, either
deliberately or naturally.
_
Leaven
Leavened bread back in Bible days was made by either allowing a fresh
batch of dough time to spoil, or by blending a fresh batch of dough with the
fermented remains of a previous batch, viz: leavened bread in the Bible was
either a bread made with sour dough, or a bread consisting of a mixture of
old dough and new dough.
The thing is: yeast isn't the deciding factor. If it was, then bakers would find
it impossible to make unleavened bread because even fresh new flour leaves
the mill containing traces of naturally-occurring fungi that no amount of
processing can remove. Because of that, all dough will eventually go sour on
its own no matter how careful one is to preserve its freshness.
So then we may regard unleavened bread as made with unspoiled dough,
and leavened bread as that made with dough that's gone bad, either
deliberately or naturally.
_
.
Living Water
● John 4:10 . . Jesus answered her: If you knew the gift of God, and who it
is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have
given you living water.
Now obviously the water that Jesus offered the woman wasn't natural H2O.
Had it been, Jesus would not be asking the lady for a drink of hers because
his slacks one's thirst forever, viz: either the water he offered was
supernatural or he had never tasted it himself.
● John 4:13-14 . . Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but
whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.
Now we can see why folks never get thirsty again after one drink of living
water because it keeps on hydrating its hosts nonstop
● John 4:14 . . Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of
water welling up to eternal life.
"living water" is apparently a figure of speech that speaks of special
characteristics relative to God's Holy Spirit.
Later Jesus offered the water to folks in a larger venue, in point of fact the
Temple grounds in the city of Jerusalem.
● John 7:37-39 . . On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and
said in a loud voice: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water
will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who
believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been
given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
And finally in last chapter of the last book of the Bible, the scope of the
benefit is expanded to take in the entire world.
● Rev 22:17 . .The Spirit and the bride say: Come! And let him who hears
say: Come! Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him
take the free gift of the water of life.
Now regardless of how someone might interpret the living water and/or how
they might feel about it; there are at least five things we know for sure.
1) It's supernatural
2) It sustains eternal life.
3) Folks need only to imbibe it once.
4) It's free of charge with no strings attached.
5) The offering requires an RSVP
So: I suggest finding a quite place. Cover you face with your hands: it will
give you a sense of connection. In your own words-- out loud or under your
breath --speak up and tell God you would like to have the living water that
His son advertises in the new testament.
_
Living Water
● John 4:10 . . Jesus answered her: If you knew the gift of God, and who it
is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have
given you living water.
Now obviously the water that Jesus offered the woman wasn't natural H2O.
Had it been, Jesus would not be asking the lady for a drink of hers because
his slacks one's thirst forever, viz: either the water he offered was
supernatural or he had never tasted it himself.
● John 4:13-14 . . Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but
whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.
Now we can see why folks never get thirsty again after one drink of living
water because it keeps on hydrating its hosts nonstop
● John 4:14 . . Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of
water welling up to eternal life.
"living water" is apparently a figure of speech that speaks of special
characteristics relative to God's Holy Spirit.
Later Jesus offered the water to folks in a larger venue, in point of fact the
Temple grounds in the city of Jerusalem.
● John 7:37-39 . . On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and
said in a loud voice: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water
will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who
believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been
given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
And finally in last chapter of the last book of the Bible, the scope of the
benefit is expanded to take in the entire world.
● Rev 22:17 . .The Spirit and the bride say: Come! And let him who hears
say: Come! Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him
take the free gift of the water of life.
Now regardless of how someone might interpret the living water and/or how
they might feel about it; there are at least five things we know for sure.
1) It's supernatural
2) It sustains eternal life.
3) Folks need only to imbibe it once.
4) It's free of charge with no strings attached.
5) The offering requires an RSVP
So: I suggest finding a quite place. Cover you face with your hands: it will
give you a sense of connection. In your own words-- out loud or under your
breath --speak up and tell God you would like to have the living water that
His son advertises in the new testament.
_
.
The Promised Land
● Gen 15:18-21 . . In the same day The Lord made a covenant with Abram,
saying: Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto
the great river, the river Euphrates-- the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and
the Kadmonites, And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, and
the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
The Euphrates is Iraq's eastern border. The "river of Egypt" is likely the Nile
seemg as how there was no Suez Canal in that Day; though it's been
suggested (with some merit) this water might be a small stream south of
Gaza known as Wadi el Arish.
If there's a map handy, it's readily apparent just how huge a piece of real
estate that God assigned to Abram and his offspring. It's very difficult to
precisely outline the whole area but it seems to encompass a chunk of Africa
east of the Nile, (including the delta), the Sinai Peninsula, Saudi Arabia,
Yemen, Onan, UAE, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
We're talking about some serious square mileage-- roughly 1,538,370 of
them; which is more than Ireland, United Kingdom, Scotland, Spain, France,
Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Finland combined!
God has yet to give Abram's posterity complete control over all of his
covenanted land. In point of fact, the boundaries were very early on
temporarily reduced for the time being. (Num 34:1-12)
Currently, Israel, at its widest east to west dimension, across the Negev, is
less than 70 miles; and south to north from the Gulf Of Aqaba to Shemona,
about 260; comprising a square mileage of only 8,473: a mere half of 1% of
the original land covenanted to Abram.
The temporary boundaries run from the Mediterranean Sea eastward to the
Jordan River; and from the southern tip of the Dead Sea northward to a
geographic location which has not yet really been quite accurately identified.
Ezek 47:15 says the northern border passes along "the way of Hethlon"
which some feel is very likely the valley of the Nahr al Kubbir river which
roughly parallels the northern border of modern day Lebanon, and through
which a railroad track lies between An Naqib on the Mediterranean coast to
Hims Syria.
* Abraham's ownership of the promised land is unconditional. In other
words: no matter how badly his posterity misbehaves they will never lose
deed and title to the land due to conduct unbecoming. This is possible due to
the fact that the retributions listed in the covenant that Moses' people
entered into with God per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
aren't retroactive. (Deut 5:2-4 & Gal 3:17) Had God given the land to
Abraham and his posterity after establishing Moses' covenant instead of
before it, the Jews' would've likely been exterminated by now because they
have disappointed God enough in the past to easily deserve it.
_
The Promised Land
● Gen 15:18-21 . . In the same day The Lord made a covenant with Abram,
saying: Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto
the great river, the river Euphrates-- the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and
the Kadmonites, And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, and
the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
The Euphrates is Iraq's eastern border. The "river of Egypt" is likely the Nile
seemg as how there was no Suez Canal in that Day; though it's been
suggested (with some merit) this water might be a small stream south of
Gaza known as Wadi el Arish.
If there's a map handy, it's readily apparent just how huge a piece of real
estate that God assigned to Abram and his offspring. It's very difficult to
precisely outline the whole area but it seems to encompass a chunk of Africa
east of the Nile, (including the delta), the Sinai Peninsula, Saudi Arabia,
Yemen, Onan, UAE, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
We're talking about some serious square mileage-- roughly 1,538,370 of
them; which is more than Ireland, United Kingdom, Scotland, Spain, France,
Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Finland combined!
God has yet to give Abram's posterity complete control over all of his
covenanted land. In point of fact, the boundaries were very early on
temporarily reduced for the time being. (Num 34:1-12)
Currently, Israel, at its widest east to west dimension, across the Negev, is
less than 70 miles; and south to north from the Gulf Of Aqaba to Shemona,
about 260; comprising a square mileage of only 8,473: a mere half of 1% of
the original land covenanted to Abram.
The temporary boundaries run from the Mediterranean Sea eastward to the
Jordan River; and from the southern tip of the Dead Sea northward to a
geographic location which has not yet really been quite accurately identified.
Ezek 47:15 says the northern border passes along "the way of Hethlon"
which some feel is very likely the valley of the Nahr al Kubbir river which
roughly parallels the northern border of modern day Lebanon, and through
which a railroad track lies between An Naqib on the Mediterranean coast to
Hims Syria.
* Abraham's ownership of the promised land is unconditional. In other
words: no matter how badly his posterity misbehaves they will never lose
deed and title to the land due to conduct unbecoming. This is possible due to
the fact that the retributions listed in the covenant that Moses' people
entered into with God per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
aren't retroactive. (Deut 5:2-4 & Gal 3:17) Had God given the land to
Abraham and his posterity after establishing Moses' covenant instead of
before it, the Jews' would've likely been exterminated by now because they
have disappointed God enough in the past to easily deserve it.
_
Okay some things have been interesting. The part about leaven for example - that actually makes a lot of sense. Leaven can be seen as corruption. (Although that hurts a bit to say, because I made sourdough bread back before it became cool to make sourdough bread during the pandemic.)
But this one I don't buy. What, we are all part of one soul? Like the Cybertronians and their allspark?
"Until All Are One..."
But this one I don't buy. What, we are all part of one soul? Like the Cybertronians and their allspark?
"Until All Are One..."
.
The Flesh
The flesh is translated from a Greek word that basically pertains to the
meaty parts of a creature's body; which of course includes its brain and
central nervous system. But that's only half the story.
The flesh also pertains to the core of a creature's being, i.e. it's essential
nature. In mankind's case, that would be human nature-- defined by
Webster's, in so many words, as the fundamental dispositions, traits, and
characteristics of human life.
In the beginning, God was satisfied with the quality of human nature just as
it was, and graded it not just good, but very good, i.e. excellent. (Gen 1:31)
But then came the forbidden fruit incident whereby mankind became a tin
God. (Gen 3:22) Consequently the fundamental dispositions, traits, and
characteristics of human life lost their original quality and human nature
became decadent.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can
know it?" (Jer 17:9)
_
The Flesh
The flesh is translated from a Greek word that basically pertains to the
meaty parts of a creature's body; which of course includes its brain and
central nervous system. But that's only half the story.
The flesh also pertains to the core of a creature's being, i.e. it's essential
nature. In mankind's case, that would be human nature-- defined by
Webster's, in so many words, as the fundamental dispositions, traits, and
characteristics of human life.
In the beginning, God was satisfied with the quality of human nature just as
it was, and graded it not just good, but very good, i.e. excellent. (Gen 1:31)
But then came the forbidden fruit incident whereby mankind became a tin
God. (Gen 3:22) Consequently the fundamental dispositions, traits, and
characteristics of human life lost their original quality and human nature
became decadent.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can
know it?" (Jer 17:9)
_
.
Prophet
Prophets aren't limited to folks called upon by God to foretell the future. For
example Abel was a prophet (Luke 11:49-51) and Abraham (Gen 20:7) but I
have yet to run across anything of theirs in the Bible that predicts future
events.
Prophets are basically inspired folks whom God relies upon to perpetuate
spiritual information; for example:
● Gen 18:18-19 . . Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation,
and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. For I know him, that
he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall
keep the way of The Lord, to do justice and judgment; that The Lord may
bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him.
Inspiration isn't limited to men; there are female prophets too, e.g. Miriam
(Ex 15:20) Deborah (Judg 4:4) and Huldah (2Kgs 22:14).
The most valuable prophets in our day are folks that God enables to explain
the Bible.
● 1Cor 14:1-5 . . Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts,
especially the gift of prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not
speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters
mysteries with his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for
their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue
edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
. . I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have
you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in
tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.
_
Prophet
Prophets aren't limited to folks called upon by God to foretell the future. For
example Abel was a prophet (Luke 11:49-51) and Abraham (Gen 20:7) but I
have yet to run across anything of theirs in the Bible that predicts future
events.
Prophets are basically inspired folks whom God relies upon to perpetuate
spiritual information; for example:
● Gen 18:18-19 . . Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation,
and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. For I know him, that
he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall
keep the way of The Lord, to do justice and judgment; that The Lord may
bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him.
Inspiration isn't limited to men; there are female prophets too, e.g. Miriam
(Ex 15:20) Deborah (Judg 4:4) and Huldah (2Kgs 22:14).
The most valuable prophets in our day are folks that God enables to explain
the Bible.
● 1Cor 14:1-5 . . Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts,
especially the gift of prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not
speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters
mysteries with his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for
their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue
edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
. . I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have
you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in
tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.
_
.
Inspiration
Dictation and Inspiration are not synonyms nor do the two words describe
the same processes. This is a common error among Muslims. They affirm
that Muhammad received the Koran by means of dictation and they assume
Jews and Christians affirm the same for the Bible. Not so. Parts of the Bible
were dictated, yes, but not everything.
Webster's defines dictate as: to speak, or read, for a person to transcribe; or
for a machine to record
Inspiration is defined as: the action and/or the power to influence the
intellect or emotions
The Bible contains both dictation and inspiration. For example: Lev 26:21-39,
Num 15:30-3, and Deut 28:15-68 are dictation— easily recognized as such.
But even dictation can be inaccurate if it's recorded sometime later after the
recorder hears it. Unless it's taken down in real time like stenos do in court,
one's memory can be a serious impediment to verbatim accuracy.
However; the sordid events in Genesis 38:1-30 were recorded not by
dictation, but rather, by inspiration; and therefore it's very possible for
pertinent details in that story to be inaccurate and/or missing. I'm not
saying the story is a fabrication, I'm only saying that human nature being
what it is; people are not always perfect in getting their facts straight.
Every criminal prosecutor is fully aware that whenever there's a human
element to reckon with, there's going to be mistakes and it is extremely rare
for two people to see things perfectly alike. In point of fact, when witnesses
agree a little too closely, prosecutors become suspicious of collusion.
I believe it is highly significant that although there is only one book of
Genesis, there are no less than four Gospels; and those four disagree on
several points. But that's really to our advantage don't you see. If they
agreed perfectly, I would have to suspect that: (1) they were all written by
the same author, and/or (2) collusion.
What I just stated may seem blasphemous to some Jews and Christians, but
until they get it straight in their minds that inspiration and dictation are two
entirely different aspects of revelation, they will come across as fanatical
extremists, and be fair game for every astute opponent of the Bible who can
easily point out its inconsistencies.
_
Inspiration
Dictation and Inspiration are not synonyms nor do the two words describe
the same processes. This is a common error among Muslims. They affirm
that Muhammad received the Koran by means of dictation and they assume
Jews and Christians affirm the same for the Bible. Not so. Parts of the Bible
were dictated, yes, but not everything.
Webster's defines dictate as: to speak, or read, for a person to transcribe; or
for a machine to record
Inspiration is defined as: the action and/or the power to influence the
intellect or emotions
The Bible contains both dictation and inspiration. For example: Lev 26:21-39,
Num 15:30-3, and Deut 28:15-68 are dictation— easily recognized as such.
But even dictation can be inaccurate if it's recorded sometime later after the
recorder hears it. Unless it's taken down in real time like stenos do in court,
one's memory can be a serious impediment to verbatim accuracy.
However; the sordid events in Genesis 38:1-30 were recorded not by
dictation, but rather, by inspiration; and therefore it's very possible for
pertinent details in that story to be inaccurate and/or missing. I'm not
saying the story is a fabrication, I'm only saying that human nature being
what it is; people are not always perfect in getting their facts straight.
Every criminal prosecutor is fully aware that whenever there's a human
element to reckon with, there's going to be mistakes and it is extremely rare
for two people to see things perfectly alike. In point of fact, when witnesses
agree a little too closely, prosecutors become suspicious of collusion.
I believe it is highly significant that although there is only one book of
Genesis, there are no less than four Gospels; and those four disagree on
several points. But that's really to our advantage don't you see. If they
agreed perfectly, I would have to suspect that: (1) they were all written by
the same author, and/or (2) collusion.
What I just stated may seem blasphemous to some Jews and Christians, but
until they get it straight in their minds that inspiration and dictation are two
entirely different aspects of revelation, they will come across as fanatical
extremists, and be fair game for every astute opponent of the Bible who can
easily point out its inconsistencies.
_