Bible Words & Terms

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Moses' Law

Moses' Law-- a.k.a. the Ten Commandments --is a covenant entered into by
Yahweh and the people of Israel located in the books of Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Now as a matter of personal opinion, I really think the Israelites really
should've read the fine print before agreeing to God's requirements in this
covenant because it slams folks with some pretty stiff penalties for non
compliance; for example Lev 26:14-39, Deut 27:15-26, and Deut 28:15-68.
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[Karlon]

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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.
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reminds me of a lesson i thought of a while back: "do you're best to pass a test & you shall rest"!

 

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Melchizedek

Prior to the institution of the Israelite priesthood tribe of Levi, there was a
Gentile man named Melchizedek in Abraham's day who served God as the
supreme being's high priest. Quite a bit is written about him in the new
testament's letter to Hebrews.

The thing is: the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God-- as it's
stated in the old testament books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and
Deuteronomy --isn't retroactive. (Deut 5:2-4 & Gal 3:17) Seeing as how
Melchizedek served God something like +/- 400 years before the covenant,
then he wasn't obligated to comply with it and therefore none of its
consequences for non compliance were ever a danger to him.

So then, seeing as how Christ has been appointed a high priest whose
arrangement with the supreme being is more or less patterned after
Melchizedek's (Ps 110:4 & Heb 5:5-6) then neither is he obligated to comply
with the covenant and therefore none of its consequences for non
compliance are a danger to him.

* I think it can be safely assumed, and rightly so, that if Melchizedekian high
priests are immune to the consequences listed in the covenant, then
everyone they represent, in matters pertaining to God, are blessed with that
very same immunity.

For example: folks unified with Christ need not fear that non compliance
with the Ten Commandments will some day endanger their afterlife safety.

● John 5:24 . . I assure you; those who listen to my message, and believe in
God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their
sins, but they have already passed from death into life.
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Yom Kippur

The Great Day Of Atonement-- a.k.a. Yom Kippur --is huge in the Levitical
sacrificial system because when the ritual is conducted properly by the
appropriate holy men, it addresses an entire year of the nation of Israel's
sins.

However, there has been neither a Temple nor a a fully functioning High
Priest on duty in Jerusalem since Titus the Roman destroyed the city in 70AD
so it has been impossible for +/- 1,955 years to follow the instructions for
Yom Kippur given by Lev 16:2-34. Consequently Yom Kippur has been sort
of on-hold, and the people of Israel haven't been able to avail themselves of
its benefits for quite some time.

In reality, Yom Kippur is a temporary expedience because the sacrifices
involved in the ritual are of such low value. The reason being that human life
was created in the image and likeness of God whereas the remainder of life
on earth wasn't. Thus the value of human life is infinitely greater than the
value of all other natural forms of life including the sacrificial animals
designated for Yom Kippur.

What that boils down to is this: The life of a sacrificial animal cannot satisfy
the degree of justice that's rightfully due the sins committed by human life.
Consequently; Yom Kippur's ritual is an adequate resource for the people of
Israel in their quest to obtain cleansing, but nigh unto useless as a resource
in their quest to obtain innocence.

NOTE: Never, ever, wish your Jewish friends and/or associates a pleasant
Yom Kippur. It's okay to wish them a satisfactory Yom Kippur but never a
pleasant one because it's not a feel-good day like Christmas and birthdays.

Quite the contrary Yom Kippur is specifically a day for them to be depressed;
viz: a day of sadness and self-affliction per Lev 16:29-31, Lev 16:31, Lev
23:27, and Lev 23:32, which is from a Hebrew word meaning to mistreat,
humiliate, oppress, break the spirit, demean, abuse, weaken, injure, abase,
etc. On that day; the people of Israel are required to think of themselves as
disgusting, deplorable, and despicable. Those who think and/or speak well of
themselves on that day accrue an instant curse upon themselves. (Deut
27:26)
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The Name

● Gen 2:4 . .These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when
they were created, in the day that The Lord God made earth and heaven.

The "Lord" part of Lord God is translated from the four-letter
tetragrammaton YHVH which is sometimes spelled YHWH. The correct
pronunciation is currently unknown. Sometimes it's pronounced Yehovah,
sometimes Jehovah, and sometimes Yahweh. In some Bibles, "Lord" is in full
capitalization to alert readers that their English version has been translated
from a Hebrew text containing YHVH.

The appellation is so sacred among pious Jews that they make every effort
to avoid speaking it except under very special circumstances. In some of
their writings, in order to avoid using the four sacred letters comprising the
tetragrammaton, they write instead "The Name" and/or sometimes
"Hashem". So Ex 20:3 could be written: I, The Name, am your god and/or I,
Hashem, am your god.

NOTE: According to Phil 2:7-9, Jesus has been authorized to use the name
for his personal title, effectively elevating Christ to the rank of deity; and
who can possibly object considering the extent of his devotion to both God
and Man in the plan of salvation?
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Resurrection

Hypertension-- a.k.a. high blood pressure --is sometimes called the silent
killer. Well; most folks are aware of the physical resurrections spoken of by
Dan 12:2, John 5:28-29, and Rev 20:12-13, but there are subtle
resurrections going on all around us all the time that are not easily detected.

● John 5:24 . . I assure you; those who listen to my message, and believe in
God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their
sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

● Eph 2:1-6 . . As for you; you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in
which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the
ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who
are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the
cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the
rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

. . But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us
alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace
you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with
him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

● Rom 6:11-13 . . Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ
Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its
evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of
wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been
brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as
instruments of righteousness.
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Hope

● 1Pet 3:15 . . Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks
you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

The Greek word translated "hope" basically means to anticipate (usually with
pleasure) and to expect with confidence. Note the elements of anticipation,
expectation, and confidence.

Webster's definition of hope as a verb is very similar: 1) to desire with
expectation of obtainment, and 2) to expect with confidence and trust. Note
the elements of expectation, confidence, and trust.

Webster's definition of hope as a noun is: 1) a desire accompanied by
expectation of, or belief in, fulfillment, and 2) expectation of fulfillment or
success. Note the elements of expectation and belief.

In other words: Peter's hope is a know-so, in the bag, hope rather than a
wishful hope.

● Rom 12:12 . . Rejoicing in hope.

When people are praying for the best, while in the back of their mind
dreading the worst, they have absolutely no cause for rejoicing; no; but they
do have plenty of cause to fear the unknown.
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Faith

Mark Twain defined faith as believin' somethin' that ain't so.

Twain's quip isn't all that far off the mark because the fact of the matter
is: Christianity contains a large number of elements that cannot be proven
true by means of empirical evidence.

● Heb 11:1 . . Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of
what we do not see.

I'm sometimes asked how I can believe in a religion that cannot be proven
true. I can only say it's an intuitive conviction that I am unable to shake off.

Why does anybody believe what they believe? Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu,
Bahá'í, Hare Krishna, Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, Catholic, Baptist,
Judaism, Voodoo, Wiccan, Jain, Druze, Native American, etc, etc, etc. The
answer? Because it grips their heart-- the core of their being --which is very
different than persuading someone with logic and reasoning.

When folks are persuaded to buy into a religion by means of logic and
reasoning, they can be just as easily persuaded to give it up by logic and
reasoning. But someone whose heart is gripped by their religion is not easily
removed regardless of how strong, how sensible, how convincing, nor how
logical the opposition's argument. In point of fact, one of the prerequisites to
Christian salvation is believing with one's heart rather than one's head.
(Rom 10:8-9)

● Heb 11:3 . . By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's
command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Intelligent design is impossible to prove true. But we accept it because the
first chapter of Genesis wasn't written for the pragmatic mind, rather, it was
written for the mind of faith; which is able to cope with creation as a reality
instead of a myth.

NOTE: Galileo believed that science and religion are allies rather than
enemies-- two different languages telling the same story. He believed that
science and religion complement each other, to wit: science answers
questions that religion doesn't bother to answer, and religion answers
questions that science cannot answer.

For example: theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking understood pretty well
how the cosmos works; but could never scientifically explain why it exists at
all. Well; in my estimation, the only possible answer to the "why" is found in
intelligent design; which is a religious explanation rather than scientific.
Religion's why is satisfactory for people of faith. No doubt deep thinkers like
Michio Kaku, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michelle Thaller, and the late Carl Sagan
would prefer something a bit more down to earth, so to speak.
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Grace

● Eph 2:8 . . For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this
not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Grace isn't a substance, rather, it's a characteristic; and tells us a great deal
about the supreme being's personality.

The Greek word basically refers to graciousness, which Webster's defines as
kind, courteous, inclined to good will, generous, charitable, merciful,
altruistic, compassionate, thoughtful, cordial, affable, genial, sociable,
cheerful, warm, sensitive, considerate, and tactful.

Cordial stresses warmth and heartiness

Affable implies easy to approach, and readiness to respond pleasantly to
conversation or requests or proposals

Genial stresses cheerfulness and even joviality

Sociable suggests a genuine liking for the companionship of others

Generous is characterized by a noble or forbearing spirit; viz: magnanimous,
kindly, and liberal in giving

Charitable means full of love for, and goodwill toward, others; viz:
benevolent, tolerant, and lenient.

Altruistic means unselfish regard for, or devotion to, the welfare of others;
viz: a desire to be of service to others for no other reason than it just feels
good to do so.

Compassionate pertains to a sympathetic awareness of others' distress
combined with a desire to alleviate it.

Tactful indicates a keen sense of what to do, or say, in order to maintain
good relations with others in order to resolve and/or avoid unnecessary
conflict.

Compassion was, and still is, a key element in the overall sphere of
salvation. For example:

● John 3:16-17 . . For 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 spare
the world through him.
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Love

There are at least two Greek words for love in the new testament; possibly a
third that I haven't found yet.

One of the words is agape (ag-ah'-pay); spelling varies depending whether
it's in the form of a noun, verb, or an adjective.

Anyway, agape is a sort of general purpose word for love very common
throughout the new testament and may, or may not, include the elements of
tenderness, fondness, and affection. For example:

"God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever
believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send
the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be
spared through him." (John 3:16-17)

That passage reveals God's concern for the world but doesn't really say how
He feels about the world.

The other word is phileo (fil-eh'-o); again, spelling varies. Now this word is
very particular in that it always includes the elements of tenderness,
fondness, and affection because this is a brotherly love rather than a generic
love. For example:

"The Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed
that I came from God." (John 16:27)

That is an astounding declaration! I mean, speaking for myself: it is nigh
unto impossible to believe that the disgusting sinner I've been could ever stir
the supreme being's affections in any way at all. Well; normally that would
never happen had not Christ made it possible.
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Parable

Jesus is famous for teaching with parables, and for the longest time I was
under the impression it was his peculiar academic technique, but the fact of
the matter is: Jesus' method was punitive.

There were a number of people throughout the land of Israel in his day who
had neither interest in him nor in his message; which wasn't really his
message, rather, it was God's.

● John 3:34 . . For he is sent by God; he speaks God's words, for God's spirit
is upon him without measure or limit.

● John 8:26 . .He that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things
which I have heard of Him.

● John 8:28 . . I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as
the Father taught me.

● John 12:49 . . I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me,
He gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

● John 14:24 . .The word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who
sent me.

So those folks who had neither interest in him, nor in his message, them he
instructed with riddles. It came about they heard the word of God from
Jesus but of course hadn't a clue what he was talking about. But no matter
because plain speech would've bounced off some of them like a .22 bullet off
a Russian tank.

● Matt 13:10-15 . . The disciples came to him and asked: Why do you speak
to the people in parables?

. . He replied: The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has
been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he
will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be
taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: though seeing,
they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is
fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

. .You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing
but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused; they
hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they
might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.
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Conscience

In the beginning, mankind's moral perception was created in the image and
likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27) and given a grade of excellence. (Gen 1:31)

But then came the forbidden fruit incident whereby mankind's moral
perception became humanistic.

● Gen 3:22 . . And the Lord God said: The man has now become like one of
us, knowing good and evil.

In other words: man's intuition supplanted the conscience that was given
him in the beginning; and he took to rationalizing.

● Rom 2:14-16 . . Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by
nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even
though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of
the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness,
and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.
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Prayer

I cannot imagine anyone in the entire cosmos more intelligent, more
mature, more sensible, more reasonable, more dignified, or more superior
than the one who imagined it all, designed it all, and constructed it all to
begin with. That being the case, to wit: the supreme being is a genius
without par; then we should be talking to Him with no less respect for the
head on His shoulders than we give our spouses, our BFF and/or our
associates.

In other words: I think it safe to assume the supreme being is a well
adjusted man for all seasons, so to speak, rather than a quirky, kooky,
imbalanced psychopath.

So then, one's prayers should incline towards rapport; defined by Webster's
as a friendly, harmonious relationship especially a relationship characterized
by agreement, mutual understanding, or empathy that makes
communication possible or easy. For example:

● Heb 4:16 . . Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace.

The Greek word translated "boldly" basically pertains to all out-spokenness,
i.e. frankness and/or bluntness. In other words: transparency, candor, and
straight talk, heart to heart, as people seeking meaningful diplomatic
relations ought.

NOTE: If perchance it hasn't become obvious enough already; then I should
point out that the kind of social interaction I'm talking about here cannot be
achieved by means of artificial connectivity like rosaries, missals, and/or
siddurs, etc.
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Sin

Webster's defines sin as 1) an offense against religious or moral law, 2) an
action that is, or is felt, to be highly reprehensible, 3) an often serious
shortcoming, i.e. a fault, and 4) transgression of the law of God.

Sin, then, isn't restricted to the sphere of religion. Violations of any ethical
code- whether natural, man-made, or divine-- in religion, education, finance,
criminal justice, politics, science, medicine, the military branches, labor
unions, social networking, etc, etc, even a sports foul --counts as sin.

Is it any wonder then that the Bible says, in so many words, that all have
fallen and come short of sinless perfection? (Rom 3:23)
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Prophetic Time

Prophetic months and years are sort of like baker's dozens and troy ounces.
Though a baker's dozen isn't a dozen of twelve, and though a troy ounce is
heavier than a standard ounce; baker's dozens and troy ounces are both
true values in their own way.

The same goes for mean solar time vs. sidereal time, and/or geographic
north vs. magnetic north. As long as Bible readers are aware of the
existence of such a thing as prophetic time, they won't be tripped up when
they run across it in prophecy; for example the one below:

● Rev 13:5c . . and power was given unto him to continue forty and two
months.

Be advised those are not calendar months, rather, they're prophetic months
of 30 days apiece which add up to a 360-day year instead of the usual
+/- 365 days. So then; forty and two months of prophetic time totals exactly
1,260 days.

For another example:

"And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared
of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and
threescore days." (Rev 12:6)

"And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly
into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and
times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent." (Rev 12:14)

Those two passages tell of a 3½ year period of exactly 1,260 days. Well, 3½
common years add up to +/- 1,278 days; which is eighteen days too many.
But if we reckon those 3½ years as prophetic years of 360 days each, then it
comes out perfectly to 1,260 days.

Scripture also reckons time by means of heptads; which are units of time
consisting of seven prophetic years each, e.g. Daniel 9:25-27.

* An especially important use of prophetic time is relative to Dan 9:25 --the
date of Messiah's official introduction to Jerusalem; the so-called Triumphal
Entry, a.k.a. Palm Sunday (Zech 9:9 & Matt 21:1-12 )
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Firstborn

Primogeniture is a rank-- emphasized quite a bit throughout the Bible --and
is always in reference to males, never females.

The position isn't an irrevocable birthright, rather, it can be taken from the
eldest son and bestowed upon a junior sibling, for example: Ishmael to Isaac
(Gen 20:11-12) Esau to Jacob (Gen 25:23) Reuben to Joseph (Gen 49:3-4 &
1Chr 5:1) and Manasseh to Ephraim. (Gen 48:13-14)

The firstborn is a father's heir apparent, and the position is preeminent, viz:
the firstborn, in a manner of speaking, is a supreme being among his
siblings, for example Gen 27:29 & Gen 27:37.

The position isn't limited to descendants. For example the corporate people
of Israel are God's firstborn among the nations of the world (Ex 4:22) and
David is his firstborn among the world's heads of State. (Ps 89:20-27)

The highest firstborn of all is Christ. (Ps 2:7-8, Col 1:15, Heb 1:2)
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Joint Principals

The title's words aren't in the Bible verbatim, but nevertheless they're
implied. For example:

● Rom 6:3 . . Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into his death?

In other words; folks unified with Christ are accounted crucified with him so
that they no longer need fear retribution because they already faced their
fair measure of justice on the cross.

● Rom 6:6-7 . . For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that
the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves
to sin-- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

● Gal 2:20 . . I am crucified with Christ

● Col 3:3-4 . . For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

In addition; seeing as how Christ's inner circle is accounted participants with
him when he was crucified, then they are also accounted participants with
him when his crucified dead body was restored to life.

● Rom 6:4-5 . . For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his
death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection

● Eph 2:6 . . God raised us up with Christ

● Col 2:12 . . Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with
him

● Col 3:1-3 . . You have been raised with Christ,

Now, the thing is: Jesus' crucified dead body was restored to life with
immortality. (Rom 6:9, Rev 1:18, Rev 2:8) So then, folks unified with Christ
in his death and resurrection have perpetual youth in the bag, i.e. it's a done
deal and it's irrevocable.
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Sodom & Gomorrah

Those two communities are for sure the Bible's stand-out examples of true
sin cities, very much worse than Las Vegas which nowadays is practically a
theme park.

● Jude 1:7 . . Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar
manner to these, gave themselves over to fornication and gone after strange
flesh.

The Greek word translated "fornication" basically means to be utterly
unchaste.

A lack of chastity is exemplified by a broad spectrum of unholy carnality
including, but not limited to adultery, incest, living together, casual sex,
swinger sex, wife swapping, sex between consenting adults, sex between
consenting minors, sex between teachers and underage students, sex with a
sex toy, sex with a mannequin and/or sex with an inflatable doll, etc. To be
"utterly" unchaste implies not just a preference for those kinds of sexual
behaviors, but an addiction to them.

The word for "strange" basically means other or different, i.e. out of the
ordinary, viz: men sleeping with women isn't strange. But men sleeping with
men, and/or women sleeping with women, is rather odd, i.e. deviant.

● 2Pet 2:6 . . He turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes--
condemned them to destruction --making them an example to those who
afterward would live impiously.

● Rev 21:8 . .The vile and the sexually immoral-- their place will be in the
fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.

The Greek word translated "vile" basically pertains to that which is repulsive
and disgusting. (Pride is definitely the wrong name for an LGBT event.)

● Gen 13:13 . .The people of Sodom were wicked; and sinners before The
Lord exceedingly.

The Hebrew word for "wicked" basically means bad, and "exceedingly"
basically means vehement, i.e. intense; all of which suggests outright
insolence, impudence, and defiance; viz: standing up to God and asserting
the right to live life on one's own terms.
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Baptism

This is a difficult word to define because it means different things in different
situations.

For example Noah's experience in the ark and the Flood are an illustration of
how baptism saves folks unified with Christ (1Pet 3:21). The thing is, Noah
didn't get wet. In point of fact, the folks who perished in the Flood are the
ones who got wet.

In another event, the people of Israel were baptized unto Moses in the Red
Sea (1Cor 10:1-2). However, the people passed through the sea on dry
land.

And then there's the baptism of the Holy Spirit-- a very unique baptism
because it's a supernatural procedure that requires drinking instead of
bathing. (John 4:10-14, John 7:37-39, and 1Cor 12:13)

Along with those baptisms is the common Christian ritual which suffices as a
sort of rite of passage, i.e. initiation into the world-wide brotherhood of folks
unified with God's son.
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Ararat

● Gen 8:3b-4 . . At the end of one hundred and fifty days the waters
diminished, so that in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the
month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

The Hebrew word for "Ararat" appears three more times in the Bible: one at
2Kgs 19:36-37, one at Isa 37:36-38, and one at Jer 51:27. Ararat in the
Bible always refers to a political area-- specifically the country of Armenia
--never to a prominent geological feature by the same name.

There is a significant difference between the mountains of Ararat and a
Mount Ararat. When the word is plural, like it is above in Gen 8:3b-4, the
word can indicate a range of hills and/or highlands; for example:

In California, where I lived as a kid, the local elevation 35 miles east of San
Diego, in the town of Alpine, was about 2,000 feet above sea level. There
were plenty of meadows with pasture and good soil. In fact much of it was
very good ranchland and quite a few people in that area raised horses and
cows. We ourselves kept about five hundred chickens, and a few goats and
calves. We lived in the mountains of San Diego; but we didn't live up on top
of one of its peaks like Viejas, Lyon's, or Cuyamaca.

It makes better sense to beach the ark on the soil of an elevated plain rather
than up on the tippy top of a mountain seeing as how Noah took up
agriculture after the Flood. Plus, had he been forced to abandoned the ark
atop a mountain, Noah would've lost ready access to an abundant supply of
hewn wood that he could appropriate for other purposes. Noah's sons
reproduced so we can be fairly certain that Noah's posterity-- which
eventually numbered quite a few people --would want lumber from the ark
for useful purposes too.

According to the dimensions given at Gen 6:15, the ark was shaped like
what the beautiful minds call a right rectangular prism; which is nothing in
the world but the shape of a common shoe box. So most of the lumber and
logs used in its construction would've been nice and straight; which is
perfect for putting together houses, fences, barns, corrals, stables, gates,
hog troughs, mangers, and outhouses.

Also, nobody cooked or heated their homes or their bath and laundry water
using refined fossil fuels and/or electricity and steam in those days, so
everybody needed to keep on hand a wood pile for their daily needs.

There was probably plenty of driftwood left behind by the Flood, but most of
that would be soaked at first. But according to Gen 6:14 the ark's lumber
was treated. So underneath the pitch it would've still been in pretty good
condition.
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