The BIBLE Speaks -x "Does God Care"? W.L. Emerson- Pacific Press Pub. P62

My many thanks to the above author and Publisher. John B.

DOES GOD CARE?

1) What do Scriptures reveal concerning the character of God?
     1 John 4:8 " He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.    Psalms 25:8  Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way."

NOTE(JB) If you want to learn about God's Character, read Exodus 20:1- 17 the Ten Commandments!  For it is within them that we find God's Character and His glory!

2) How was God's goodness expressed in Creation?
     Genesis 1:31  "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

NOTE(JB) The Bible account does not speak of creation over eons of time, but in YOWM, Hebrew for a 24 hour day of time! Many think they are far too wise, to accept anything science can not prove! But then again the the Human Book of Science is still an open book, with many unknowns to us! Yet science accepts the Laws of Nature, but who recreated those laws? They MUST have been present before" Any creation act", or there's  no order, anywhere

3) Though nature is tarnished by sin, what witness does it still bear to God's love?
      Psalms 33:5  "He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD."

4) How does God feel toward mankind alienated from Him through sin?
     Jeremiah 31:3  "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee."
 NOTE(JB) We are to regard Jesus as having loved each one personally!. He died for each one of us because of our sins, which He took upon Himself! Thus if we cling to our sins, we shall so seek His forgiveness and repent of your sins by turning toward HIM!

5) How is God's love supremely revealed?
    1 John 4:9-10  "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation[ He took our place] for our sins."

Note:  E.G. White--quoted by I.H. Evans in "The Way of Love Divine" pp. 13,14. "Tongue cannot utter it; pen cannot portray it. You may  mediate upon it every day of your life; you may search the Scriptures diligently, in order to understand it; you may summon every power and capability that God has given you,, in the endeavor to comprehend the love and compassion of the heavenly Father; and yet there is an infinity beyond. You may study that love for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend the length and breadth, the depth and the height of the love God in giving His Son to die for the whole world. Eternity itself can never fully reveal it."

NOTE(JB) That passage and many of her writings did not come from her but came as Holy Spirit, guided her!

6) To how many is the message of the gospel extended?
      Romans 10:12-13 " For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

7) How patiently does God wait for a response from man?   [any man!]
     2 Peter 3:9-10  "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."

NOTE(JB) "..come as thief.."? Sorry but most of the Bionically unlearned, His SECOND COMING will catch then fully unprepared just as a thief that breaks into a home. What's the cost for this willing ignorance? "...shall be burned up" WHY? They clung to their sins and will be burned up with them! NOBODY will taste eternal death, unless they chose it, by their unbelief!

8). What does He promise to those who return to Him?
     Hosea 14:4 " I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him."     Jeremiah 3:14  "Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:"   {God's Holy Mountain-- Heaven]

9) Into what intimate relationship with Himself does He admit them?
     1 John 3:1  "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not."

10) How generous is God in giving to His children?
      Romans 8:32 " He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

11) May we count on His goodness at all times?
      Isaiah 54:10  "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee."

12) How does our Heavenly Father reveal His love in all the circumstances of our lives?
     Romans 8:28  "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

NOT(JB) There has not ever been a person born, that God did not see to his or her birth! Each one has a spot in Heaven that only that ONE person can fill, and no other is able!

13) How comprehensive is His promise of help?
      2 Corinthians 9:7-8  "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:"

14) Assured by such promises what are we urged to do?
      Psalms 55:22-23  "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.  But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee."

NEXT: "Is God in Control"?   A: Yes He limits Satan's power, or man would have extinct centuries ago!

Thanking YOU for your time.  Questions?  Comments? john at servant@frontier.com

Need MORE?  Visit your Seventh-day Adventist Church any Saturday/Sabbath 9-10 AM, and learn just much you are wanted and loved by Heaven and your fellow man.

Other sites: amazingdiscoveries.org: aftv.org: blbn.org: itiswritten.com




     

THE BIBLE SPEAKS-- "Can We Know God?" x W.L. Emmerson Pacific Press Pub pp .56-61.

Again my humble and many thanks to the Author and Publisher. John B.

1) In what tragic state of ignorance did Paul find the people of Athens?
    Acts 17:22-23  "Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.  For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you."

NOTE: Ever since Charles Darwin's book in 1948, "Origin of species" it's been very "Fashionable" among the "Educated Elites", to dismiss the Bible and its meanings, but I ask "What other source does mankind have to show all of humanity, the pathway to salvation"? There is none other, Just as with God, "There is none other"! The evolutionists have no hope, of life beyond the grave, so I ask, "Why do we witness so many suicides, in our nation, is because they are filled with hope? Especially among our teens? "  Think SELAH!
   
     Acts 17:24-28  "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshiped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."

NOTE (JB) Italic emphasis are mine, make a note of them please!

2) In contrast to their uncertainty what striking affirmation did Paul make at the time?
     2 Timothy 1:12 " For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."

William Temple, "Nature,Man, and God" p.54. "The heart of religion is not an opinion about God, such as philosophy might reach as the conclusion of its argument; it is a personal relationship with God. { and YOU, and ME!}
E.G.White: "Our condition through sin is unnatural and the power that restores us must be Supernatural, else it has no value. There is but power that can break the hold of evil from the hearts of men, and that is the power of God in Jesus Christ. Only through the blood of the Crucified One is there cleansing from sin. His grace alone can enable us to resist and subdue the tendencies of aour fallen nature." "THE MINISTRY OF HEALING" P.428.

Note(jb) Those who have read many of my blogs know that God removed via Christ Jesus, my addiction of 40+ years to Tobacco, after I threw it all away, right then and there, I have not ever absentmindedly reached for another fix ever since, Thanks and glory be to The Father through Christ!   Thus how can anyone convince me that God is none existing?

3) How did Paul express his desire for others?
      Ephesians 5:14-17  "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, [the spiritually dead]and Christ shall give thee light.  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."

Troy Organ- "The Fascination of the terrible," Religion in Life, Vol. 10, No.3, p. 372. " A philosophy of religion must include and conform to all the facts of life. It cannot look at the world through rose-colored glasses, nor can it be blind to any fact of the human experience. It cannot limit itself, for example to the intellect and exclude the feelings, Religion is life. To be adequate as an interpretation of life a philosophy of religion must have something to say about every serious element of man's experience. It must take into account all the possible experiences that man can meet between birth and the grace.."

NOTE (JB) the Bible and the Bible only will, and can, do this!

  4) Can the unaided human mind, and reasoning, attain to a knowledge of God?
      Job 36:26-27  "Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out. For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapor thereof:"

NOTE (JB) When did human science finally "Discover" the cycle of rain?  In the 17th Century! But here Job explains it, can YOU, dear reader, explain this fact?   Job, the name means Persecuted, has a few more such scientific gems in his book, can you find them?  Yes, because ALL wisdom comes from above.....

      1 Kings 3:28  "And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment." [ Solomon]

5) Why cannot we search out God in the same way that we study natural phenomena?
      A)  God cannot be apprehend by by the physical faculties.    John 5:37  "And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. "
      B) The finite mind cannot comprehend the Infinite God.    Ecclesiastes 7:24  "That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?"
       C) Sinful man cannot approach God:  Exodus 33:20-23  "And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. "
NOTE(JB) Even heard the hymnal "He Hideth Me in the Cleft of the Rock"? This song is founded upon this passage, but know that Christ Jesus IS OUR ROCK upon Whom ALL true churches must be founded!

6) Though man cannot find out God, what does God offer to do for man?
      Proverbs 1:23  "Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you."    Job 33:16  "Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,"

NOTE(JB) "Turn you at my reproof".... This is a Conditional Promise, it is depending upon your fee-will to obey Him! As your relationship deepens you'll find that you begin to Love Your Father in heaven, and love make us all want to obey Him! As He is, and uses only, but Love and Truth!

7). Through what channels does God make Himself known to man?
     A) Trough His Works:   Romans 1:20  "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:     ...   Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handy-work."
      B) Through inspired people:  Hebrews 1:1-2  "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;"

NOTE(JB) Thus Christ CREATED ADAM and Eve, and all things in the Universe! [John 1:1-3,14. ]

     C)Through Jesus! 1 John 5:20-21 " And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen."
   
NOTE(JB) What is an idol?  ANYTHING one puts between God and self! Even self can be an idol! If one insist on living life,  "Doing it MY WAY"

D) Through the Holy Spirit----1 John 2:20  "But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.    1 John 2:27  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.------John 14:26-27  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

NOTE(JB): The Holy Spirit, The Holy Ghost, The Spirit of Truth, The Comforter, are all one of the same deity the Bible calls HE! Therefore HE the Holy Spirit can not be though of, as some do, a Force!

8) Why do so many fail to apprehend God?----- 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 " But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

NOTE(JB): Sorry, there are many who claim to be "Christian" but are so in name, only but not in deed nor speech!  If they were true Christ men and woman, they'd study the Bible and not be followers of Rome------
     Romans 6:16 "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?NOTE(JB)  The Bible says the Sabbath, is the Seventh day, yet most obey Rome holding Sunday, the FIRST DAY as sacred! To who ye obey, ye serve! We cannot serve both God and man!  THINK Genesis 2:1-3: Exodus 20:7-11.
     Mark 2:28  "Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath."
     Mark 2:27  And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:
NOTE(JB) Do you dear reader see the word "JEW" in Mark 2:27 th verse? For ALL MEN! The Sabbath is not for the Jews, yet they are with the few that DO KEEP to His Law, and not the law of men!

9) On what conditions is the Spiritual discernment given?---
A) 1 Corinthians 2:14 " But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned"
B) Faith. " But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.:

NOTE: F.S. Webster, "Christ and the Comforter." p. 31.   "Those who refuse to believe without scientific demonstration show they misunderstand the nature and purpose of faith. A forced belief will not bring mankind nearer to God. But we do not in the least degree escape from these difficulties, but rather multiply them, when we abandon faith. The difficulties of infidelity are greater that the difficulties of faith. It is never more reasonable to believe, than to ,doubt; but reason will never compel faith."

E.Y. Mullins, "Why Faith is Christianity True?  p. 273    "Faith is not the antithesis of thought, but only of sight. Faith is an act of the will relating you to new realities, new objects. Act as if the invisible Christ were present and accessible, and you will not be met by vacancy. He will respond and make manifest His response to you."

     Romans 10:17 " So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

C)  Readiness to obey.    Proverbs 3:32  "For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous."

10) What are some of the blessings which a knowledge of God brings to us?
A) Peace.     Job 22:21  "Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. "

B). JOY:     Psalms 16:11  "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

Note:  Yes the world is full of pleasures, but how little is the joy? The appearance of happiness is but a cloak to conceal an aching heart, a feeble attempt to escape from sorrow, {JB via drugs, booze, or tobacco or sex} all of which are sapping the life of mankind. How different is the joy of knowing God! It is not superficial and transient, but deep and enduring!"

C). Understanding:   Hosea 6:3  "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth."
NOTE(JB)  Rains former and Latter, are as the rains for the garden after seeding, and again just before harvest to fully ripen the crops, that are US! Rains come from the Holy Spirit to teach us in all Truth IF WE ALLOW!
 
    Philippians 1:6 " Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"  NOTE(JB) a promise all can claim!

D). COMFORT:  2 Corinthians 1:4 " Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."

E) COMFORT & HOPE: 2 Timothy 1:12 " For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."

11) What supreme blessing does the knowledge of God bring to the believers?----John 17:1-4  "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do."

12) What urgent call therefore comes to us all?-----Isaiah 55:6  "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:"
NOTE(JB) God loves each one of us, enough so that if we reject Him, He will not bother that one.
Note: God is infinitely willing and desirous of bestowing His companionship upon us. Tenderly He pleads for us to come to Him. He will not force an entrance into the sanctum of the soul if we do not wish to know Him, but he knocks at our heart's door, and if we will but open our heart's door, and if we will open to Him, He will come in and abide with us."

13. How should we respond to the call of God?   Psalms 27:8  "When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek."
Note: To know Him, is to love, to talk to and with Him, to tell Him He is our joy, and to speak too Him of all our joys as well as sorrows, hurts and pains, Yet He knows all our needs before we ask. We can feel the power of His arm to support and uphold us in times of trail. How can we reject such a grand invitation of support and so deep a love?

14) What benediction does Peter pronounce upon believers?    2 Peter 3:18  "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen"
. 2 Peter 1:2-3  "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:"

Thanking YOU for your time.
NEXT: "DOES GOD CARE"?   1 John 4:8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Comments?  Questions?  at servant@frontier.com  John B.

Need MORE? Visit your seventh-day Adventist church any Saturday/Sabbath @ 9-10 A M. Learn just much Jesus cares and loves you!

Other sites:  amazingdiscoveries.org: aftv.org:  blbn.org all have streaming video.
jb..



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THE BIBLE SPEAKS- "A PERSONAL CREATOR" X W.L..EMMERSON- Pacific Press Pub. 1941

Many thanks to the two above entities, John B

1)  With what affirmation does the Bible open?
     Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

Frances D. Nichol, "God's Challenge to Modern Apostasy" p.74.
      "The Creation story provides the setting in which the whole plan of Salvation can have any real meaning. Indeed, the rejection of the Genesis account makes meaningless God's plan from the day of man's fall to his final restoration. Sin, salvation, the atonement these and other key words of the Bible are ROBBED of all meaning when they are not viewed in the setting of the Bible Creation."

NOTE(JB) in other words rejecting the Genesis Creation, is the very same as rejecting the whole Bible! Reject the one part means the rejection of the whole! As human physical science has not yet spoken for the whole, that is there to be found! Thus as the man's book of science is not yet completed, the Bible's been completed for 2,000 years!

2) Does the Bible speak that God is a personal being?
     A)  He is described as "Living";   Jeremiah 10:10  "But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation."
      B) Personal faculties and and action are attributed to Him;   1 Peter 3:12  "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."
      C) Jesus is declared to be the "SON" {from the Greek, of the N.T. this word means Pre-Eminant One} and Jesus claims God as His "Father";    Luke 23:46  "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost."
     D)  God is called "The Father" of man, ans the righteous are described as His "sons". 1 Corinthians 8:6 " But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. "  Deuteronomy 14:1  "Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead."

3) Does nature testify of God's existence and personality?
     Romans 1:20-22  "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,"

NOTE(JB) That last sentence, if you disagree with it, have you not seen the news of late?

Note: "We cannot understand the existence either of ourselves or of an external world unless we postulate some kind of creation. Yet CREATION involves design and purpose and mental activity, and thus necessarily implies a Creator of some kind." Sir Oliver Lodge "The Great Design" P.231.

NOTE(JB) How can there be any truth in Science, when Creation and its Creator are left out of the equation? Is this not befitting of Satan's planning?

4) How do the Scriptures regard those who deny His existence?
     Psalms 53:1 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.  Proverbs 13:13  Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. "

NOTE(JB) Harsh? Yes but how soft is eternal death? However, and rightly so for the fool there is no God! For wisdom is not discerned by foolishness, nor music by deafness, nor beauty by the blind.

5). How does the Bible emphasize the unity of God?
      Galatians 3:20  "Now a mediator  {JESUS} is not a mediator of one, but God is one."

6) What does the Bible say of God in contrast with other alleged gods?
     1 Corinthians 8:5-6  "For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."

7) What title does the LORD take to distinguish Himself from all other claimants?
      Jeremiah 10:10  But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, ....... "

8) What difference is there between the personality of God and of man?
     A) He is invisible to mortal eyes.....Job 9:11  "Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not."
     B) He is not subject to human limitations. ....John 4:24  "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. "
NOTE(JB) Yet He has the power to appear as HE wishes, in the flesh!

    C) His attributes are inherent within Him, whereas man's are derived from God....  John 5:26  "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;"
    D) In all things He infinitely transcends His Creatures...   Psalms 147:5  "Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.   Matthew 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.  1 Samuel 2:2  There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God."

NOTE(JB) Here I can personally testify, as an EX-Smoker of 40+ years, I cast all the "fixings" away, got on my knees and asked Him to remove this habit and its cravings! HE DID! I didn't even think nor reach out of habit for another hit from my shirt pocket! OH, I had no trouble quitting in the past, sometimes even 6 times per day! Thanks be to The Father, that habit is no longer mine!

9) How enduring is God?
      Psalms 90:2  "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."

10) What Bible statements indicate that God has a definite dwelling place?
      Psalms 11:4  "The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.      1 Kings 8:39  Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)   Psalms 103:19  The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. "

11) Though dwelling in Heaven, how large ism His domain?
       Jeremiah 23:23-24  "Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD."

NOTE(JB) He is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere at the same time! This only a true God is able!

12) How close does He come to us?
      Isaiah 57:15  "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."
     1 Corinthians 6:19-20 " What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
NOTE(JB) Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, are one of the same power! A male is always called a "HE" in the Scriptures, is a spirit able to change one's character if one so is willing and allows it. God never uses force, only truth and love! Satan never uses these two, but does use all other weapons., to destroy!

13) What should the majesty and love of God cause us to do?
       Psalms 95:6  "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker."

14) What are the essential factors in acceptable worship of God?
       Hebrews 11:6  "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
      John 4:24  "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
      Psalms 29:2  "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness."

15)  Because of sin, how has true worship been diverted?
        Romans 1:25  "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen."
NOTE(JB) Creature, are ALL of God's created beings, as is Satan, and men who claim to be gods.

16) What appeal, therefore, does Paul make to the wicked?
      Acts 14:15  "And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:"

NOTE: "Everything that is, comes from HIM" John H. Powel's  "The Ten Commandments" P. 29.

NEXT: Can we know God?
Thanking YOU for your time.

Need more? Visit a Seventh-day Adventist Church, any Saturday/Sabbath at 9-10 AM. Learn that Jesus loves you as you are now, but wants you to be more like Him, with His efforts, IF you will it!

Other sites: amazingdsicoveries.org: aftv.org: blbn.org.

The Bible Speaks "HOW TO UNDERSTAND YOUR BIBLE" X W.L. Emmerson PUB. Pacific Press

My many thanks for both entries mentioned in the Title (IB)

Note (JB) Many a highly educated persons, have read the Bible, and did not understand it, thus called a fairy-tale. But as this lesson unfolds, you can LEARN, the reasons they understood it not!
   All Bible verses are from the King James Revised.

1) What was Paul's desire for all believers?
    Ephesians 1:15-17  "Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

2) How early in life may one study the Bible with profit?
     2 Timothy 3:15  "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

3) How constant should be our study of the Book of Books?
    Acts 17:11   "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

4) In what spirit { frame of mind} should we approach the Word of God?
        A) 1 Thessalonians 2:13  "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."

Note: Cyril of Jerusalem, in Catechumen 4,17,33. (A.D. 348) "Do not believe me simply unless you receive proof of what I say from Holy Scripture."
     God has spoken". This is the message of the Bible. There is a word from the LORD, an authoritative account of His relations to the world and to man. The eternal silence has been broken. Light (truth of God) has shone upon the mystery of man's life. A Divine answer has been given to the problem of his sin." John A. MacKay's "God Has Spoken" Theology Today Vol,3. No.2, p. 145.

5) What attitude is fatal to profitable Bible study?
       Mark 7:9  "And he [ JESUS} said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."

NOTE: Thomas Cranmer {He , an Archbishop of Canterbury, was burned alive, as a Protestant protesting against Rome JB] "I would advise you all that cometh to the reading or hearing of this book, which is the word of god, the most precious jewel and most holy relic that remaineth upon earth, that ye bring with you the fear {reverence of, in awe of] God, and that ye do it with all due reverence, and use your knowledge thereof not to vainglory and frivolous disputation, but to the honor of God, increase of virtue, and the edification of yourselves and others. " {This was the Preface to the GREAT BIBLE, OF 1540 A.D.]

6) Is lack of education a bar to the understanding of the Word of God?
     Matthew 11:25-26  "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight."

7) Why is human wisdom not enough in studying and comprehending the word of God?
     1 Corinthians 2:11  "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:14-15  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. "

NOTE(JB) God must not be judged by man, upon this earth!  We, each must[should] have the mind-set that God is, and that He is above all, our ONLY source of life itself!

8) Whence may we obtain the necessary spiritual discernment?
     1 Corinthians 2:9-12 " But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God."

NOTE (JB). Please know this passage touches on a very important concept: What we ourselves do not know, we can not love, and as God loves us greatly, He wants His love, in our love for Him, to be returned to Him to fully complete the circle! How ever it is only by one's study of His Word, that we have in our possession, that we can learn anything about Him! He wants to call each one of us HIS CHILD, HIS SON and His DAUGHTER, and be part of His family for ever and ever! Does that sound like a vengeful Deity? NO!

9)  Is all Scripture equally understandable?
      2 Peter 3:15-17  "And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness"

10) . How then should we begin our Bible study?
       1 Peter 2:2-4  "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,"

11) Having mastered the fundamental principles of the gospel, to what should we proceed?
      Hebrews 5:13-14  "For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

12) How did the apostle Paul reprove certain believers for their lack of progress in study?
      Hebrews 5:12  "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat."
Note: How many today are there that are in the same condition, old in association with faith and yet babes in understanding? Such is not the father's plan for His children. The Christian life should be a growing day by day for His Grace and in the knowledge of God.

NOTE(JB): Just what do YOU, dear reader think this means in the Lord's Prayer? "Give us this day our daily bread"? AS Christ is the "Bread of Life",--- 'EAT' of it day by day! [John 6:35,48]

13) What admonition is given to those who have failed to dig deep into the mine of truth?
       Hebrews 6:1  "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,"

NOTE(JB) Many believe in the false narrative of "Once Saved, Always Saved", but that's a lie from directly from Satan!  LOOK-----
     Hebrews 6:5-6  "And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."
 NOTE(JB) In other words, Jesus died once, for all sin for all time, so If one accepts the fruit of God, and then walks away, either in word or deed, without repentance or seeking forgiveness, the Jesus will not die again, but they shall die WITH their sins!

14) What principles should govern our study of the Word?
     A) Associate relevant scriptures....1 Corinthians 2:13  "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. "
      B) Synthesize and build up...Isaiah 28:9-10  "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:"

NOTE(JB) The word line in the Hebrew means cord or cordage, to TIE them all together! I use a Concordance, and Bible software, with word seek.  Google free bible downloads with word seek, the JKV is the best. Then type in  salvation and study all the verses that speak to it, and you'll know as much about that topic as any Pastor! Precept upon precept!

Westminster Confession of Faith, 1647 . "The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and, therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture[which is not manifold, but one], it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly."

15). How much of the Bible may we profitably study?
      2 Timothy 3:16-17  "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."    Luke 24:26-27  "Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. "
Note: Partial studies will only result in partial knowledge.

16) To what portions of scripture should we give special attention?
       2 Peter 1:12  "Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth."

NOTE: Noah's message was then, as well as now, an urgent "Present Truth." The Books of Daniel, Revelation together with the other prophecies not yet past, or many have double time frame meanings, for the "Latter Days" and "The Last Time" are equally urgent to Christians today. None knows the time or day of their last breath, and repentance from the grave is not possible!

17) What beneficial results come from a diligent study habit of the Word?
        A)  It points us the way to personal salvation:  2 Timothy 3:15  "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
      B) 2 Timothy 2:15  "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
      C) It gives the student hope...  Colossians 1:5  "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;"

NOTE(JB) The Holy Bible is the ONLY BOOK,that can change lives! It has, and it will so continue to do, to all who wish to improve self.

Next:  What the Bible teaches about:" OUR PERSONAL CREATOR"

Thanking YOU for your time. Questions?  Comments? John at servant@frontier.com

Need MORE? Visit your seventh-day Adventist Church any Saturday/Sabbath at 9-10 A M Learn just much Jesus loves YOU, and willing to give you Peace of mind!

Other sites: amazingdiscoveries.org: aftv.org: blbn.org itiswritten.com: servantsite@wordpress.com




   

THE BIBLE SPEAKS "WHY WE NEED THE BIBLE x W.L.Emmerson. Pacific Press Pub.,

Again, my many thanks to both the Author and the Publisher.John B.

Let this begin with a question:
1). What knowledge is unattainable by human wisdom?

     Job 11:7  "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?"
     Romans 11:30-36 " For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen."

2) How only can we obtain the knowledge God has for us?
     Deuteronomy 29:29  "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."

NOTE: Please let's all hold that the Bible is a book for everybody, in which God speaks for the purpose of being understood by everyone; that its language is conformed to the ordinary uses of speech; and that it is to be interpreted in the same common sense way in which we would interpret the will of deceased loved one, or to ascertain the meaning of a letter on business. It was not written to tax our ingenuity, or to test men's skill at learning exposition. Its design is to instruct, and in the most familiar way to express to mankind the mind and will of God

3)  What confidence may we have in the knowledge which comes to us through the word of God?
     Proverbs 22:20-21  "Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?"

Merle d'Aubigne' wrote this in his "History of the Reformation, Vol. 4.P.75. "There is no sure doctrine but such as is conformable to the word of god... This Word is the only truth; it is the sure rule of all doctrine and of all life, and can never fail or deceive us"

4)  To a world alienated from the Word of God through sin, what assurance does the Holy Bible bring?
     Romans 1:16 " For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

Note:  This passage removes, or so should remove, any doubts, that the Bible is means for all of humanity Amen?

"The Word of God" by Raymond Irving Lindquist: "The Bible finds us where we are, and if, we permit, takes us where we ought to go.... What the Bible promises is fabulous but not a fable."

Charles Allen Dinsmore's "The English Bible as Literature". .    The multitudes go to the bible, not for knowledge, but for power; they go to renew their sense of spiritual realities, and to catch again the vision of splendid. This book passes beyond a classic and becomes to men a word of God, because it voices those ultimate truths which gives meaning to life, and life its meaning. These truths are the truths upon which our faith rests, which bring comfort to our hearts, and keep burning the fires of hope. They areas final religion as the primary colors are to painting, or the line and circle to geometry. The men who first expressed them endeavored to state them in the fullness of power; they were passionately concerned to have these truths produce their full effect in reading men's minds and hearts. Pages 102-103..

5) What transformation is made possible through the Word?
     1 Peter 1:23-25  "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."

6) But...how does the Word bless the transformed life?

     a) It gives understanding...... Psalms 119:130  "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple."

     b). It keeps us from sin:   Psalms 119:11  "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

     c). It guides in the way of life:   Psalms 119:105  "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

    d). I builds:  Acts 20:32  "And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified."

    e). It give us hope: Romans 15:4  "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Note: G.Ernest Wright. "The Christian Interpreter as Biblical Critic." Interpretation, vol.1, No.2, p.151.  "The primary function of the Bible, then, is to serve as the spectacles which dispel the otherwise confused notions of God, and bring us to a clear perspective. As Calvin also knew, the Scripture as spectacles not only brings the true God into our sight but also enables us to see and to understand our selves, our true nature, and the nature of our history."

7). How completely does the Bible meet human needs?
     2 Timothy 3:16-17  "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

Note: Comments on 2 Timothy 3:17 by Albert Barnes: The object is not merely to convince and to convert him; it is to furnish all the instruction needful for his entire perfection.... [ needed for Heaven JB] There is no deficiency in the Bible for man, in any of the situations in which he may be placed in life; and the whole tendency of the book is to make him who will put himself fairly under its instruction, absolutely perfect!

8) What value, therefore does Job place upon the word?
      Job 23:12  "Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food."

Note: John A. MacKay's "God Has Spoken" Theology today, vol 3.No. 2, p.145.  "The Book that men most need to study is the Book of which they know little and understand less. that Book is the Holy Bible".

9). What supreme gifts come to us through the Word of God?
      1 John 5:13  "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
      2 Thessalonians 2:14  "Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."
NOTE (JB) Without one's accepting and belief with honest faith in Jesus Christ, thus if one wants nothing to do with Jesus, and as HE is the Life, He removes his life sustaining  force from you, because He loves you enough to give one their desire, meaning one will perish. How can this be put more plainly?

10). Where will the Bible lead those who take it as their guide?
      Psalms 43:3  "O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles."
      Revelation 21:1-5  "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."

NOTE(JB) at that point in time we shall see, with our own eyes, God powers at work as He re-created the garden of Eden again, but across this entire earth, AFTER the Lake of Fire has done its designed work, to purify the whole earth! It is the first and last time this fire shall be so used! Thus there is not, nor ever has been a burning hell, until that point in time, no man knows!

11). On the other hand, what dire results will follow its [the Bible] neglect?
     Proverbs 13:13  "Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded."

FEARETH: is best used as REVERE, to be in awe of God's Law! For it is His glory His character!

12). What, then, should be our attitude to the word?
a. Seek after it!....Isaiah 34:16  "Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them."
b. Give it earnest heed.....Hebrews 2:1 " Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.  Hebrews 2:3  How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;"

c). Obey it......James 1:22  "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.""

Next: "How to understand Your Bible"

Thanking YOU, for your time,  Questions?  Comments?  John at servant@frontier.com

Want more? Visit your Seventh day Adventist church any Saturday/Sabbath at 9-10AM, Knowing that Jesus love YOU so much, that He gave His life for you and me, that we might have eternal life!

Other sites:   amazingdiscoveries.org: aftv.org: blbn.org: servantsite@wordpress.com

"THE BIBLE SPEAKS"-'CAN WE BELIEVE THE BIBLE' "?

MANY THANKS TO W.L. EMMERSON & PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING (JOHN  B)

PP..27-33 of  "THE BIBLE SPEAKS" book printed and copyrighted in 1949

1. What claim does the Psalmist make for the Scriptures?{all verses from the KJV}

     Psalms 119:160  "Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever."

Note: Many  [(JB) especially the so-called highly educated ones}dispute this statement, declaring that they have discovered many historical facts, and geographical, chronological and scientific "Mistakes", in the scriptures. They contend that if the Bible is not accurate in details which can be tested by outside evidence it cannot be "Infallible" in its spiritual teaching..

NOTE (JB)   Proverbs 14:12  "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."    Please know that for much of the 20th Century, the educated elites, used the Hittites, King David and many other Bible figures and locations , that archaeology had not yet found , as their reasoning for rejecting the whole bible! However is that not akin to denying the very existence of Mars because we know not all there to know about it?
    All this proves is that Satan, is very adept to deceive men unto making huge mountains out of mole-hills! Especially of things that have nothing to do with our Salvation!  Which is Satan's goal, after all, he ain't heaven bound, and wants all to join him in the Lake of fire of Revelation's ending chapters!

2) How important is it that we be certain as to the basis of our faith?
   
     Psalms 11:2-3  "For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.  If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

NOTE (JB) If the educated by men, draw YOU away from God's truth, what is left of your foundation of truth? The truth shall set you free, remember? John 8:31-32 " Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

3. So, why should a Christ man or woman know and understand the teachings of the Bible? {most study it not!]
    1 Peter 3:15-16 " But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:  Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse "

4) To what does the Bible direct us to turn for evidence supporting the truth of God's love and power?

    Job 12:7-8 " But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee"

NOTE (JB) In short, look to nature's interactions and interdependence, and see all the harmony.There are many plants, upon whom they fully rely upon a specific insect or bird, to fertilize it's seeds for the next generation, meaning that both had to be created, at the same time, for each other's continuity! Evolution cannot cover that picture, ever!

5) How do the Heavens witness to the Bible's revelation of God and of His power?

   Psalms 19:1  <>" The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."

NOTE(JB) How can anyone look up at the night sky, and think that all that order we can see, simply came from the "BIG-BANG's cataclysmic explosion?  If this can be so, why have YOU, dear reader, not tossed a bundle of dynamite into a junk yard, in the hopes of it producing for you a brand new Cadillac? As one makes as much reason, as the other, right? I call this idea,  "Organized Confusion!"

Sir James H. Jeans "EOS"  p. 53. " Everything points with overwhelming force to a definite event, or series of events, of Creation at some time or times, not infinitely remote. The universe cannot have originated by mere chance out of its present ingredients, and neither can it have been always the same as now". 

6) What witness do all created things give to their Maker and to the truth of the Bible record?

     Romans 1:19-20 " Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"
 
NOTE(JB): To all those who think that they know more than God or that which is within His word, the Holy Bible-----

    Romans 1:21-22  "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,"

NOTE(JB) God exists above and beyond both time and human science, after all I ask YOU. . . .who but God created the natural Laws men have found? The laws of gravity, speed of light, laws of motions, all had to be in-place and enforced by a POWER, to sustain all the planetary movements we can see and witness to! After all, "all movements will over time come to a stop, due to gravity, all heavenly bodies should by human thinking, of 15 billions of years of age, have come together into one huge conglomeration, YET have done so!


     Sir John Herschal quoted by Howard A. Johnston in "Bible Criticism" and the Average Man" P.26: "All human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more strongly the truths contained in the sacred Scriptures."
Lords Calvin, quoted by Bernard Heywood's "This is our Faith" P.36. "Science is compelled to accept the idea of creative power".
Louis J.R. Agassiz, "Methods of Study in Natural History" 19th Ed., P. 14.  "In our study of natural objects we are approaching the thoughts of the Creator, reading His conceptions, interpenetrating a system that is His and not ours."

NOTE(JB) Not all intellectuals are lost within themselves!

7) Mention some striking facts of the natural world which were actually anticipated in the Bible long before they were discovered by human science
.
A) Job 26:7 " He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing."

Note: Earth's suspension in space came by Copernicus in 1543, it was not until the late 1920's that science found the expanding universe, yet Job wrote of both yet he lived in Median, the same place Moses lived, for 40 years, Job lived there during 1485 to 1445 B.C. SO UNLESS you have a time machine, how did Job know this unless told by The Creator God?

B). Job 28:24-25 " For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure."

Note: Galileo (1564-1642) was the first known to affirm that air had weight, when was human mathematics able to be used to estimate the the weight of earth's water? Only after satellite photographs was science able to calculate all earth's water quantity thus weight!

C).  Isaiah 40:12  Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

Note: Only in recent years has it been realized how important are the proportions and balance of the land masses and oceans on the earth's surface!

D) Hebrews 1:10-12 " And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They [ heaven and earth] shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail."

Note: Not until the 20th Century [1900's] was the progressive aging and disintegration of matter by radioactivity discovered. nature is going down, [it's life-time as is ours, is limited b y God and sin] "The downward journey is easy, while the upward is either hard or impossible." Sir James H. Jeans, "The Universe Around Us." p. 306.

E) Leviticus 17:14 "For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off."

Note: The circulation and function of the blood was discovered by William Harvey in 1615. Yet Moses, wrote of it back in His day sometime,1400 years,before Christ!

NOTE(JB): Of the 1800 specific Prophecies in the Bible, more than 90% have come to pass and on time, so what thinking human being will know or think, that the last 10 % will not happen, and those that point to the the Times of the end?  Please THINK! SELAH!   In His Word are facts that deny both Atheism and pantheism alike! Yet one must study it, not just read it!

8). How have men spoken "to the earth", and what has it taught them?
   Buried civilizations of past years have yielded their treasures to the spade of archaeologist, who have proven Davids existence and have found the Hittite empire! All of which the SCRIPTURE LAWYERS denied less than 100 years ago!

9). What are some striking examples of Bible facts once denied by the critics, but which have bee n completely confirmed by modern archaeological finds?

a) They declared that Abraham was a half-savage nomad quite incapable of the activities credited to him in the Biblical record. But in recent years it has been proved by Professor Leonard Wolley that a high state of civilization existed in the Near east long before the days of Abraham. This in his book UR OF THE CHALDEES [p123] and Charles Marston's "NEW BIBLE EVIDENCE,pp.88-123.

b) "They ridiculed the account of the capture of Jericho by Joshua until Professor J. Garstang of Liverpool University excavated the site and declared: "Set side by side with the Biblical narrative, the material evidence is seen to bear out in every essential detail the record of the capture and destruction of Jericho by the Israelites under Joshua". Quoted by D.E. Hart-Davis in "Journal of the Transactions of the Victoria Institute: Vol. 67, p. 84.

c) They once denied the existence of the Hittites. But Professor A.H. Sayce of Cambridge proved the existence and extent of the Hittite Empire by excavating thousands of remains all over Asia Minor {Present Turkey} A.H. Sayce ""Monument Facts and Higher Critical Fallacies" and Sir Frederic Kenyon"s "The Bible and Archaeology" PP. 81-96.

d)  They even denied that there ever was a king of Babylon called Belshazzar. Today more than five hundred fired clay tablets mentioning his name are known  Read: "Nabonidus and Belshazzar" by R.P. Dougherty.

e) They even asserted that the Book of Acts was entirely untrustworthy in its history and geography. Sir William M. Ramsay, however, after years of travel in Asia Minor, conclusively declared: "You may press the words of Luke in a degree far beyond any other historians, and they stand the keenest scrutiny and the hardest treatment." "The New Testament in Light of Modern Research, P.166 Plus A.T. Robertson's "Luke the Historian".

NOTE(JB)  In place of three quarters of a page of fine print allow me to state one obvious fact: "Just because some thing or some place mentioned, has not yet been found by Archaeology, does NOT mean it never existed! It ONLY means it has not yet been found!

10) In what Biblical terms may we therefore express our confidence in the trustworthiness and accuracy of the Scriptures?

     Psalms 119:140 "Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it."
     2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

NOTE: Inspiration Greek is-  theopneustos  meaning Divinely breathed now look where else this very same, action is used
     Genesis 2:7  "And the LORD hovah
> God <'elohiym> formed <yatsar> man <'adam> of the dust <`aphar> of the ground <'adamah>, and breathed <naphach> into his nostrils <'aph> the breath shamah> of life <chay>; and man <'adam> became a living <chay> soul <nephesh>."
BREATHED: in the Hebrew is Naphach to Blow, to breathe!Perhaps you'll note that a human's soul is NOT an add-on feature, but that all life that breathes and moves is a living soul, even a snail!

NOTE(JB)   Today, there are few people, who having gone through schools, that know not about the ancient civilizations that were of old, What may be a surprise to many, is that men have not yet found anything within the Science of Archaeology, that DISPROVES anything within the Holy Bible, which is after the word of God Himself!

NEXT: "WHY WE NEED THE BIBLE".

Thanking YOU dear reader for your time, may this bring the Blessings of knowledge of God to YOU!
Questions?   Comments?   John at www.servant@frontier.com

Need more? Visit your seventh-day Adventist Church any Saturday?Sabbath, 9-10 AM. Learn that Jesus loves you so much that He willingly died to save you  IF you but obey in love. As none can love an unknown, this is the why I do this, so YOU may learn of the Godhead members  JB

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your good conversation in Christ.

"THE BIBLE SPEAKS" 'Is Our Bible Complete'? X W.L. EMMERSON. PUB., PACIFIC PRESS PUB.

My many thanks to the author, W.L. Emmerson and the above mentioned Pacific Press Publisher, John B.

IS OUR BIBLE COMPLETE?

1.  Do all Bibles contain exactly the same books as the King James Authorized or Revised Versions?

     NO! The Douay Bible of the Roman catholic Church contains what is known as the Apocrypha. This compromises seven books; namely: Tobit, Baruch [{NOTE JB)  Baruch was the scribe for Jeremiah)] Judith, Wisdom,, Ecclesiasticus, and the First and Second Maccabees, together with six (6) additional chapters to the Book of Ester, and seventy additional verses in the third (3rd) chapter of Daniel, giving "The Story of the Three children."

Please take to heart-------Revelation 22:18-19  "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

NOTE (JB).. So why do the Roman leaders insist that these books THEY HAVE ADDED to Canon?

A:  because there are verses within that backs up their doctrine dogmas of "Praying to the Dead" as well as Purgatory, a kind of HALF-WAY HOUSE TO THEIR HELL!  Please make note: any even a quick study of the Bible's Revelation will let anyone reader know that there is NOT NOW a fiery hell! The Lake of Fire shall be upon this earth ONLY after Jesus' Second Coming {John 14:1-3} plus the 1,000 years with Jesus for the Saints, [Revelation 20:4] . The PURPOSE? to rid earth of all sin and death as well as human pollution on and within this very same earth! Plus take note in Revelation there are TWO Resurrections---all the unbelievers and the unjust , NEVER leave this earth! They Perish at Christ's return!

     Revelation 20:6  "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years".

    Isaiah 13:9-11 " Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible."
     Matthew 24:27-28  "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together."

NOTE(JB) At His return John 14:1-3 will become history! All the other living shall perish, and the unbelievers still in graves, will remain for the 1,000 years. Thus only Satan and the fallen angels shall remain living, plus all the scavenger birds--eagles, vultures crows, etc, will feast on those remaining, as Satan will not bother to bury anyone!  Truth is not always nice, now is it? Yet it is the SOLE RESULT of one's individual choices we each have made! None will face this IF THEY want Jesus! -----
     John 14:6  "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

NOTE(JB) To all my catholic Brethren, do you see the word Mary in the above verse?  THINK for yourself!

2.  What does the Roman Catholic church say concerning the contents of her Bible?
      "If anyone does not receive the entire books with all their part as they are accustomed to be read in the Catholic church, and in the Old Latin Vulgate Edition, as sacred and canonical.....let them be anathema."  Decree of the Council of Trent, 1546.

NOTE (JB)  oopps! Pope John Paul II issued a statement saying that Genesis 1, should not be taken literally, because it is an allegory, was he not fallible or? "Oh what a web we weave, we we begin to deceive, right?"

3. Can we ascertain what the books there were in the Old Testament as used in the days of Jesus Christ?

Note: ----"The Septuagint was the Old Testament of the times of Christ and apostles. From its pages (JB scrolls), in its language, the New Testament writers usually quoted. The early Christian Church all about the shores of the Mediterranean Sea adopted generally that version of the Old testament. It was by the use of it that they proved that Jesus was the Promised Messiah, that all the law and the prophets were fulfilled in Him"  Ira M. Price, "The Ancestry of Our English Bible," P.62

   "The Septuagint, as it has come down to us, not simply a translation of our Hebrew Bible, but also of the many of the so-called apocryphal books "  IBID ., P. 54.

4. From what Old Testament books did Christ and the Apostles quote?

    While Christ and the Apostles quoted from practically every book in the Protestant Canon, they NEVER quoted and of the apocryphal books as Scripture, nor even recognized their existence!

NOTE (JB) This was man's own doing, that they are included as Scripture in all Catholic Bibles thus they are of human tradition ONLY!  Does the Word of God address this issue?

    Matthew 15:3 " But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?"
NOTE (JB): Who is this "HE", that speaking here?   None other than Jesus Christ Himself!
    Colossians 2:8 " Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
    Colossians 2:20  "Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,"

  To be "dead" in Christ, means to be alive, yet spiritually dead, because one rejects the whole or in part all that Christ!

    2 Peter 3:10-11  "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,"

NOTE (JB): What ANYONE, or the vast majority believes, will not change what God has caused to be written! I mean, why anyone would think, that after more than 90% of ALL Prophecy has come to pass, as written, and on time, would ANYONE think or believe that last prophecy of Revelation and Daniel will just go away?  God's GLORY is His WORD, His Character is the Ten Commandments!

5.  Did the early church accept the apocryphal writings?

Note: Thomas Hartwell Horne, "An Introduction to the Critical Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures," Vol 1.P. 480. 

     "The Apocryphal books were not admitted into canon of divinely inspired Scriptures in any catalog of Sacred Books, or recognized by any council of the Ancient Christians church, nor in anything published by the Fathers or ecclesiastical writers of the first four centuries."

6.  Have any Roman Catholics, ever questioned the inclusion, of the Apocrypha in their Bible?

     YES! The great Roman Catholic scholar Jerome, when instructed by the Pope Damascus about A.D. 400 to prepare the Standard Latin Vulgate Version, wanted to exclude the Apocrypha because he believed that it had no place in Scripture. He was prevented from doing so, however, and under pressure he allowed it to remain to be "READ FOR PURPOSE OF EDIFICATION."

7. What other Catholic authorities have made pronouncements against the authority of the apocryphal writings?
    Augustine followed Jerome in recognizing the difference between the canonical and the apocryphal books. The Spanish and trans-alpine churches rejected the Apocrypha. The British Catholic scholars Bede, John of Salisbury (1180) , and William Ockham (1347) all separated the apocryphal book. Cardinal Ximenes, in his magnificent Polyglot Bible, separated the Apocrypha from the rest of scripture in the 16th Century {1700's}
    Even after the council of Florence in 1442 and the Council of Trent in 1546 had had pronounced the apocryphal books equal in inspiration to the other books, Sixtus of Siena (1566) insisted on separating the Apocrypha from the rest of the canon, and Bernard Lamy declared: "Nevertheless they are not of the same authority."

8. Why then does Rome insist on retaining the Apocrypha?
     Because the apocryphal books can be quoted in support of some of the doctrines which the church holds!
     A. Prayers for the dead are advocated-- "If he had not hoped that they that were slain would rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead."  2 Maccabees 12:44. 

B. The dead are represented as praying for themselves. 
      Baruch 3:4 "O Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, hear now the prayers of the dead of Israel, and of their  children, that have sinned before Thee."

    Ecclesiastes 9:5  "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten."
   Ecclesiastes 12:7  "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.:"

NOTE(JB): Who will you believe The Word of God or men?        Spirit = Breath of Life = Genesis2:7 please read it! As death is the opposite of Creation!

C. The meritorious value of alms-giving is emphasized.
    "For alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting.". Tobit 12:9.

    Romans 6:23  "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
NOTE(JB): Christ died for all sins for all time on the behalf of all humanity! Money , nor works, gains us no passage to heaven, as neither is a pathway to heaven as I Jesus Christ Who IS The Way!

D. The doctrine of Purgatory is suggested.
     "The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them." Wisdom 3:11


9. To what conclusion must we therefore come with respect to the Apocrypha?
    That it has no place in the canon of divine revelation.

NEXT: CAN WE BELIEVE THE BIBLE?

Thanking YOU, for your time. Questions? Comments?   John at servant@frontier.com

Want more? Visit your seventh-day Adventist Church, any Saturday/Sabbath, 9010 AM. You just might be glad you did.

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jb

HOW WE GOT THE BIBLE..from "THE BIBLE SPEAKS" by W.L. EMMERSON

My many thanks to the author and Pacific Press Publishing Association:  Copyright 1949... John B.


1. How close was man's first fellowship with God?

    Genesis 3:8-9  "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: ...........  And the LORD God called unto Adam, ...."

2. What caused the break in this intimate communion?

     Isaiah 59:2  "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."

3. After sin entered the world, what modified method of communication with man did God adopt?

      Hebrews 1:1  "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,"

4. What nation id God single out to be the special instrument of His revelations?
 
      Romans 3:1-2 " What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God."
      Romans 9:4  "Who are Israelite s; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;"
Note(JB) Then Israel covered the three major trading routes, from three continents, so they were well placed to spread the Word of God, which they failed to do!

5. What further provision did God make for keeping the knowledge of His will before His chosen people?
     Exodus 17:14  "And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will..."
    Exodus 24:4  "And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel."

NOTE: --In His providence God gathered up the record of the past and communicated it to Moses, instructing him to write in the book to form the nucleus of a written revelation which could be handed down from generation to generation. By divine inspiration Moses wrote the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, which became known as "The Book of Moses" [2 Chronicles 25:4]

NOTE (JB) If anyone sweeps away the authority as an inspiration, one then undermines the entire Bible, and look what it says about rejections of Scripture-----

     Proverbs 13:13  "Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded."

Winston S. Churchill , in  his book "Thoughts and Adventures" p. 249 Wrote this: "We may be sure that all these things happened just ass they are set out according to the Holy Writ."

6. Who was commissioned to continue the sacred record after the death of Moses at the age of 120 years?

    Joshua 24:26  "And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD?

7. Who were chosen by the Lord to give guidance and reproof to His people after Israel settled in Canaan?
.
       2 Kings 17:13  "Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets."

Note: - During the period of the monarchy there were added to the Books of Moses and Joshua the books of Samuel, the earlier parts of the Kings and the Chronicles, the Psalms of David, the Proverbs, and the Song of Solomon, $Ecclesiastes, and the writings of the earlier prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah Hosea, Joel and Amos.

8. During the captivity of Israel and Judah or immediately after the captives' return to their homes, what new books were incorporated into scripture?

     Ezekiel, Daniel, Obadiah, Nahum, Habukkuk, Zepheniah and perhaps the latter parts of the books of the Kings and the Chronicles.

9. How did the children of Israel who returned from captivity indicate their desire to understand the words of the Lord?

      Nehemiah 8:1  "And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel."  [please read verses 1-8]

10. What books were added in post-captivity days to complete the Old Testament Scriptures, as we now have it?
 
Note: The Book of Malachi, written about 400 B.C., the canon of the Old Testament was completed. It had been in process of formation for more than a 1000 years.

NOTE: (JB), Please know that neither Jesus Christ, nor ANY of the Apostles ever referred to, nor ever quoted any of the books we know as the Apocrypha,  the 14 books found ONLY in the Catholic Bibles, because it backs up a few of their dogmas, of prayers to , and for, the dead, and purgatory. Thus are but "Traditions of men!"   Matthew 15:3  "But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?     ----    Colossians 2:8  "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
     As one can see, plainly, the word of God, proves itself within itself! It is its own expositor!

11. How did Jesus refer to the Old Testament Scriptures?

     Luke 24:44  "And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me."

Note: This three-fold division was the customary classification of the Old Testament books in the days of Jesus: "The Law of Moses," included the five books of the Pentateuch; "The Prophets", comprising Joshua, Judges, First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings [ NOTE (JB) the Douay Bible has the last four books as 1-4 Kings, but no matter, any Bible student, can teach our God's path to Salvation so far to date, from any Bible! BUT not for any other god!]--Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve {so-called} Minor Prophets,, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth and first and second Chronicles.

12. In what form were the earliest writings of the New Testament set down?

       1 Thessalonians 5:27-28 " I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."

Note: As time passed, it became more and more difficult for the 12 apostles personally to visit all the groups of christian believers which were springing up. In order to meet the need for further instruction in faith, to combat error, and to warn against strange and heretic teachers, the apostles were led to send forth messages warnings and exhortations. See  1 Corinthians 1:1-2. Galatians 1:1,2; Ehphesians 1:1; James 1:1 and
    1 Peter 1:1-2  "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied."

13. What portions of the New Testament were next written?

    Luke 1:1-4  "Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed."

Note: Some 35 years had passed since Jesus ascended to Heaven, and persecutions were decimating the ranks of the disciples. Soon there would be no one who had been with Jesus who could tell {first hand} the story of His life and teachings. Therefore several men were led to the prepare authoritative accounts, and the Gospels or "Good News", came into being. The earliest was written by Mark; Matthew wrote his gospel soon after, followed by Luke. John's Gospel came much latter as was one of the last of the New testament books to be written.
NOTE (JB) John was not only the last apostle, but was the ONLY one to die a natural death even-though the the Romans tried to kill him by boiling him in a kettle of boiling oil, God protected his just as well as He protected the Daniel's three friends in fiery furnace!
     Daniel 3:23-27  "And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.  Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.  And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them."
NOTE:  Don't believe this? Then read the next verse....
     Proverbs 13:13  "Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded."
  If you do not believe in the worthiness of God or His Word, tell HIM so in prayer, He's love to hear from YOU!

14. In addition to his Gospel what further record was Luke giving an account of to the early church leaders as they went forth to fulfill the great commission given them by Jesus.?

      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."

15. With what prophetic communication was the New Testament completed?

       Revelation 1:1  "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:"

NOTE (JB) Many a church and pastor refuse to teach from the Books of Revelation, many holding, "It's not for man to know"! However if this is the case in YOUR church ask, your Pastor/Priest, the reason for this verse........
     Revelation 1:3  "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."

    Then ask: "Why are you robbing us of this blessing"?  By the way, you are most likely in a Sunday worship church so I ask you why, in view of this.... in Christ's own words---- John 14:15  "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
Along with this:   Genesis 2:1-3  "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."

God only, and only God can make a day, Holy, not man!
     Exodus 20:8-11  "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it."   To verify please read Exodus 16th chapter, and Luke 23's last few verses and the first few in 24th chapter, to fix the Sabbath day, in time!

By 100 A.D. all the Books were together in the New Testament.

16. How did God intend that Bible should be used?

     Jeremiah 36:6  "Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD'S house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. "
      Nehemiah 8:8  "So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading."
      2 Timothy 2:15  "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

NOTE (JB) There's in my mind, a huge difference between reading and studying any book especially one such as The Word of God!

Joseph Haroutunian "The Bible and the word of god" Interpretations, Vol..1. No.3,p .295. "in the Bible, I must read the word of God to me in my specific situation. I must read it as one listening to God, in order to learn His will concerning me and my duty as I face a particular decision. I must read it as one who is at the parting of ways, as one who must choose between good and evil, between life and death."
NOTE (JB) life and death both can be eternal! This is for each to choose, and it  is ours!

17. What blessed result will follow the wholehearted acceptance of the word?
   
     
     John 20:31 " But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."

NOTE: Is there a promise we can cling too?

    John 14:1-6  "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

NOTE: No , not by Mary, nor any other name under heaven! Nor via any MAN_MADE religion beyond Christ's teachings!

NEXT: "Is our Bible complete"?

Thanking YOU for your time. Questions?  Comments?  John at servant@frontier.com

Want More? Visit your seventh-day Adventist church any Saturday/Sabbath, at 9-10 AM, and be surprised just how Jesus loves YOU!

Other sites:   aftv.org;  blbn.org; amazingfdiscoveries.org  www.servantsite@wordpress.com
jb