From Gary... kindness

Recently, a friend of mine posted this picture on Facebook. I asked myself- Why would anyone go to all the trouble of making swings for chickens?  It seemed unnecessary, because after all, they are just C-H-I-C-K-E-N-S. Then it occurred to me that perhaps those chickens had become pets, or maybe he was just being kind. I like the last idea the best, it just fits his character.

We see kindness in different forms all the time, but I especially like the form found in this response of Jesus to a lawyer...

Luke, Chapter 10, (WEB)

 ²⁵  Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 

  ²⁶  He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” 

  ²⁷  He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 

  ²⁸  He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.” 

  ²⁹  But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” 

  ³⁰  Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.   ³¹  By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side.   ³²  In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side.   ³³  But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion,   ³⁴  came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.   ³⁵  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’   ³⁶  Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?” 

  ³⁷  He said, “He who showed mercy on him.” 

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” 

My friend (also my son-in-law) saw a need the chickens had and did something about it. The good Samaritan did the same.

Do something nice for someone today- you will be glad you did?

Who knows, they might even give you some eggs in return?????

From Gary... Bible Reading April 25

Bible Reading 

April 25

The World English Bible

Apr. 25

Deuteronomy 5, 6

Deu 5:1 Moses called to all Israel, and said to them, Hear, Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears this day, that you may learn them, and observe to do them.

Deu 5:2 Yahweh our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.

Deu 5:3 Yahweh didn't make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.

Deu 5:4 Yahweh spoke with you face to face on the mountain out of the midst of the fire,

Deu 5:5 (I stood between Yahweh and you at that time, to show you the word of Yahweh: for you were afraid because of the fire, and didn't go up onto the mountain;) saying,

Deu 5:6 "I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Deu 5:7 You shall have no other gods before me.

Deu 5:8 "You shall not make an engraved image for yourself, nor any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

Deu 5:9 you shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them; for I, Yahweh, your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me;

Deu 5:10 and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Deu 5:11 "You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain: for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

Deu 5:12 "Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as Yahweh your God commanded youApr. 24, 25

Deu 5:13 You shall labor six days, and do all your work;

Deu 5:14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God, in which you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.

Deu 5:15 You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm: therefore Yahweh your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Deu 5:16 "Honor your father and your mother, as Yahweh your God commanded you; that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you, in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.

Deu 5:17 "You shall not murder.

Deu 5:18 "Neither shall you commit adultery.

Deu 5:19 "Neither shall you steal.

Deu 5:20 "Neither shall you give false testimony against your neighbor.

Deu 5:21 "Neither shall you covet your neighbor's wife; neither shall you desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."

Deu 5:22 These words Yahweh spoke to all your assembly on the mountain out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. He wrote them on two tables of stone, and gave them to me.

Deu 5:23 It happened, when you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;

Deu 5:24 and you said, Behold, Yahweh our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God does speak with man, and he lives.

Deu 5:25 Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of Yahweh our God any more, then we shall die.

Deu 5:26 For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?

Deu 5:27 Go near, and hear all that Yahweh our God shall say: and tell us all that Yahweh our God shall tell you; and we will hear it, and do it.

Deu 5:28 Yahweh heard the voice of your words, when you spoke to me; and Yahweh said to me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken to you: they have well said all that they have spoken.

Deu 5:29 Oh that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!

Deu 5:30 Go tell them, Return to your tents.

Deu 5:31 But as for you, stand here by me, and I will tell you all the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.

Deu 5:32 You shall observe to do therefore as Yahweh your God has commanded you: you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

Deu 5:33 You shall walk in all the way which Yahweh your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.

Deu 6:1 Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances, which Yahweh your God commanded to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you go over to possess it;

Deu 6:2 that you might fear Yahweh your God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, you, and your son, and your son's son, all the days of your life; and that your days may be prolonged.

Deu 6:3 Hear therefore, Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with you, and that you may increase mightily, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised to you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

Deu 6:4 Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one:

Deu 6:5 and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.

Deu 6:6 These words, which I command you this day, shall be on your heart;

Deu 6:7 and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Deu 6:8 You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for symbols between your eyes.

Deu 6:9 You shall write them on the door posts of your house, and on your gates.

Deu 6:10 It shall be, when Yahweh your God shall bring you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, great and goodly cities, which you didn't build,

Deu 6:11 and houses full of all good things, which you didn't fill, and cisterns dug out, which you didn't dig, vineyards and olive trees, which you didn't plant, and you shall eat and be full;

Deu 6:12 then beware lest you forget Yahweh, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Deu 6:13 You shall fear Yahweh your God; and you shall serve him, and shall swear by his name.

Deu 6:14 You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples who are around you;

Deu 6:15 for Yahweh your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; lest the anger of Yahweh your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

Deu 6:16 You shall not tempt Yahweh your God, as you tempted him in Massah.

Deu 6:17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he has commanded you.

Deu 6:18 You shall do that which is right and good in the sight of Yahweh; that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land which Yahweh swore to your fathers,

Deu 6:19 to thrust out all your enemies from before you, as Yahweh has spoken.

Deu 6:20 When your son asks you in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which Yahweh our God has commanded you?

Deu 6:21 then you shall tell your son, We were Pharaoh's bondservants in Egypt: and Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand;

Deu 6:22 and Yahweh showed great and awesome signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his house, before our eyes;

Deu 6:23 and he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he swore to our fathers.

Deu 6:24 Yahweh commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Yahweh our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as at this day.

Deu 6:25 It shall be righteousness to us, if we observe to do all this commandment before Yahweh our God, as he has commanded us.

Apr. 24, 25

Luke 14

Luk 14:1 It happened, when he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching him.

Luk 14:2 Behold, a certain man who had dropsy was in front of him.

Luk 14:3 Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"

Luk 14:4 But they were silent. He took him, and healed him, and let him go.

Luk 14:5 He answered them, "Which of you, if your son or an ox fell into a well, wouldn't immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?"

Luk 14:6 They couldn't answer him regarding these things.

Luk 14:7 He spoke a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the best seats, and said to them,

Luk 14:8 "When you are invited by anyone to a marriage feast, don't sit in the best seat, since perhaps someone more honorable than you might be invited by him,

Luk 14:9 and he who invited both of you would come and tell you, 'Make room for this person.' Then you would begin, with shame, to take the lowest place.

Luk 14:10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may tell you, 'Friend, move up higher.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.

Luk 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Luk 14:12 He also said to the one who had invited him, "When you make a dinner or a supper, don't call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back.

Luk 14:13 But when you make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind;

Luk 14:14 and you will be blessed, because they don't have the resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous."

Luk 14:15 When one of those who sat at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, "Blessed is he who will feast in the Kingdom of God!"

Luk 14:16 But he said to him, "A certain man made a great supper, and he invited many people.

Luk 14:17 He sent out his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, 'Come, for everything is ready now.'

Luk 14:18 They all as one began to make excuses. "The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please have me excused.'

Luk 14:19 "Another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go try them out. Please have me excused.'

Luk 14:20 "Another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I can't come.'

Luk 14:21 "That servant came, and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.'

Luk 14:22 "The servant said, 'Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.'

Luk 14:23 "The lord said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

Luk 14:24 For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will taste of my supper.' "

Luk 14:25 Now great multitudes were going with him. He turned and said to them,

Luk 14:26 "If anyone comes to me, and doesn't hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can't be my disciple.

Luk 14:27 Whoever doesn't bear his own cross, and come after me, can't be my disciple.

Luk 14:28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn't first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?

Luk 14:29 Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him,

Luk 14:30 saying, 'This man began to build, and wasn't able to finish.'

Luk 14:31 Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?

Luk 14:32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy, and asks for conditions of peace.

Luk 14:33 So therefore whoever of you who doesn't renounce all that he has, he can't be my disciple.

Luk 14:34 Salt is good, but if the salt becomes flat and tasteless, with what do you season it?

Luk 14:35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

From Roy Davison... What happened to that gay city Sodom?

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/gaycity.html

What happened to that gay city Sodom?

"The men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD" (Genesis 13:13). The people of Sodom had 'gay rights'. Homosexuality was unrestrained in Sodom (Genesis 19:4,5). They declared their sin, they did not hide it (Isaiah 3:9).
Before God destroyed Sodom, the Dead Sea region was a fertile plain (Genesis 13:10). Because their sin was very grave (Genesis 18:20) the Lord rained sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding plain, destroying the cities, the inhabitants and all vegetation (Genesis 19:24,25).
It became a land of sulfur, salt and burning. "It is not sown, nor does it bear, nor does any grass grow there" (Deuteronomy 29:23). It was "overrun with weeds and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation" (Zephaniah 2:9). Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them "having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude 7).
God explained why He destroyed Sodom: "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit" (Ezekiel 16:49,50).
In the time of Ezekiel, God condemned Jerusalem for having a tolerant attitude toward Sodom: "For your sister Sodom was not a byword in your mouth in the days of your pride" (Ezekiel 16:56).
Because of their "filthy conduct" and "lawless deeds" God, "turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly" (2 Peter 2:6-8).
Holland legalized same-sex marriages in 2001, Belgium in 2003, supposedly implementing a clause in the European Union's Treaty of Amsterdam which forbids discrimination on the basis of 'sexual orientation', a vague term used to encompass homosexual and lesbian relationships, but which arguably could also be made to include pedophilia and bestiality. I say 'supposedly' because it is not discrimination to make allowances for biological realities or to respect moral and religious convictions which are also protected by the treaty.
Perverted sexual relationships may be called marriages by governments of this world, but they are not recognized by the High Court of Heaven. Same-sex relationships are condemned by God in both the Old and the New Testaments.
They are perversions of the beautiful and pure relationship God has given husbands and wives within the bonds of matrimony. Jesus said: "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female', and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate" (Matthew 19:4-6). "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge" (Hebrews 13:4). Same-sex relationships are a form of fornication (sexual immorality).
The Law of Moses pronounced the death sentence on those who engaged in homosexual relationships. "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination" (Leviticus 18:22). "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:13).
The condemnation of the New Testament is also severe: homosexuals and lesbians are worthy of death, but they are called to repentance and offered forgiveness. God will help them live pure lives if they repent, turn away from their sins, and accept His offer of salvation through Christ.
"Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due" (Romans 1:24-27), "who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them" (Romans 1:32).
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
The Greek word translated 'homosexuals' here is MALAKOS, defined in this passage by Thayer as "effeminate, of a catamite, a male who submits his body to unnatural lewdness" and by Arndt & Gingrich as "effeminate, esp. of catamites, men and boys who allow themselves to be misused homosexually."
The Greek word translated 'sodomites' is ARSENOKOITEES (a combination of the words for 'male' and 'bed'), defined in this passage by Thayer as "one who lies with a male as with a female, a sodomite" and by Arndt & Gingrich as "a male homosexual, pederast, sodomite." This word is also found in 1 Timothy 1:10 where it is stated that the law is 'for sodomites'. The English word 'sodomy' means 'carnal copulation with a member of the same sex or with an animal or unnatural copulation with a member of the opposite sex' (Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary).
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is a warning for those committing abomination in our time.
We do not know all the cosmic or geological mechanisms involved when God devastated the Dead Sea area with sulfurous meteorites. The region is now below sea level and is on a major fault in the earth's crust.
San Francisco and Amsterdam are the gay capitals of the modern world. Both cities are suspended by a thread in the hand of God. Forty percent of Holland is below sea level and San Francisco is on a major earthquake fault. At any moment, an earthquake or a storm could destroy these wicked cities. The accusation against them is great and their sin is very grave. God may delay judgment for the sake of the righteous who live there.
In the end, however, there will be no escape: "The Judge is standing at the door!" (James 5:9). The day is coming when the whole universe will be dissolved by fire: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?" (2 Peter 3:10-12). "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10).
This warning is not only for homosexuals and lesbians. All must repent to be saved. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). On the day of judgment all sinners will stand condemned unless they have repented and accepted the gift of salvation offered by grace through the blood of Christ. "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Peter 4:18).
Roy Davison

The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982,
Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers unless indicated otherwise.
Permission for reference use has been granted.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

From Jim McGuiggan... The Divine Paramedic

The Divine Paramedic

"Isn't that a bit radical?" That's what he said. We'd been close friends some years ago but our friendship lost its way. Life has a way of working out like that. We'd been talking about the awful suffering of the world and I was claiming that the world's suffering was God's redemptive chastisement by which he intends to bring the world to glory. I had said that we rebelled, God in loving holiness responded in chastisement and so the combination of our sin and God's relentless love means suffering (that affects even innocent babies and righteous people). He was thinking of the horrific suffering in the world when he said, "Isn't that a bit radical?" What could I do but agree?
But, then, what a paramedic does is radical when he comes to a car wreck and sees people on the verge of dying in agony. These caring professionals rip open a woman's throat and shove a tube into it so she can get life-giving air. Or they break open the rib cage and shoot electricity through heart muscle or they grab a saw and rasp their way through a child's leg to keep it from dying in a fire that any moment will devour the child.
I'd say that was a bit radical!

I suppose in the end that it all depends on how we assess the situation. Is life worth having? If yes, rip out the throat, amputate the arm or leg or force the tube into the fluid filled lung. However radical all that is even gentle and loving parents would want it so if it meant ultimate life and health for the one they love. They'd share the agony but they'd urge the medic to invade.

There is suffering in the world because the universe has had a horrendous moral wreck and the divine Paramedic will not permit us to go down in flames without attempting to rescue us! It doesn't really matter that we aren't able to see our danger and loss in a true light. It doesn't matter that we don't love him or ourselves enough to care about real and glorious living. It only matters that he sees our loss for what it is and that he loves us enough to do what he knows is necessary.

It's rubbish to say of a paramedic that he shreds the bodies of the endangered people because he's sadistic-precisely the reverse is true! It isn't pain and loss he enjoys; it's life and health that he relentlessly pursues. It is nonsense to say of God's chastisement that it is vengeful over-reaction-it is a holy lover that cannot let us die that's at work.

In part, it's our sinfulness that leads us to say physical trauma is real and moral trauma is not. God knows better.

You might think my Celebrating the Wrath of God book is useful. It's a  Waterbrook Press/Random House publication.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Warmed-Over Prophecy? by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

http://apologeticspress.org/AllegedDiscrepancies.aspx?article=298&b=Psalms

Warmed-Over Prophecy?

by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

The New Testament writers did not always use Old Testament prophecy in a way that conforms to some people’s idea of how they think it should be used. For this reason, many allege that the New Testament writers take Old Testament Scriptures out of context, or that they “reuse” or “warm over” already fulfilled Old Testament passages in order to make their point. However, in response to this idea, logical solutions can be contemplated that clarify and justify the New Testament writers’ multiple use of Old Testament prophecy.

First, could it not be the case that that Holy Spirit, knowing what would happen in the future, directed the Old Testament writers to pen phrases and statements that had an immediate application and a distant future application as well? Well didWayne Jackson write:

[I]s it not possible that the omniscient Holy Spirit, who guided both the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament inspired writers, could have directed certain prophecies to ancient Israel, but also could have known that a future event would ultimately fulfill the meaning of his words? What is wrong with such a view? Absolutely nothing. It surely is possible and preserves the integrity of the New Testament writers. Let me suggest an example to illustrate this point.

David declared: “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9). During the last supper, Christ quoted from this passage as follows: “He that eateth my bread lifted up his heel against me” (John 13:18), applying it to the treachery of Judas, and declaring that such fulfilled the statement in David’s psalm. The Lord, however, altered the quotation. He omitted, “whom I trusted,” from the original source, the reason being, He never trusted Judas! Jesus knew from the beginning who would betray Him (John 6:64). It is clear, therefore, that Psalm 41:9 had an immediate application to one of David’s enemies, but the remote and complete “fulfillment” came in Judas’ betrayal of the Son of God. I personally do not believe that it is acceptable to suggest that prophecies have a “double fulfillment.” That is a meaningless expression. If a prophecy is filled full once, it can hardly be filled “fuller” later! It would be far better to speak of some texts which have an “immediate application” or “partial fulfillment,” and then a more “remote fulfillment” (1988, 8:29)

Indeed, many New Testament quotations of Old Testament prophecies could conceivably fall into the category of “remote fulfillment.” Consider the situation of Matthew’s use of Jeremiah 31:15. In Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet obviously was dealing with a fairly immediate point in the not-too-distant future when the mothers of Israel would weep because of the captivity and punishment that the enemies of Israel would inflict upon them. However, Matthew employed Jeremiah’s prophecy—“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; And she would not be comforted, because they are not”—to refer to the mothers who wept over King Herod’s vicious slaughter of the innocent male children of Bethlehem. Taking Jackson’s comments into consideration, it is not a difficult stretch to maintain that the Holy Spirit certainly could have foreseen the dastardly deeds of King Herod and supplied Jeremiah with a prophetic utterance that could sufficiently describe the captivity and punishment in the Old Testament as well as depict the gruesome scene related in Matthew. Richards added to this explanation by saying:

The Jeremiah passage quoted is linked to this event. Jeremiah 31:15 portrays Rachel, the symbolic mother of the Jews, weeping as her descendants are torn from the Promised Land. Yet that prophecy is found in a context of the hope that despite the tears God promises the exiles will return. Now, despite the tears shed for the innocent victims of Herod’s slaughter, their deaths underline the escape of the child Jesus, whose survival ultimately means restoration of humankind to a personal relationship with God. As tears intermingled with joy in Jeremiah’s time, so tears and joy intermingle in Bethlehem (1993, p. 228)

It also is interesting to note that many times, Old Testament prophecies have not only immediate and remote applications, but also multiple, diverse uses. Jackson commented:

Still again, we may note that, consistent with His own purposes, the Holy Spirit may give a prophecy multiple applications. Consider the case of Psalm 2:7, where Jehovah said: “Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee.” In the New Testament, this statement is applied to Christ in several different senses. First, it is employed to demonstrate that Christ is superior to the angels, for the Father never addressed any angelic being, saying, “You are my son, this day have I begotten thee” (cf. Hebrews 1:5). [This is a truth which the “ Jehovah’s Witnesses” (who claim that Christ was a created angel) would do well to learn.] Second, Psalm 2:7 is applied by Paul to Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The apostle argues that “God hath fulfilled the same unto our children, in that he raised up Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, Thou art my son...” (Acts 13:33). It was, of course, by His resurrection that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power (Romans 1:4). Thus, it was appropriate that the psalm be applied to the Lord’s resurrection. Third, the writer of Hebrews uses the psalm to prove that Christ glorified not Himself to be made our high priest; rather, such a role was due to His relationship as the Son of God (Hebrews 5:5). Again, we absolutely must stress that the Holy Spirit, who inspired the original psalm, surely had all of these various thoughts in mind as is evidenced by His guidance of the New Testament writers as they employed His language (8:29-30, bracketed statement in orig.).

After looking closely at the different ways in which the New Testament writers used the Old Testament Scriptures, it cannot be argued effectively that there was error or discrepancy on their part. Although they might not have used certain passages in a way that some people might prefer, they did use the prophecies without contradiction or discrepancy in a manner consistent with the plan and purpose of the Holy Spirit.

REFERENCES

Richards, Larry (1993), 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered, (Grand Rapids, MI: Revell).

Jackson, Wayne (1988), “Principles of Bible Prophecy,” Reason & Revelation, 8:27-30, July.

What Exactly Did Jesus Say? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/AllegedDiscrepancies.aspx?article=2142&b=Matthew

What Exactly Did Jesus Say?

by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

Numerous times in the gospel accounts, the Bible writers recorded statements made by Jesus while He was on Earth. Puzzling to some Bible readers is the fact that, although Bible writers frequently recorded the same statements, they are not exactly (word-for-word) alike. For example, whereas Matthew recorded that Jesus told Satan, “It is written again (palingegrapti), ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’” (4:7), Luke wrote: “It has been said (eiratai), ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’” (4:12). Although this difference is considered minor, and is referring to the same thing (the Old Testament), Matthew and Luke still recorded Jesus’ statement using different words. Why? Why did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John not always record the words of Jesus exactly alike?

First, it is possible that some differences are due to Jesus having made both statements. It is unwise to think that every similar statement recorded by the gospel writers must refer to the exact same moment. In the example of Jesus responding to Satan’s temptation, it may be that Jesus repeated the same thought on the same occasion using different words. After telling Satan, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God,” Jesus could have re-emphasized the point (especially if Satan repeated the temptation) by saying, “It is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” Thus, Jesus could have made both statements.

A second reason why differences exist among the gospel writers’ testimony of Jesus’ teachings is because the writers’ purpose was to record precisely what the Holy Spirit deemed necessary (cf. John 16:13), but not necessarily exactly what Jesus said. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21), one writer may summarize a person’s (e.g., Jesus’) words, while another writer may quote the exact words.

Consider the variation in notes taken by honest, intelligent college students in the same class on the Civil War. At the close of the class, when the notes of the students are compared and contrasted (as the gospel accounts are) differences are evident. If one student recorded that the teacher said Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address “in November of 1863 to honor those who died in the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg,” and another student wrote that Lincoln’s speech was delivered “on November 19, 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania,” their notes would not be considered contradictory. Though there are slight differences in what the students indicate the teacher said, they both are faithful testimonies of what the teacher taught—one student simply chose a less definite style of note-taking (i.e., not mentioning the precise day on which the Gettysburg Address was given).

Throughout the gospel accounts, we find accurate statements that Jesus made, but not necessarily the exact quotations. Inspired summaries of what someone said does not take away from the sacredness of the God-given Scriptures, nor our ability to apply those Scriptures to our lives. What’s more, differences among statements recorded in the gospel accounts also may be the result of the statements being made at different times. In whichever category a difference among the gospel accounts falls, Bible students can be confident of the Bible’s reliability.

Award For Children’s Literature That Pushes Homosexuality by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=3745

Award For Children’s Literature That Pushes Homosexuality

by	Kyle Butt, M.Div.

At the beginning of November, 2010, Associated Press staff writer Hillel Italie wrote an article titled, “Kids’ Book Prizes to Include Gay and Lesbian Award.” In that article, Italie wrote: “An award for gay and lesbian literature will be included in the American Library Associations annual announcement of children’s prizes, a list which features the prestigious and influential Caldecott and Newbery medals” (2010). The award will be called the Stonewall Award and will be issued to “English-language works for children and teens of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered experience” (Italie, 2010).

It is a sad day in our country when a sinful lifestyle such as homosexuality is lauded as deserving an award for those who portray it in a favorable light. One wonders why stop at awards for homosexuality. Should there be an award for the “best” children’s book that portrays bestiality in a favorable light? Are we expecting an adultery or a polygamy award soon? Should we look for an award that lauds the merits of prostitution, pedophilia, or necrophilia? Our nation’s acceptance and promotion of homosexuality is extremely sinful (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Romans 1:26-27), and completely illogical. Furthermore, notice that homosexuals and those who wish to teach the sinful lifestyle are aiming their teaching where it they make the most impact—at our children.

Recently, I did an informal survey of 57 people, mostly teens, in the Lord’ church. The survey contained some standard questions about morality. For instance, one statement was: “Premarital sex is ethical if two people plan to get married.” Fifty-six said that it was not ethical, and one did not know. Notice that 56 of these young people understood in this instance the biblical stance on premarital sex (1 Corinthians 6:18). The statement immediately preceding the one on premarital sex was: “Homosexual behavior is always unethical, even between two people who are committed to each other.” Only 47 of the young people agreed with this statement, four disagreed and five said they did not know. Almost 20% of the young people polled did not understand the biblical position that all homosexual behavior is wrong. And this was a very conservative group of young people, judging by their answers to other questions.

As the Lord’s Church, we simply must be teaching our young people that all forms of homosexuality are sinful. At Apologetics Press, we have attempted to empower parents and teachers with an excellent resource specifically designed for this: Does God Love Michael’s Two Daddies? But whether you use that resource, the Bible, other books, or various other materials, this is not a subject that can be avoided. Mark it down: the homosexual community is trying to expose your children to their agenda at the earliest possible age. If we do nothing to combat their teaching, we can only expect our young people to grow up with distorted views about the sin of homosexuality.
 

REFERENCE

Italie, Hillel (2010), “Kids’ Book Prizes to Include Gay and Lesbian Award,” http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101101/ap_on_en_ot/us_books_library_prize/print.