From Jim McGuiggan... Book of Revelation (6)

Book of Revelation (6)

It’s an overstatement but when you read books like 1 Samuel or Mark you read the words and know what the writer has in mind by the very words he uses. That’s because, whatever the writer means to do with what he writes he tells of actual events and people doing this or saying that or going here or there. But that’s now how it works in the book of Revelation. Revelation uses words to paint images and the reader has to ask, "What does the picture mean?" Anyone can tell you what the picture is (you only have to read it), but the issue is, what does the picture mean?
For example, John sees a seven-headed beast come up out of the sea in chapter 13:1. We aren’t supposed to think that sometime, somewhere (past or future) an animal like that came or will come up out of the sea. No! We’re supposed to look at the picture and ask, "What does the seven-headed sea-beast stand for?" The same is true of the Prostitute that rides the beast or the awful locusts or the terrifying plagues on the oceans, lakes and rivers of the world. In trying to understand Revelation (and, apart from some specific texts, it’s not that difficult) the thing to say to ourselves is, "That’s what he sees, now what does it mean?"
Let’s take a look at three more important images used in Revelation.
A new heaven and earth (21:1)
John sees a new heaven and new earth come into existence. He sees a red Dragon with seven heads, he sees a Glorious Woman with the moon at her feet and a world entirely without drinking water and we asked, "what do these things mean?" Now he sees a new heaven and earth and what are we to do? We’re to ask, "what does this mean?"
The vision of a new heaven and earth speaks of a new environment, a new state of affairs for the people of God. The old world in Revelation’s context has been dominated by the cruel and evil Roman Empire—it was, so to speak, their world! But they offended God and he attacked it. In Revelation its stars are torn down, its seas are turned to blood, earthquakes tore it in shreds and its vegetation is completely destroyed—the Roman world is dismantled. None of that literally happened! John now sees a new heaven and earth. But as surely as we’re not to believe in the literal dismantling of the Roman world (remember 22:6,10) we’re not to believe in a literal creating of a new heaven and earth. This is a book of pictures! It tells its message in images. It isn’t like other books and mustn’t be interpreted like other books. When Matthew says they met a man carrying a water pitcher on his head we tend to believe that that’s what they actually saw. When John says he saw a door open in heaven or that he saw a new city coming down out of the sky on to the earth we’re not supposed to take it as literal.
The vision of the new heaven and earth is Revelation’s way of saying that the People of God live to see the destruction of the world "owned" and shaped by the beast-empire of Rome. They are free from Rome. Rome can no longer murder them or make them cry or mourn (21:4). There is no more sea (21:1) therefore the Roman beast can rise from it no more (13:1).
The dismantling of the world of the oppressor is a common vision in Old Testament prophets. Babylon’s world is dismantled in Isaiah 13 and 14. Edom’s world is devastated in Isaiah 34:4-15. Judah’s world is "uncreated" in Jeremiah 4:22-26 and so on. In none of these cases are we to think of a literal destruction of the world. Can you imagine what would happen if a star the size of Mount Everest fell on an earth the size of a grain of sand just so Edom could be destroyed?
A new and glorious Jerusalem (21:2,9)
The city that dominated the world in John’s day was Rome (see 17:18). Nations walked according to her laws and nations brought their wealth into it. She persecutes the Church in defiance of God and the world saw her as unbeatable but her wicked crumbled around her and her city went up in flames her (read the whole of chapter 18 and 21:1).
In her place John sees another city. He sees it coming down from heaven on to the earth. This city is not of earthly origin, men didn’t build it, God did (compare Hebrews 11:10,16). It sits on the new earth (21:24) and it’s called the new Jerusalem (21:2,9). That’s what John sees. What does this city stand for?
Whatever it is it isn’t heaven! John tells us it is the bride of the Lamb, the wife of Christ (21:9-10). The bride, the wife of Christ is the Church, the People of God (see Ephesians 5:29-32 and 2 Corinthians 11:2). We aren’t supposed to think this is a literal city that sometime in the past or in the future comes down out of heaven and settles on the earth (remember the dimensions of it?). That misses the point altogether. John is contrasting the wicked City that went down in flames to utter ruin and this one that is glorious and beautiful and invulnerable to attack. Notice how the images switch between a woman and a city; that’s what they did in chapter 17 when discussing the Prostitute and the city that ruled the world. This glorious city is no more literal than the new heaven and earth.
The message in this section is this: When the smoke clears there is one glorious city and it came down out of heaven to take its place in a new environment. That environment is free from the Roman oppressor and the city they claimed was "the eternal city" was now gone. The glorious city is a picture of the triumphant People of God and much of the imagery is taken from the Old Testament (see Isaiah 54:11-12 for example).
Her identity is spelled out (21:9). Her dimensions we’ve talked about earlier. She brings light and healing to the nations of the world (21:24 and 22:2). There are those who say that the city is literal, that it is sitting even now (yes!) ready to come down and sit on the earth. John expressly tells us it is not a city! It is the wife of the Lamb! It isn’t heaven, it isn’t a literal city and it isn’t even a literal wife of anyone. It’s God’s People in and through Jesus Christ and they are pictured as gloriously triumphant over their enemy (Rome, inspired by Satan).
A home within the wilderness (12:6,14)
The glorious Woman of 12:1-2 is the People of God (see Revelation 3). In 12:6 and 14 she is forced to flee into the wilderness. But in the wilderness she is taken care of for a time, times and half a time. This phrase will be discussed in Revelation (7) along with some other numbers.
Israel, the ancient People of God, experienced a wilderness period. John borrows some from their experience. Elijah, one of God’s prophets and witnesses, had his own wilderness experience during a three and a half-year drought. In both cases the people of God endured a wilderness experience but in both cases God looked after his troubled people. See Deuteronomy 8:2-5 and 1 Kings 17:1-16.
We have the trouble/triumph and suffering-but-sustained theme again. The Woman flees to the wilderness and that’s not the South of France or Acapulco but while she is there God protects and provides for her. Via these images the church of God is told tough times are ahead so they shouldn’t be surprised but they’re assured that wherever they are God will be with them to protect and bring them through to victory. That is the message of the home in the wilderness for three and a half-years.
The battle of Armageddon (16:12-16 and 19:11-21)
The battle of Armageddon is introduced in 16:12-16 but it is fought in 19:11-21. In 16:12-16 we’re told it is between "the kings from the East (sun-rising)" and the two beasts and their allies. In 19:11-21 we’re told it is between the People of God led by Jesus Christ and the two beasts and their allies. What does that tell you?
It tells you that the kings from the sun-rising in 16:12 are the People of God. Jesus himself is said to be the Bright and Morning Star (22:16 and see Malachi 4:2) and his followers are the kings from the sun-rising. It’s from the East that the sun rises into the sky and floods the earth with light.
In 16:12 we hear that these royal ones (compare 5:10 and 1 Peter 2:9) cross water on dry ground. In the Bible only the People of God do such a thing. They did it in the days of Moses, and under Joshua. Elijah did it and so did Elisha. And when God speaks of rescuing his people from their enemies he speaks about bringing them across water on dry ground (Isaiah 11:15). These kings advance from the sun-rising to dispel darkness from the earth. See Psalm 110:1-3 and read the description of the battle of Armageddon in Revelation 19, noting especially 19:8.
And why Armageddon? It is a huge valley in Palestine where ancient armies fought. Israel gained famous victories there under Deborah and Gideon. A Bible dictionary would tell you the derivation of Armageddon and say something about the strategic importance of the town of Megiddo and its association with the plain or valley. Those having some acquaintance with the OT would have known immediately what was meant when a battle of Armageddon was mentioned. In Revelation the battle pictures Rome led by Satan losing a pitched battle against the Church led by Jesus Christ.

Go to Lesson 7

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

Capital Punishment and the Bible by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

https://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=683

Capital Punishment and the Bible

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

The Bible is the written Word of God. Within its pages, we find the wisdom of God. We find what is best for the human race—how God intends for life to be conducted. What is God’s view of capital punishment? Both the Old Testament as well as the New Testament address this subject.

OLD TESTAMENT TEACHING

Very early in human history, God decreed that murderers were to forfeit their own lives: “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he the man” (Genesis 9:6). This standard continued into the Mosaic period (cf. Numbers 35:33). As a matter of fact, the law God gave to Moses to regulate the Israelite nation made provision for at least sixteen capital crimes. In sixteen instances, the death penalty was to be invoked. The first four may be categorized as pertaining to civil matters.
1. Under the law of Moses, the death penalty was required in cases of premeditated murder (Exodus 21:12-14,22-23; Leviticus 24:17; Numbers 35:16-21). This regulation even included the situation in which two men might be fighting and, in the process, cause the death of an innocent bystander or her unborn infant. It did not include accidental homicide, which we call “manslaughter.”
2. Kidnapping was a capital crime under the Old Testament (Exodus 21:16; Deuteronomy 24:7). One movie, which was based on an actual incident, depicted the kidnapping of a seven-year-old boy as he was walking home from school. The man who stole him kept him for some seven years, putting the child through emotional and sexual abuse, before the boy, at age fifteen, was finally returned to his parents. He was a different child, and never again would be the same. God would not tolerate such a thing in the Old Testament, and much of the same would be stopped in America if such crimes were taken more seriously.
3. A person could be put to death for striking or cursing his parents (Exodus 21:15,17; Leviticus 20:9). Jesus alluded to this point in Matthew 15:4 and Mark 7:10.
4. Incorrigible rebelliousness was punishable by death (Deuteronomy 17:12). For example, a stubborn, disobedient, rebellious son who would not submit to parents or civil authorities was to be stoned to death (Deuteronomy 21:18-21).
The next six capital crimes can be identified as more specifically pertaining to religious matters.
5. Sacrificing to false gods was a capital crime in the Old Testament (Exodus 22:20).
6. Violating the Sabbath brought the death penalty (Exodus 35:2; Numbers 15:32-36).
7. Blasphemy, or cursing God, warranted the death penalty (Leviticus 24:10-16,23).
8. The false prophet, specifically one who tried to entice the people to idolatry, was to be executed (Deuteronomy 13:1-11), as were the people who were so influenced (Deuteronomy 13:12-18).
9. Human sacrifice was a capital crime (Leviticus 20:2). The Israelites were tempted to offer their children to false pagan deities, like Molech. But such was despicable to God.
10. Divination, or the dabbling in the magical arts, was a capital crime. Consequently, under Mosaic law, witches, sorcerers, wizards, mediums, charmers, soothsayers, diviners, spiritists, and enchanters were to be put to death (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:26,31; 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:9-14).
The next six crimes pertain to sexual matters.
11. Adultery was punishable by death under the Old Testament (Leviticus 20:10-21; Deuteronomy 22:22). Can you imagine what would happen in our own country if adultery brought the death penalty? Most of Hollywood would be wiped out, as well as a sizeable portion of the rest of our population!
12. Bestiality, i.e., having sexual relations with an animal, was punishable by death (Exodus 22:19; Leviticus 20:15-16).
13. Incest was a capital offense in the Old Testament (Leviticus 18:6-17; 20:11-12,14).
14. Homosexuality was a capital crime (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13).
15. Premarital sex brought the death penalty (Leviticus 21:9; Deuteronomy 22:20-21).
16. Rape of an engaged or married woman was a capital crime in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 22:25-27). Again, imagine what would happen in this country if rape brought the death penalty! Much of the unconscionable treatment of women now taking place would be terminated.
Capital punishment was written into God’s will for the Jewish nation in the Old Testament. The death penalty was a viable form of punishment for at least sixteen separate offenses. Some people have misunderstood one of the Ten Commandments which says, “You shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13). They have assumed that the law forbade taking human life under any circumstances. But God required the death penalty for some sixteen crimes. Therefore, the commandment would have been better translated, “You shall not murder.” In other words, the command was a prohibition against an individual taking the law into his own hands and exercising personal vengeance. But God wanted the execution of law breakers to be carried out by duly constituted legal authorities.

NEW TESTAMENT TEACHING

Moving to the New Testament, which reveals God’s will this side of the cross, the matter of capital punishment is treated virtually the same. The New Testament clearly teaches that capital punishment is God’s will for human civilization. Consider, for example, Romans 13:1-4.

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

This passage clearly affirms that the state—civil government—has the God-ordained responsibility to keep law and order, and to protect its citizens against evildoers. The word “sword” in this passage refers to capital punishment. God wants duly constituted civil authority to invoke the death penalty upon citizens who commit crimes worthy of death.
For about the last thirty years, Americans have actually witnessed a breakdown on the part of judicial and law enforcement system. In most cases, the government has failed to “bear the sword.” Instead, the prison system has been overrun with incorrigible criminals. Premature parole and early release has become commonplace in order to make room for the increasing number of lawbreakers.
The apostle Paul, himself, articulated the correct attitude when he stood before Porcius Festus and defended his actions by stating, “If I am an offender, or have committed anything worthy of death, I do not object to dying” (Acts 25:11). Paul was acknowledging that the state properly possesses the power of life and death in the administration of civil justice.
Peter held the same position as that of Paul. He enjoined obedience to the government that has been sent by God “for the punishment of evildoers” (1 Peter 2:14; cf. Titus 3:1). Jesus implied the propriety of capital punishment when He told the Parable of the Pounds. Those who rebelled against the king were to be brought and executed in his presence (Luke 19:27). Compare that parable with the one He told about the wicked husbandmen in Luke 20:15-16 in which He indicated that the owner of the vineyard would return and destroy the husbandmen.

POSSIBLE OBJECTIONS

Those who oppose capital punishment raise a variety of objections to its legitimacy. For example, someone might raise the question: “Did not Jesus teach that we should turn the other cheek?” Yes, He did, in Matthew 5:39. But in that context, He was impressing upon the Jews their need not to engage in personal vendettas. The same point is stressed in Romans 12:14-21. Paul said, “Repay no one evil for evil” and “do not avenge yourselves.” In other words, Christians are not to take the law into their own hands and engage in vengeful retaliation. God insists that vengeance belongs to Him.
Notice, however, that Romans 13 picks right up where Romans 12 leaves off and shows how God takes vengeance. He employs civil government as the instrumentality for imposing the death penalty. So, individual citizens are not to engage in vigilante tactics. God wants the legal authorities to punish criminals, and thereby protect the rest of society.
A second objection to capital punishment pertains to the woman taken in adultery. “Did not Jesus exonerate her and leave her uncondemned?” Surely the story about the woman taken in adultery in John 8 has been misused and misapplied more than almost any other Scripture. Yet a careful study of this passage yields complete harmony with the principle of capital punishment. At least four extenuating circumstances necessitated Jesus leaving the woman uncondemned:
First, Mosaic regulation stated that a person could be executed only if there were two or more witnesses to the crime (Deuteronomy 19:15). One witness was insufficient to evoke the death penalty (Deuteronomy 17:6). The woman was reportedly caught in the very act, but nothing is said of the identity of the witnesses. There may have been only one.
Second, even if there were two or more witnesses present to verify the woman’s sin, the Old Testament was equally explicit concerning the fact that both the woman and the man were to be executed (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22). Where was the man on this occasion? Obviously, this was a trumped up situation that did not fit the Mosaic preconditions for invoking capital punishment. Obedience to the Law of Moses in this instance actually meant letting the woman go.
A third point to take into consideration is the precise meaning of the phrase “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7). If this statement is taken as a blanket prohibition against capital punishment, then this passage flatly contradicts Romans 13. Instead, what Jesus was getting at was what Paul meant when he said, “you who judge practice the same things” (Romans 2:1). Jesus knew that the woman’s accusers were guilty of the very thing of which they were willing to condemn her. He was able to prick them in regard to their guilt by causing them to realize that He knew they were guilty of the very same thing. The Old Law made clear that the witnesses to the crime were to cast the first stones (Deuteronomy 17:7). Jesus was striking directly at the fact that the woman’s accusers were ineligible to fulfill this role.
Fourth, capital punishment would have had to have been levied by a duly constituted court of law. This mob was actually engaging in an illegal action—vigilantism. Jesus, though the Son of God, would not have interfered in the responsibility of the appropriate judicial authorities to handle the situation. Remember that, on another occasion when one of two brothers approached Jesus out of a crowd and asked Him to settle a probate dispute, Jesus responded: “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” (Luke 12:14). So the effort by this mob in John 8 to ensnare Jesus was without legal justification.
Jesus actually handled the situation appropriately, in keeping with legal protocol of both Old Testament law as well as Roman civil law. The woman clearly violated God’s law, and deserved the death penalty. But the necessary prerequisites for pronouncing the execution sentence were lacking—which is precisely what Jesus meant when He said, “Neither do I condemn you.” Since the legal stipulations that were needed to establish her guilt were not in place, He would not override the law and condemn her. Jesus’ action on this occasion in no way discredits the legitimacy of capital punishment.
A third objection that has been raised in an effort to challenge the propriety of capital punishment is the insistence by some that the death penalty serves no useful purpose—especially when it comes to deterring other criminals from their course of action. Opponents insist, “capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime.” This kind of humanistic, uninformed thinking has held sway for some 30+ years. It might be believable if it were not for the inspired Word of God informing to the contrary.
Even if capital punishment did not serve as a deterrent, it still would serve at least one other worthwhile purpose: the elimination from society of those elements that persist in destructive behavior. The Bible teaches that some people can be hardened into a sinful, wicked condition. They have become so cold, cruel, and mean that even the threat of death does not phase them. Paul referred to those whose consciences had been “seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). Some people are so hardened that they are described as “past feeling” and completely given over to wickedness (Ephesians 4:19). God invoked the death penalty upon an entire generation because their wickedness was “great in the earth” and “every imagination of the thoughts of [their] heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).
So the human heart and mind can become so alienated from right, good, and truth that a person can be unreachable, incorrigible, and irretrievable. The death penalty would spare law-abiding citizens any further perpetration of death and suffering by those who engage in such repetitive actions. How horrible and senseless it is that so many Americans have had to suffer terribly at the hands of criminals who already have been found guilty of previous crimes, but who were permitted to go free and repeat their criminal behavior!
So even if capital punishment was not a deterrent, it is still a necessary option in society. It holds in check the growth and spread of hardened criminals. A careful study is warranted of the expression “so you shall put away the evil from your midst” (Deuteronomy 13:5; 17:7; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21; 1 Corinthians 5:13).
But the Bible clearly teaches that the application of penal punishment, including the death penalty, is, in fact, a deterrent. For example, God wanted the death penalty imposed upon any individual, including one’s relative, who attempted secretly to entice others into idolatry. Such a person was to be stoned to death in the presence of the entire nation with this resulting effect: “So all Israel shall hear and fear, and not again do such wickedness as this among you” (Deuteronomy 13:11).
Another instance of this rationale is seen in the pronouncement of death upon the incorrigible rebel: “And all the people shall hear and fear, and no longer act presumptuously” (Deuteronomy 17:13). The principle is stated again when the Jews were instructed to take a rebellious and stubborn son and stone him to death with the effect that “all Israel shall hear and fear” (Deuteronomy 21:21).
This same perspective is illustrated even in the New Testament. Paul emphasized that elders in the church who sinned were to be rebuked publicly “that others also may fear” (1 Timothy 5:20). Ananias and Sapphira, a Christian couple in the early church, were divinely executed in Acts 5, and in the very next verse Luke wrote: “So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things” (Acts 5:11). These passages prove that a direct link exists between punishment and execution on the one hand, and the caution that it instills in others on the other hand.
The Bible teaches the corollary of this principle as well. Where there is inadequate, insufficient and delayed punishment, crime and violence increase. Notice Ecclesiastes 8:11—“Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” This very phenomenon is occurring even now in America.
The court system is clogged and backed up to the point that many cases do not come to trial for literally years. Criminals who have been shown to be guilty of multiple murders and other heinous crimes are given light sentences, while those who deserve far less are given exorbitant sentences. A mockery of the justice system has resulted. Such circumstances, according to the Bible, only serve to encourage more lawlessness. The overall citizenry cannot help but grow lax in their own attitudes. This principle is evident in the biblical expression, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6).
If the Bible is to be believed, capital punishment is, indeed, a deterrent to criminal behavior. The elimination of hardened criminals is necessary if societies are to survive. The liberal, humanistic values that have held sway in America for the last 40 years are taking their toll, and getting back to God’s view of things is the only hope if the nation is to survive.
A fourth quibble that someone might raise is that capital punishment appears to be a rather extreme step to take since it is as cruel, barbaric, and violent as the action committed by the criminal himself. Is it not the case that capital punishment is resorting to the same kind of behavior as the criminal? May capital punishment be viewed as a vindictive retaliation? The biblical response to this question is seen in the oft’-repeated phrases: “his blood be upon him” (Leviticus 20:9,13,27; Deuteronomy 19:10; Ezekiel 18:13; 33:5) and “his blood be upon his own head” (Joshua 2:19; 2 Samuel 1:16; Ezekiel 33:4; Acts 18:6).
Those who carry out the death sentence are, in reality, neutral third parties. They are merely carrying out the will of God in dispensing justice. The criminal is simply receiving what he brought upon himself—his “just desserts.” The expression “his blood be upon him” indicates that God assigns responsibility for the execution to the one being executed. It’s like we tell small children: “If you put your hand in the fire, you’re going to get burned.” There are consequences to our actions. If we do not want to be executed, we should not commit any act that merits death. If we do commit such an act, we have earned the death penalty, and we deserve to get what we have earned. The one who metes out the punishment is not to be blamed or considered responsible for the execution of the guilty.
Rather than oppose those who promote capital punishment, painting them as insensitive ogres or uncaring, callous, uncivilized barbarians, effort would be better spent focusing upon the barbaric behavior of the criminals who rape, plunder, and pillage. It is their behavior that should be kept in mind. Tears and compassion ought to center on the innocent victims and their families. Lethal injection of a wicked evildoer hardly can match the violent, inhuman suffering and death experienced by the innocent victims of crime. They continue to suffer, while the perpetrator carries on for many years, many trials, and many appeals before justice is served—if it ever is. The God of the Bible is incensed and outraged at such circumstances. The time has come to start listening to Him as He speaks through His inspired Word.

Atheist Parenting Book by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

https://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=2223

Atheist Parenting Book

by	Eric Lyons, M.Min.

In the July 16, 2007 issue of Newsweek, Lisa Miller informed readers about a new and different parenting book, titled Parenting Beyond Belief. Edited by Dale McGowan, this volume “aims to help folks who are raising their kids without religion deal with the sticky questions that come up about Santa Claus and heaven, and it raises more serious concerns about how to bring up ethical, confident, non-believing kids in a culture saturated with talk about God” (Miller, 2007, p. 10). According to McGowan’s Web site, Parenting Beyond Belief “is the first comprehensive parenting book by a major publisher on raising children without religion” (2007). McGowan added: “We hope it isn’t the last” (2007).
Included in Parenting Beyond Belief is discussion about a new summer camp for children of atheists. Camp Quest: The Secular Summer Camp, which operates in six different locations in North America, claims to be “the first residential summer camp in the history of the United States for the children of Atheists, Freethinkers, Humanists, Brights, or whatever other terms might be applied to those who hold to a naturalistic, not supernatural world view” (Camp Quest, n.d., emp. added).
It seems as if atheists are more determined than ever to indoctrinate children with godless materials and ideologies. In the end, Dale McGowan’s hope of seeing more atheistic materials for families ultimately fails to provide reasonable, not to mention comforting, answers to life’s biggest questions. Imagine the child who ponders his origin for the first time: “Mom, why are we here?” “Ricky,” mom replies, “we’re here because, by chance, billions of years ago a tiny ball of matter exploded. Eventually Earth was formed, life emerged from lifeless matter, and millions of years later humans evolved from lower animals.” “So we’re here by accident?” Ricky asks. “That’s one way of looking at it,” says his mother. Parenting Beyond Belief and Camp Quest no doubt help atheistic parents explain origins and ultimate destinations to their children in a more creative way. However, the bottom line is, children will learn that life ultimately is meaningless because their existence is accidental and there is no life beyond death.
The key to an abundant life, both in the present and in the afterlife, is found only through Christ Jesus (John 10:10). May God help us to teach our children this truth, as well as reach out to those reared by atheists, who may never have heard the answers that Jesus and His Word can provide.

REFERENCES

Camp Quest: The Secular Summer Camp (no date), [On-line], URL: http://www.camp-quest.org/.
McGowan, Dale (2007), “Parenting Beyond Belief,” [On-line], URL: http://www.parentingbeyondbelief.com/.
Miller, Lisa (2007), “BELIEF WATCH: How To,” Newsweek, July 16.

Does God’s Existence Rest Upon Human Consensus? by Kyle Butt, M.A.

https://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=2767

Does God’s Existence Rest Upon Human Consensus?

by	Kyle Butt, M.A.

Three minutes and 45 seconds into Dan Barker’s opening statement in our Darwin Day debate on February 12, 2009, he presented an argument that he has often used in other debates and writings. In his list of “probability” arguments, he included as his fifth argument against God’s existence the following comments: “There is no agreement among believers as to the nature or the moral principles of this God that they are arguing for. They all differ with each other” (Butt and Barker, 2009). According to Dan, since those professing Christianity come down on either side of moral issues such as abortion, divorce, and the death penalty, then the God Who wrote the Bible “in all probability” does not exist, and the Bible must not be a sufficient guide for human morality.
Is Dan correct in his assessment that disagreement among professed believers nullifies the existence of God? Certainly not! Barker is incorrect for a number of reasons, the majority of which are quite clear after the briefest consideration of the argument. First, we could simply say that Dan’s argument, used against his own brand of atheism, refutes itself, since he admits that atheists do not agree on moral issues. In his book godless, Barker stated: “Most atheists think that values, though not objective things in themselves, can be objectively justified by reference to the real world.... Although most atheists accept the importance of morality, this is not conceding that morality exists in the universe” (2008, p. 213-214, emp. added). Notice that Barker qualifies his statement with the word “most,” implying that some atheists do not see morality as he does. In his discussion of human free will, Barker wrote: “By the way, this contributes to my compatibilist position on human free will. (Not that all atheists agree with me.) I am an determinist, which means that I don’t think complete libertarian free will exists.... I admit that my definition of free will is subject to debate” (2008, p. 128, emp. added). If Barker’s statement about disagreement of professed believers is true, we could, with equal force, use it on atheism and say that since there is no agreement among atheists on moral issues, then atheism “in all probability” is false.
Of course, Barker does not want to extend his “truth” criterion to atheism. And his statement is inherently flawed in the first place. If two or more people disagreed on whether the holocaust happened, but they all professed to be honest historians, would their disagreement prove that there never was a holocaust? If two people, who both claim to be honest geographers, disagree on the fact that the continent of North America exists, would that negate its reality? Or if two or more people adamantly disagreed on the idea that Dan Barker exists, would his existence be jeopardized based on their disagreement? No, on every count. Agreement among people cannot be used as evidence of the truth or falsity of any proposition.
Barker’s atheistic colleague, Sam Harris, has eloquently written on this truth. He disagrees with many atheists about ethical questions. In spite of his atheism, he contends that objective right and wrong do exist (an impossible proposition for a true atheist to maintain, by the way). He wrote:

The fact that people of different times and cultures disagree about ethical questions should not trouble us. It suggests nothing at all about the status of moral truth. Imagine what it would be like to consult the finest thinkers of antiquity on questions of basic science: “What,” we might ask, “is fire? And how do living systems reproduce themselves? And what are the various lights we see in the night sky?” We would surely encounter a bewildering lack of consensus on these matters. Even though there was no shortage of brilliant minds in the ancient world, they simply lacked the physical and conceptual tools to answer questions of this sort. Their lack of consensus signified their ignorance of certain physical truths, not that no such truths exist (2004, p. 171, emp. added).

The irony of this quote from Harris is that it manifests the atheistic community’s lack of consensus on ethical issues, which should disprove atheism according to Barker’s line of reasoning. Furthermore, it hammers home the self-evident truth that consensus among professed followers of any concept or entity has no bearing on its existence or its claim to truth. Harris further remarked: “It is quite conceivable that everyone might agree and yet be wrong about the way the world is. It is also conceivable that a single person might be right in the face of unanimous opposition” (2004, pp. 181-182, emp. added).
While it is true that the lack of consensus on moral issues by those who profess Christianity does nothing to discount the existence of God, it is appropriate to ask why such disparity exists. Again, it is ironic that Dan Barker has answered his own question in this regard. In his speech, “How to be Moral Without Religion,” given at the University of Minnesota on October 19, 2006, Barker stated: “A tendency that we all have, we look through our documents to try to find what supports our already prejudice views about what we think morality should be like.” In one succinct sentence, Barker explained why there is a lack of consensus among professed believers on moral issues. It is not because God does not exist. It is not because the Bible is hopelessly confusing and cannot be understood. It is not because there is no objective moral truth. It is simply because humans bring their already prejudiced views to the text of the Bible and try to force it to say what they “think” it should say.

REFERENCES

Barker, Dan (2006), “How to be Moral Without Religion,” [On-line], URL: http://www.ffrf.org/about/bybarker/CASH1.mp3.
Barker, Dan (2008), godless (Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press).
Butt, Kyle and Dan Barker (2009), Butt/Barker Debate: Does the God of the Bible Exist? (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).
Harris, Sam (2004), The End of Faith (New York: W.W. Norton).

He Climbed Up the Waterspout by Garry K. Brantley, M.A., M.Div.

https://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=13&article=588

He Climbed Up the Waterspout

by	Garry K. Brantley, M.A., M.Div.

As David stood before the city of Jerusalem, the Jebusites, confident of their city’s natural and manufactured fortifications, taunted him: “You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you...” (2 Samuel 5:6). In response, David persuaded his army: “Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites...he shall be chief and captain” (2 Samuel 5:8). The parallel account in first Chronicles indicates that Joab accepted and accomplished David’s challenge (11:6).
For years, scholars have debated the exact means by which Joab penetrated the city’s fortification, questioning the translation of 2 Samuel 5:8, its historicity, or both. Yigal Shiloh, who re-examined the waterworks in the City of David (ancient Jerusalem), argued that such shafts as that mentioned by David appear on the historical scene after the time he conquered Jerusalem (1981, 7[4]:39). Hence, supposedly there was no water shaft at Jerusalem through which Joab could have entered the ancient city.
Translation considerations do not resolve this tension. The Hebrew word translated “water shaft” (2 Samuel 5:6) is tsinnor. This word appears only one other time in the Hebrew text, where it is translated “waterfalls” (Psalm 42:7), which is consistent with the aquatic imagery of this psalm. Further, the related word tsanterot appears in Zechariah 4:12, and means “pipes” or “tubes” (cf. Harris, 1980, 2:771; Kleven, 1994, 20[4]:34). Biblical usage, therefore, links tsinnor with a conduit of water, which is consistent with the traditionally accepted translation appearing in English versions. Additionally, Ugaritic texts corroborate the translation in 2 Samuel 5:8 as a type of water shaft (Kleven, 1994, 20[4]:35).

Cut-away view of the waterworks beneath the City of David (after Gill, 1994, 20[4]:24). Geologist Dan Gill has shown that ancient inhabitants merely modified a natural system of shafts and conduits formed by water eroding and dissolving limestone and dolomite rock. Joab’s assault force could have entered through the Gihon Spring and Warren’s Shaft, or through a conduit exiting on the eastern slope. At some unknown date, the spring’s drainage was diverted from the Kidron Valley, transforming Warren’s Shaft into a well, which was accessible via tunnels from behind the walls of the city. In 701 B.C., Hezekiah enlarged the conduit from the spring, bringing water 1748 feet into the Siloam pool.

Therefore, if Shiloh is correct, there is a serious problem with the Bible’s integrity. How could David speak of a water shaft that was non-existent? Recently, Dan Gill, the geologist on Shiloh’s staff, suggested that there were at least two points outside the city’s wall through which Joab could have entered Jerusalem by stealth: (1) from the Gihon Spring and up Warren’s Shaft; and (2) through a tunnel that exists on the eastern slope (1994, 20[4]:30). Warren’s Shaft, discovered in 1867 by Captain Charles Warren (and named after him), provided the ancient city with guarded access to the Gihon Spring, which lay outside the city’s protective wall. The irregular dimensions of the channel suggest that Warren’s Shaft was not humanly contrived initially; rather, in all likelihood it was a naturally occurring sinkhole (erosion shaft) caused by water percolating through dolomite (see Shanks, 1985, 11[6]:38). Thus, before artificial water systems became architectural norms in royal centers, the Jebusites had access to a much-coveted water supply. It is reasonable to believe that the Jebusites’ city was well known for this unusual accommodation. Fortunately for David, that convenience was the city’s Achilles heel.
Warren’s Shaft most likely was the aperture through which Joab ascended—a valiant feat that led to the demise of David’s unsuspecting enemy, and won him a place of honor in his king’s army. We can be certain of one thing: the physical evidence suggests that there was a water shaft at the ancient Jebusite city as mentioned by David. Thus, archaeological and geological data are consistent with the biblical record, and corroborate its historical reliability.

REFERENCES

Gill, Dan (1994), “How They Met,” Biblical Archaeology Review, 20[4]:21-33,64, July/August.
Harris, Laird, Gleason Archer, and Bruce Waltke, eds. (1980), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago, IL: Moody), 2:771.
Kleven, Terence (1994), “Up the Waterspout,” Biblical Archaeology Review, 20[4]:34-35, July/August.
Shanks, Hershel (1985), “The City of David After Five Years of Digging,” Biblical Archaeology Review, 11[6]:22-38, November/December.
Shiloh, Yigal (1981), “Jerusalem’s Water Supply During Siege: The Rediscovery of Warren’s Shaft,” Biblical Archaeology Review, 7[4]:24-39, July/August.

From Mark Copeland... "FAITH IS THE VICTORY!" In Overcoming Depression

                        "FAITH IS THE VICTORY!"

                        In Overcoming Depression

INTRODUCTION

1. In this series we have been considering how faith in Jesus gives us
   the victory...
   a. In overcoming sin
   b. In overcoming what are often the consequences of sin or sinful
      thinking
   -- Using as our basic text 1Jn 5:4-5

2. We have stressed that faith in Jesus involves...
   a. A strong trust and conviction in who Jesus is, what He did, what
      He taught
   b. Accepting and acting upon His words and those of His apostles

3. We have looked at how faith in Jesus can address the problems of...
   a. Sin itself
   b. Anxiety
   c. Boredom

4. Now we will consider how faith in Jesus can help us overcome
   "depression"...
   a. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)...
      1) During any one year period, 17.6 million people suffer from a
         depressive illness
      2) Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal function,
         causing pain not only to those with the disorder, but to those
         who care about them
      3) Serious depression can destroy family life as well as the life
         of the ill person
   b. Christians certainly are not immune to the problem of "depression"...
      1) Great men of God have been known to suffer depression: Elijah,
         David, Jeremiah
      2) I know mature Christians who have had to deal with the problem
         of depression

[Overcoming depression is not easy, but it can be done.  As before, 
let's start by trying to understand the problem we face...]

I. UNDERSTANDING DEPRESSION

   A. DEPRESSION DEFINED...
      1. According to the American Heritage Dictionary: A psychotic or
         neurotic condition characterized by an inability to
         concentrate, insomnia, and feelings of extreme sadness,
         dejection, and hopelessness
      2. According to NIMH:
         a. Depression is a "whole-body" illness, involving your body,
            mood, and thoughts
         b. It affects the way you eat and sleep, the way you feel 
            about yourself, and the way you think about things
         c. It is not the same as a passing blue mood, nor a sign of 
            personal weakness
         d. It is not a condition that can be willed or wished away; 
            without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, 
            years
      3. Two serious types of clinical depression are...
         a. Major depression - manifested by a combination of symptoms
            that interfere with the ability to work, sleep, eat, and 
            enjoy pleasurable activities.  These disabling episodes of
            depression can occur once, twice, or several times in a
            lifetime.
         c. Bipolar Disorder - formerly called manic-depressive 
            illness. Involves cycles of depression and elation or 
            mania. Mood switches can be dramatic and rapid, but
            normally are gradual. When in the depressed cycle, one can
            have any or all the symptoms of a depressive disorder. When
            in the manic cycle, any or all of the symptoms of mania may
            be experienced. It affects thinking, judgment, and social
            behavior in ways that can cause serious problems and
            embarrassment. It is often a chronic recurring condition.

   B. SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND MANIA...
      1. Depression
         a. Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood
         b. Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, guilt, worthlessness,
            helplessness
         c. Loss of interest or pleasure in ordinary activities, 
            including sex
         d. Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
         e. Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain
         f. Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"
         g. Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts
         h. Restlessness, irritability
         i. Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
         j. Recurring aches and pains that don't respond to treatment
      2. Mania
         a. Excessively "high" mood
         b. Irritability
         c. Severe insomnia
         d. Grandiose notions
         e. Increased talking
         f. Disconnected and racing thoughts, easily distracted
         g. Increased sexual desire
         h. Markedly increased energy
         i. Poor judgment
         j. Inappropriate social behavior

   C. CAUSES OF DEPRESSION...
      1. Other illnesses can bring on depression (e.g., strokes, some
         cancers, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, hormonal disorders).
      2. Some medications cause depressive symptoms as side effects
         (e.g., certain drugs used to treat high blood pressure and 
         arthritis).
      3. Genetics and family history - Depression runs in families.
         Some people probably have a biological make-up that makes them
         particularly vulnerable.
      4. Certain personalities - People with low self-esteem or who 
         are very dependent on others seem to be vulnerable to 
         depression.
      5. Life events, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, 
         moving to a new place, money problems or any sort of loss can
         be linked to depression. People without relatives or friends
         to help have even more difficulty coping with their losses.

   C. TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION...
      1. Medication - Useful for relieving symptoms, they include 
         antidepressants and are usually administered through trial and
         error to see which medications and dosage are beneficial to a
         particular patient
      2. Psychotherapy - Talking with a trained therapist can be 
         effective in treating certain depressions.  Therapy includes:
         a. Cognitive therapy - Aims to help the patient recognize and
            change negative thinking patterns that contribute to 
            depression
         b. Interpersonal therapy - Focuses on dealing more effectively
            with other people; improved relationships can reduce 
            depressive symptoms
      3. Biological treatments - This includes electroconvulsive 
         therapy; research is also being done on the use of light for
         the treatment of depression

[As a member of a family with a genetic predisposition toward
depression, I am particularly sensitive to the problem of depression. I
don't discount the value of medical efforts to treat depression or any
other illness, for even Paul counseled the medicinal use of wine to 
treat stomach ailments (cf. 1Ti 5:23).

I am persuaded, however, that faith in Jesus can greatly complement any
effort to overcome depression...]

II. OVERCOMING DEPRESSION THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS

   A. JESUS ADDRESSES MANY ISSUES THAT CAN DEPRESS PEOPLE...
      1. Among many things that can make people depressed, there are 
         such things as:
         a. Guilt for sins committed in the past
         b. Concern regarding one's relationship with God in the 
            present
         c. Fear for what might happen in the future
      2. As we have stressed before, what Jesus has done, is doing, and
         will do, addresses such problems
         a. He addresses the problem of sin, through His death on the cross!
         b. He teaches us how to pray, and maintain a healthy 
            relationship with God!
         c. He gives us hope and promise concerning the future, through
            His resurrection and ultimate return!

   B. JESUS PROVIDES POSITIVE COGNITIVE THERAPY...
      1. Cognitive therapy seeks to help one recognize and change 
         negative thinking patterns that contribute to depression; 
         sample suggestions include:
         a. Don't set for yourself difficult goals or take on a great
            deal of responsibility
         b. Break large tasks into small ones, set some priorities, do
            what you can as you can
         c. Don't expect too much from yourself too soon as this will
            only increase feelings of failure
         d. Participate in activities that may make you feel better
         e. Try to be with other people; it is usually better than 
            being alone
      2. In His teachings, Jesus stressed similar principles!
         a. Reminding us of God's providential love and care - Mt 6:25-32
         b. Teaching us where to place our priorities in life - Mt 6:33
         c. Revealing our own limitations - Mt 6:34
         d. Pointing out the kind of selfless service can provide true
            joy - cf. Jn 13:12-17; Ac 20:35
         e. That God is longsuffering, willing to forgive and comfort
            the downhearted - cf. Mt 5:3-6; the parable of the 
            Prodigal Son, Lk 15:11-32

   C. JESUS PROVIDES POWERFUL INTERPERSONAL THERAPY...
      1. Interpersonal therapy focuses on one's disturbed personal 
         relationships that both cause and exacerbate the depression
      2. Jesus certainly addresses interpersonal relationships!
         a. Our relationship with God - cf. 2Co 5:18-21
         b. Our relationship with our fellow man - e.g., Mt 5:23-24; 18:21-22
      3. Through His death and teachings He strengthens interpersonal
         relationships!
         a. Reconciling us back to God and man - cf. Ep 2:14-17
         b. Teaching us how to love God and one another - e.g., 
            Jn 13:34-35; 1Jn 5:2-3
         c. His church is to be a family, providing strength and
            encouragement, even bearing one another's burdens - cf. 
            Ga 6:1-2; 1Th 5:14

CONCLUSION

1. Depression, like anxiety and boredom, is not something to be taken lightly...
   a. Many people suffer from it, including brothers and sisters in Christ
   b. It can have a debilitating effect on the one who suffers from it,
      and on those around them

2. Yet Christ can provide a way out for those willing to have faith in Him!
   a. Not just faith in the one suffering from depression
   b. But faith in those who are in position to aid the suffering
   -- It is only when both the "patient" and the "care-giver" accept
      and act upon the words of Jesus can there be the kind of joy,
      peace and comfort Jesus intended

3. Indeed, His teachings are designed to provide true joy and peace 
   - Jn 15:11; 16:33
   a. As Paul wrote, God "comforts us in all our tribulation" - cf. 2Co 1:3-4
   b. But such comfort is intended to be shared, that "we may be able
      to comfort those who are in trouble..."

Is our faith in Jesus what it ought to be?  Is it such that we can 
carry out Paul's admonition...?

   Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort
   the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. (1Th 5:14)

If so, then truly we can say:  "Faith Is The Victory!"

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

From Gary.... Black and white

Why would someone write that?  Confusing, isn't it? The only way I can make sense out of it is to take it a face value- S-L-O-W-L-Y!!!

1st sentence - Refers to the next one and labels it as false.

2nd sentence - Is a falsehood. Since it claims that the following sentence is true, then that sentence is false as well.

3rd sentence - Irrelevant!!!

Three sentences, which on the surface, seem to be a complete waste of time.

Not so!!!  They are an example of the lengths some people will resort to in order to trick you into believing a non-truth (otherwise known as a LIE)!!!!

If you think this sort of thing doesn't happen in real life, consider...

1.   A baby is called a fetus in order to "remove" its humanity (so it can be killed).

2.   To be "bad" has become a "good" thing (so we can do whatever we want).

3.   Bastards are just a "love child" (so why bother getting married at all).

4.  The new "marriage" is now called "living together", for marriage is just a piece of paper, so why bother? (so men don't have to make a commitment to either a spouse or a child)

5. Homosexuals or Lesbians are called gay (in order to disguise their unnatural sexual practices)

Given enough time, we could probably comprise a list that would be page after page, but for brevity's sake lets just use Frederick Lewis Donaldson's categorization called:

"The Seven Social Sins"...

Wealth without work.

Pleasure without conscience.

Knowledge without character.

Commerce without morality.

Science without humanity.

Worship without sacrifice.

Politics without principle."

God does not mince words:

Isaiah, Chapter 5 (WEB)

 20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;

who put darkness for light,

and light for darkness;

who put bitter for sweet,

and sweet for bitter!

John, Chapter 14 (WEB)

6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life..."

There is truth and there are lies, to believe otherwise is foolishness. I will do my best to follow God's truth as found in the Bible. I hope you can say the same!!!

From Gary... Bible reading June 29

Bible reading  

June 29

The World English Bible

June 29

1 Kings 4-6

1Ki 4:1 King Solomon was king over all Israel.

1Ki 4:2 These were the princes whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest;

1Ki 4:3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder;

1Ki 4:4 and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

1Ki 4:5 and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; and Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister, and the king's friend;

1Ki 4:6 and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the men subject to forced labor.

1Ki 4:7 Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household: each man had to make provision for a month in the year.

1Ki 4:8 These are their names: Ben Hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;

1Ki 4:9 Ben Deker, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan;

1Ki 4:10 Ben Hesed, in Arubboth (to him pertained Socoh, and all the land of Hepher);

1Ki 4:11 Ben Abinadab, in all the height of Dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife);

1Ki 4:12 Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth Shean which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as beyond Jokmeam;

1Ki 4:13 Ben Geber, in Ramoth Gilead (to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; even to him pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);

1Ki 4:14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;

1Ki 4:15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife);

1Ki 4:16 Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;

1Ki 4:17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar;

1Ki 4:18 Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin;

1Ki 4:19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only officer who was in the land.

1Ki 4:20 Judah and Israel were many as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry.

1Ki 4:21 Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt: they brought tribute, and served Solomon all the days of his life.

1Ki 4:22 Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and sixty measures of meal,

1Ki 4:23 ten head of fat cattle, and twenty head of cattle out of the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides harts, and gazelles, and roebucks, and fattened fowl.

1Ki 4:24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River: and he had peace on all sides around him.

1Ki 4:25 Judah and Israel lived safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

1Ki 4:26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

1Ki 4:27 Those officers provided food for king Solomon, and for all who came to king Solomon's table, every man in his month; they let nothing be lacking.

1Ki 4:28 Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds brought they to the place where the officers were, every man according to his duty.

1Ki 4:29 God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and very great understanding, even as the sand that is on the seashore.

1Ki 4:30 Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt.

1Ki 4:31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all the nations all around.

1Ki 4:32 He spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were one thousand five.

1Ki 4:33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fish.

1Ki 4:34 There came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

1Ki 5:1 Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.

1Ki 5:2 Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,

1Ki 5:3 You know how that David my father could not build a house for the name of Yahweh his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until Yahweh put them under the soles of his feet.

1Ki 5:4 But now Yahweh my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary, nor evil occurrence.

1Ki 5:5 Behold, I purpose to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, as Yahweh spoke to David my father, saying, Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your room, he shall build the house for my name.

1Ki 5:6 Now therefore command you that they cut me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with your servants; and I will give you hire for your servants according to all that you shall say: for you know that there is not among us any who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.

1Ki 5:7 It happened, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be Yahweh this day, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.

1Ki 5:8 Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard the message which you have sent to me: I will do all your desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir.

1Ki 5:9 My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place that you shall appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and you shall receive them; and you shall accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.

1Ki 5:10 So Hiram gave Solomon timber of cedar and timber of fir according to all his desire.

1Ki 5:11 Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.

1Ki 5:12 Yahweh gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.

1Ki 5:13 King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.

1Ki 5:14 He sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses; a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the men subject to forced labor.

1Ki 5:15 Solomon had seventy thousand who bore burdens, and eighty thousand who were stone cutters in the mountains;

1Ki 5:16 besides Solomon's chief officers who were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who bore rule over the people who labored in the work.

1Ki 5:17 The king commanded, and they cut out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with worked stone.

1Ki 5:18 Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Gebalites did fashion them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house.

1Ki 6:1 It happened in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of Yahweh.

1Ki 6:2 The house which king Solomon built for Yahweh, its length was sixty cubits, and its breadth twenty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

1Ki 6:3 The porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was its length, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was its breadth before the house.

1Ki 6:4 For the house he made windows of fixed lattice work.

1Ki 6:5 Against the wall of the house he built stories all around, against the walls of the house all around, both of the temple and of the oracle; and he made side chambers all around.

1Ki 6:6 The nethermost story was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around, that the beams should not have hold in the walls of the house.

1Ki 6:7 The house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready at the quarry; and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.

1Ki 6:8 The door for the middle side chambers was in the right side of the house: and they went up by winding stairs into the middle story, and out of the middle into the third.

1Ki 6:9 So he built the house, and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar.

1Ki 6:10 He built the stories against all the house, each five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.

1Ki 6:11 The word of Yahweh came to Solomon, saying,

1Ki 6:12 Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, and execute my ordinances, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father.

1Ki 6:13 I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.

1Ki 6:14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.

1Ki 6:15 He built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar: from the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the house with boards of fir.

1Ki 6:16 He built twenty cubits on the hinder part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the walls of the ceiling: he built them for it within, for an oracle, even for the most holy place.

1Ki 6:17 The house, that is, the temple before the oracle, was forty cubits long.

1Ki 6:18 There was cedar on the house within, carved with buds and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.

1Ki 6:19 He prepared an oracle in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of Yahweh.

1Ki 6:20 Within the oracle was a space of twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in its height; and he overlaid it with pure gold: and he covered the altar with cedar.

1Ki 6:21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he drew chains of gold across before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.

1Ki 6:22 The whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished: also the whole altar that belonged to the oracle he overlaid with gold.

1Ki 6:23 In the oracle he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.

1Ki 6:24 Five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing to the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.

1Ki 6:25 The other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubim were of one measure and one form.

1Ki 6:26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub.

1Ki 6:27 He set the cherubim within the inner house; and the wings of the cherubim were stretched forth, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house.

1Ki 6:28 He overlaid the cherubim with gold.

1Ki 6:29 He carved all the walls of the house around with carved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, inside and outside.

1Ki 6:30 The floor of the house he overlaid with gold, inside and outside.

1Ki 6:31 For the entrance of the oracle he made doors of olive wood: the lintel and door posts were a fifth part of the wall.

1Ki 6:32 So he made two doors of olive wood; and he carved on them carvings of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold on the cherubim, and on the palm trees.

1Ki 6:33 So also made he for the entrance of the temple door posts of olive wood, out of a fourth part of the wall;

1Ki 6:34 and two doors of fir wood: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.

1Ki 6:35 He carved thereon cherubim and palm trees and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted on the engraved work.

1Ki 6:36 He built the inner court with three courses of cut stone, and a course of cedar beams.

1Ki 6:37 In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of Yahweh laid, in the month Ziv.

1Ki 6:38 In the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all its parts, and according to all its fashion. So was he seven years in building it.

Jun. 28, 29

Acts 2

Act 2:1 Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place.

Act 2:2 Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Act 2:3 Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them.

Act 2:4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.

Act 2:5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky.

Act 2:6 When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language.

Act 2:7 They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Behold, aren't all these who speak Galileans?

Act 2:8 How do we hear, everyone in our own native language?

Act 2:9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,

Act 2:10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

Act 2:11 Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!"

Act 2:12 They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, "What does this mean?"

Act 2:13 Others, mocking, said, "They are filled with new wine."

Act 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, "You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

Act 2:15 For these aren't drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day.

Act 2:16 But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:

Act 2:17 'It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.

Act 2:18 Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.

Act 2:19 I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and billows of smoke.

Act 2:20 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.

Act 2:21 It will be, that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

Act 2:22 "Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, even as you yourselves know,

Act 2:23 him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed;

Act 2:24 whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it.

Act 2:25 For David says concerning him, 'I saw the Lord always before my face, For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.

Act 2:26 Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope;

Act 2:27 because you will not leave my soul in Hades, neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay.

Act 2:28 You made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence.'

Act 2:29 "Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

Act 2:30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,

Act 2:31 he foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was his soul left in Hades, nor did his flesh see decay.

Act 2:32 This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses.

Act 2:33 Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear.

Act 2:34 For David didn't ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit by my right hand,

Act 2:35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." '

Act 2:36 "Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

Act 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

Act 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Act 2:39 For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself."

Act 2:40 With many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation!"

Act 2:41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.

Act 2:42 They continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer.

Act 2:43 Fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

Act 2:44 All who believed were together, and had all things in common.

Act 2:45 They sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need.

Act 2:46 Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart,

Act 2:47 praising God, and having favor with all the people. The Lord added to the assembly day by day those who were being saved.