Bibletalk published form2

BIBLE-TALK A Christian Magazine (ALL Rights Reserved) Issue-1.

7/21/2014 Joan Shortridge

Bible-Talk Joan Jessee Shortridge Copyrighted 2014: All Rights Reserved

Introduction: This magazine deals with Christianity, the Bible, and is a place for Christians to sell or advertize their works or events free, for as long as my own space remains free. To enter your ad or work, please email it to me at: rethatrohs@yahoo.com However, I can’t be responsible if someone steals, reproduces or uses it in any way. I will try to add it to my files and upload it when I do my own material.

Each monthly issue will have the same outline, but hopefully different material and information.

A. Bible History-How we Got the Bible B. Biblical Facts C. Articles relating to the Bible D. Children’s poems or stories E. Events or announcements F. Ads

A. Bible Talk-How we got the Bible Contrary to what some folks may think, the bible did not fall out of the sky. It was a process. The Torah was given by God to Moses, a prophet, on stone, but the actual bible as we have today is a compilation of many holy writers over a long period of time that was canonized in later years by scribes. This magazine gives background on the bible, its books, and the people during the time period that it was written or canonized. The rest of this article is written in short sentences that give interesting facts about how we got the bible. The Catholic Study Bible (New American Bible) was used as the main source for this magazine. I am not Catholic, but admire their honesty in their study bible.

1. The biblical writers used three languages; Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

2. Most of the Old Testament books were written in Hebrew. (At least 46 books) Some of Daniel, Jeremiah, and Ezra were written in Aramaic.

3. The Old Testament spans nearly two thousand years of history from Abraham (1800 B.C.) to Maccabean Wars. (140 B.C.) Some writings and traditions began in 1000 B.C. 4. All 27 of the New Testament books were written in Greek.

5. Judaism chose books for its canon at the end of the first century A. D. but their basis books were already being used in their liturgies.

6. Judaism recognizes 39 books divided into three categories. A. the Law, (Pentateuch) it includes: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy B. The Prophets, C. The Writings.

7. Moses is presumed to be the author of the Pentateuch. As well as being the founder of the Israelite faith as written in the bible.

8. The Pentateuch has many traditions, laws, stories, and hymns that were added in by later generations.

9. It was finished by Ezra, who declared it sacred and refused to allow any other additions to it. These traditions were from earlier memories and fragments, though.

10.The Torah was written by three sources: The Yahwist, the Elohist, and the Deuteronmist.

11.The bible did not fall out of the sky nor was it dropped off by some angel.

Many different books and thoughts were put on paper way after the facts, as the traditions were handed down.

12. For the New Testament, early church fathers read the many books, and chose the ones they thought told a true history of the life of Jesus and his apostles. There were other writings and books being read and held as sacred near the same time as these were.

13.The Old Testament has some contradictions in it, but it is probably due to the errors of scribes who copied it over the centuries. Most of these relate to writers using different names for the same people. This is typical of life, since we may know someone with two names and some people call that person by one of his names, but another uses the other name.

Both are speaking about the same person.

14.In the New Testament, the writers slightly differ in details, but this is what would happen if several people wrote what they remembered as having happened years earlier. The bible is the best history of man that I have read, however no history is perfect, but the Word is perfect.

15.Numbers got its name from the census taken of the Hebrew people in the following year, after Moses led them from Egypt.

16.Deuteronomy means “the second law.� It is the repletion of the law proclaimed on Mount Sinai. The events of this book took place in the plains of Moab between the end of their wanderings in the desert and their crossing over the Jordan River.

17.The Book of Judges got its name from the heroes in its stories because these men ruled Israel.

18.The Books of Kings were histories from the birth of Samuel to the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. 19.The Books of Chronicles recorded history from the reign of Saul to the return from exile.

20.The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 and 2 Chronicles gave insight into the community Jewish life during the restoration, after they return from the exile.

21.The two books of Samuel are basically a history about Samuel, Saul, and David.

22.The Book of Job was about a man named Job, a ruler from the land of UZ, who was pious and righteous.

23.Psalms is by different authors. Some are pre-exile (before 587) but others are post-exile (after 539) Seventy-three are attributed to King David.

24.The Book of Proverbs is an anthology of didactic poetry once known as the Book of Wisdom in the Roman Missal and called “Wisdom� by early Christians.

25.The Book of Sirach (Ecclesiaticus) was written by a sage in Jerusalem named Jesus, son of Eleazar, who was the son of Sirach. It was written in Hebrew between 200 and 275 B.C. 26.The Book of Isaiah (1-39) was chiefly composed by Isaiah and some disciples (24-27, 23-24, and 34-35) who came years after him. Some, called the Deutero-Isaiah were attributed to an anonymous poet in the end of the Babylonian exile. Others (56-66) were contributed from a later period by disciples.

27.The Book of Jeremiah was written by Jeremiah who was born in 650 B. C. His father was a priest from Anathoth, near Jerusalem and during the time of Josiah’s rule.

28.The Book of Baruch was written partly by Baruch and partly by a later pious Jew during the Babylon captivity.

29.The Book of Ezekiel was written by him in Babylon during his captivity. He predicted that Jerusalem will again be destroyed. It was destroyed in 587 B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar.

30.The Book of Daniel was by an unknown author about a hero, Daniel, around 167-164 B.C. when a great persecution was happening by Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

31.The Book of Hosea by Hosea says he began his prophecy in (786-746) during the rule of Jeroboam II. Hosea was from the Northern tribe. His wife, Gomer, was an adulterous.

32.The Book of Joel was completed in 400 B.C. during a powerful locust’s invasion of Judah.

33.The Book of Amos was by Amos, a Sheppard of Tekoa, in Judah in 786-746 B. C. He talks against the prosperous northern kingdom.

34.The Book of Obadiah was by an unknown author in the fifth century B.C. and was against Edom. (Edomites) 35.The Book of Jonah was in the fifth century (post-exile period.)

36.The Book of Nahum was written just before Nineveh fell in 612 B.C. 37.The Book of Malachi is by an anonymous writer before Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem in 455 B. C. He spoke against the priest and rulers.

38.Some churches include other books besides these. They are: Tobit, Judith, 1&2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Ecclesiastics, Baruch, and some additions to Daniel and Esther.

39.Tobit was a story about a Jew from Northern Israel who was transported to Nineveh in 721 B.C. 40.Judith was written to relate God’s deliverance through a woman. It was written in the late first century or the end of the second century B.C. by an unknown author.

41.There are four books of the Maccabees. The two Books of Maccabees are by independent authors in the second century B.C. The first book was probably written by an unknown Jew around 100 B.C. No church accepts the fourth book as inspired. None of them are in the Hebrew or Protestant bibles. The first two books are part of the Roman Catholic bible. The third one is included in Eastern Christianity.

42.All Christians use at least 27 books of the New Testament. Roman Catholic and Orthodox use 46 Old Testament books and the Orthodox uses some extra ones. Protestants and Judaism use 39 books.

43.Early Christians used an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. It had 46 books.

44.Some Protestants use the seven “Apocryphal” books in a special section of their bibles.

45.The New American Bible uses the “Deuterocanonical” books in their Old Testament Canon.

46.The New Testament began with oral traditions. These traditions were gradually written down by the evangelist. Q Source is a collection of the sayings of Jesus.

47.Some scholars think Mathew and Luke read Mark’s gospel and the Q source, and used these to write his own.

48.Paul’s letters, along with some others, were written down almost immediately and are the earliest of the New Testament.

49.The Letter to the Thessalonians was written by Paul in A.D. 50 or 51. Some scholars think The Second Letter to the Thessalonians is a “pseudepigraph” (written in Paul’s name to give it more authority.

Anyway, it was written after the First Letter to the Thessalonians.

50.His first letter to the Corinthians was written from Corinth in 51 A.D. 51.Paul’s Letter to the Galatians was written from Ephesus to Celts who had invaded Western and Central Asia. Some say it was Paul who wrote it, but others disagree, thinking it to have been his secretary who wrote it or a later disciple.

52.The Second Corinthians was written by Paul in 54 A.D. or 55 A.D. A.D. 57.Acts was written by Luke, a physician.

53. Paul wrote Romans, along with his other letters, from Corinth in Greece(56-58 A.D.) 54.Some think he wrote The Letter to the Colossians while in a Roman prison or one in Caesares or Ephesus.

55.Paul’s First Letter to Timothy was probably written by the Pauline School and is earlier than the second letter.

56.Paul’s Letter to Timothy was written from Macedonia in A.D. 63-67.

Scholars disagree on whether it is Paul’s writing. Some say it is the work of a later complier from traditions of Paul.

57.Paul’s Letter to Crete was written to people on the island of Crete, a place that Paul had not been to. Titus was to a gentile audience and written after First Timothy, but before The Second Timothy.

58.Hebrews was probably written before 70 A.D. 59.Mark was written in A.D. 70 Tradition gives (John)Mark as the author of Mark, written before 70 A.D. but some scholars say the true author is an unknown Hellenistic Jewish Christian, perhaps from Syria. He was a cousin to Barnabas. His audience was mostly gentiles. Papias who lived around

135 A.D. was an early church father. He said that Mark was Peter’s interrupter.

60.Mathew was written in 80-90 A.D. by an unknown author, but not the apostle, Mathew. He got his material from Mark and Luke. It was called the “Q” source. He probably wrote from Antioch, the capitol of a Roman Province in Syria, a city of both Gentiles and Jews, but predominant Gentile Christian Jews.

61.John was written in 90-100 A.D either from Ephesus or Syria (Antioch) or Alexandria. Tradition gives John, the son of Zebedee, as the author, although some modern scholars disagree with this because of the lack of evidence to support it.

62.Acts was written by Luke, a physician. Luke also wrote The Book of Luke.

He was a Syrian from Antioch, and was mentioned in the bible. He used mostly Mark’s gospel and was not a first generation Christian. He knew about the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, so his work is dated by scholars in 80-90 A.D. 63.James was written in Greek and was most likely written by a Hellenistic writer or James of Jerusalem. Some scholars assign James to A.D. 90-100.

64.The First and a Second Letters of John were probably written at the end of the first century by John the apostle or the Johannie group.

65.The Letter of Jude was possibly written by a relative of Jesus. It is believed that Jude quoted from two apocryphal Jewish works, The Assumption of Moses and the Book of Enoch. Others say Jude was written in 80 A.D, but earlier than Second Peter. This Jude is believed to mean a relative of Jesus of Hellenistic culture. He quotes from the Book of Enoch and the book, The Assumption of Moses.

66.The two Books of Peter are believed to be by unknown authors using Peter’s name, although early Christians believed them to be Peter’s while he was in Rome. Others say he was never in Rome.

67.Modern scholars believe that First Peter was written by a cultivated Greek who alluded to the Greek Septuagint. Others say it was written by Peter’s secretary, Silvanus.

68.Scholars think the Second Peter was a pseudonymous work who spoke for the dead to give his writing more esteem. He quoted Paul’s letters and Jude’s. He was probably a Christian Jew. 69.First John writing was probably by the real apostle John and done in the end of the first century, but Second John was most likely from one of his disciples at Ephesus during the end of the first century.

70.Revelation, in its present form, is believed to have been written at the end of the reign of Domitian (81-96 A.D.) Domitian was a persecutor of Christians.

71.All of the New Testament is believed by Christians to be the inspired word of Jesus and given by holy men who had a special connection to God. 72.Jesus was believed to have been crucified in 30 A.D. 73.Tradition believes that Peter and Paul were killed in Rome during the persecution of Nero around 67 A.D. Paul was beheaded, while Peter was crucified upside down. He did not wish to be crucified in the same way as Jesus was because he felt unworthy.

74.The apostle John was boiled alive.

75.There is no original manuscript of any biblical book.

76.The earliest written manuscript is the Dead Sea Scrolls, from the first century and found in 1948.

77.Fragments of materials of the Old Testament and the New Testament were on parchment from the early second century A.D. 78.Ancient biblical texts were not in the exact format as they are today.

79.Other books that aid bible study are: The Ugarit text, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Please watch for more information on how we got the Bible in the next issue of Bible-Talk.

B. Bible Facts INTERESTING BIBICAL FACTS 1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Gen. 1:1) (Did you notice it says heavens as plural but the earth as singular?)

2. God said let the earth (dry land) bring forth grass, herbs and trees. (Gen. 1: 11) (Notice that the earth brought it forth and not God. Had God already planted the earth with grass, herb and tree seeds?)

3. God (plural yet one God) created all sea creatures and flying creatures such as birds. After these, God created the land animals and creeping things. Last of all, he created man in his own image. God created male and female. He created them. He told man to have dominion over the earth and all of the living creatures upon it. (Gen. 1:20-28) (Read those verses very carefully.)

4. God told the man that he had given to man and to every creature every herb that has seeds, and every tree whose fruit yields seed for food. (Gen 1: 29-30) (Did you notice that in the beginning of time, man was not allowed to eat creatures, fowl, or animal, nor were these allowed to eat one another or mankind?)

5. On the seventh day God ended His work, and rested on this day. Thus, he blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. (Gen. 2: 2-3) (Did you notice that this day was sanctified before the Jewish or any other religion existed?)

6. The Sabbath Day was an everlasting between God and the Israelites. (Ex. 31: 12-17) God had already finished his work and sanctified the seventh day and rested from his work in chapter one of Genesis and through verse 3 in chapter two he had finished it.

7. A king was not to have many wives. (Deut 17: 14-20) 8. Moses remained in the cloud for 40 days and night. (Ex. 24: 17-18) 9. An ephod was a priest’s garment. (Ex. 28) 10.God had already finished his work and sanctified the seventh day and rested from his work in chapter one of Genesis and through verse 3 in chapter two he had finished it. Read this: “This (the above) is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens‌(5) before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground. (6) But a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. (7) And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Gen.2:4-7) (Did you notice that this was after the history in chapter one? In this chapter God puts the man in the Garden of Eden and a river (not rain or a mist) watered the garden. God needed for Adam (man) to have a helpmate (not a slave or someone beneath him but a helper.)

11.After this man was formed and put in the garden alone, God formed all of the beast, fowl, and birds. He brought them to Adam to see what Adam would call them. However, none of these were comparable to Adam. So God put Adam to sleep, took one of his ribs from him, and made it into a woman.

Thus, Adam called her woman because she was made from his flesh and bones. These became one flesh or man and wife. Both were naked, but not ashamed of it. (Gen. 2:19-25) (Did you notice that in Chapter One God made the animals before he did the male and female? In Chapter Two he made man first, then all of the animals, and last of all, the woman. I heard one preacher

say there were two creations: in one God made all races of humans, but not a farmer. Then in Chapter Two he made the farmer and his wife to till the soil. I disagree with this. I believe the first chapter is telling what was in God’s mindhis plan of creation and Chapter Two is the actual creation-either this or God made the seed in Heaven, and the animals, and the humans (their spirits) and then he put the herb, plant, and fruit seeds, along with the seed of the animals in the earth so that the earth could bring it forth. He came down and fashioned the flesh part of the humans, and then put their pre-created spirits inside their flesh. It says to let the earth bring forth the living creature, cattle and creeping thing and beast of the field. These weren’t made as the humans were. (Gen. 1: 24) 12.The snake was the most cunning of all the animals of the field. Besides this, he could talk either by voice or by his mind. Eve understood him. (Gen. 3:1) 13.The woman ate of the forbidden fruit and also gave it to her husband, who ate it also. All at once, both of them realized that they were naked, so they made themselves coverings by sewing fig leaves together. It doesn’t say how they sewed these. (Gen. 1:7) (The serpent seed theory says that the snake was some sort of missing link between man and beast, and it actually had sex with Eve; after this Adam had sex with her also. From these two males came twins, Cain and Abel. Cain was the serpent’s son, but Abel was Adam’s. This theory was preached by William Branham, but a real old book talks about it centuries ago. Years ago, I discovered this book on the internet, but haven’t been able to remember the book’s name or where I found it. Personally, I can see were this theory makes sense. God said he would put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Paul said the snake was Satan and he wholly seduced Eve. Jesus said that his seed would know him.

He also said that some Jews were of their father, Satan, and not of Abraham at all. The missing link part makes sense also. The snake could once talk and walk, so something must have changed its look and ability. The real Satan’s spirit was probably inside the snake. These ideas make sense, but I am not totally convinced about them. Why would eating of a real fruit suddenly make one realize that he or she was naked?)

14. God said, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Gen. 3:15) (Most people agree that this “He” is Christ and the “You” means Satan. If so, then the seed must be the seed of Christ and the seed of Satan.)

15. Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. (Gen. 3:21) (They were already clothed with fig leaves, so evidently these leaves didn’t cover their nakedness as well as God wished or else he felt they were too thin to keep them warm.)

16. Adam knew Eve his wife and she conceived and bore Cain and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” Then she bore again and Adam was born.

(Gen. 4:1) (Even if Cain did belong to the snake, he would still be from the Lord because God is the only creator of life. Anyway, all at once Adam knew to know his wife. Why?) 17. Later on, when Cain and Abel gave their offerings to God, Abel’s was accepted, but God was displeased with Cain’s. He told Cain that if he did well, he would be accepted. Years later, even in the Book of Mathew in the genealogy of Christ, Cain is nowhere mentioned as being a son of Adam.

Why? (Gen. 4:7) 18. God put a mark on Cain, not to curse him, but to protect him, lest any saw him and killed him for having killed Abel. (Gen. 4:15) 19.Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the East of Eden. (Gen. 4:16) (Where could anyone live and not be in the presence of the Lord unless the Lord lived on the mountain near the Garden of Eden at this time?)

20. Six generations after Cain his ancestor married two wives. This was the first reported case so far in the Bible. The man’s name was Lamech. Lamech was also a murderer like Cain, his ancestor. He killed a man for wounding him and a young man for hurting him. (self-defense though) He would be avenged seventy-sevenfold. (Gen. 4: 19-24)

21.And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. (Gen. 5:3) (Wasn’t Cain in the image of Adam or after his likeness? If not, why not? He would have been in his likeness at the very least, if he belonged to Adam. He may not have looked like him, though. (In his image) 22.When men (humans) begun to multiply upon the earth, and had daughters, the sons of God saw these beautiful daughters, and took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. Because of this God shortened man’s days upon the earth. (Gen.6:1-3) (Why was God angry with these if they were only men?

They had to marry someone. Some say they were angels who were sent to earth to teach the humans things. The lost Book of Enoch stated this. Luke quoted from this Book, so he must have believed in it. Some Jews think the sons of God were the children of Seth, while the daughters of men belonged to Cain, and God didn’t want Seth’s ancestors to mingle with Cain’s.)

23.There were giants in these same days, and afterward, when the sons of God slept with the daughters of men, and they bore giant children to them. These giants were the ancient mighty men, men of renown. (Gen. 6:4) (Once, I read an ancient book on the internet that said how Adam was a giant and so was the people during the next several generations, but as time went on people got smaller. It also said that the earth shrinks with time, as does the animals and other living beings on it. Is this why the dinosaurs were so huge, and today our animals are so small?)

24.Abraham came to the Valley of Shaven (the Kings’ Valley) after defeating in a battle. Here he met Melchizedek king of Salem. (Now Jerusalem) They had bread and wine together. This Melchizedek was the priest of God at that time.

The priest blessed Abraham. Abraham gave the priest a tithe of all he had.

(Gen. 14:18-20) Jews say that he was a real human priest and no one knew who his parents were or where he had come from.

25.Abraham was ninety years old when he was circumcised. (Gen. 17:4.)

26. Ishmael would have twelve princes and be a great nation.(Gen. 17:20)

27. Hagar was an Egyptian. (Gen. 17:20) 28. The three men who met Abraham were all called one Lord. (Gen. 18:2-3)Was this the holy trinity?

29.The Moabites sprung from Lot and his firstborn daughter’s son, Moab. The other daughter‘s son and Lot became the Ammon (Amorites) (Gen. 19: 3738.)

30. Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born. (Gen. 21:5) 31. Milcah and Nahor, Abraham’s brother, had a son, Bethuel, which had Rebekah, Isaac’s wife. (Gen. 22: 22-23) 32. Sarah lived 127 years. (Gen. 23:1) Sarah and Abraham’s family was buried in a cave in a field of Machpelah before Mamre in Cannan. (Gen.23; 19) 33. Isaac was 60 when he had Esau and Jacob. (Gen. 25:26) 34. Esau married two Hittite women, Judith and Basemath to his parent’s objection. (Gen.26:34) 35. Rachael was Jacob’s first cousin, the daughter of his mother’s brother. (Gen. 29:10) 36. Rachael stole the images that were her father’s. (Gen. 31:19) (Gen.31:34-35) She hid them from Joseph by sitting on them and pretending to be on her menstrual when her father searched for them. Esau lived in Seir, the country of Edom (Rome.) (Gen.32:3) 37. Jacob wrestled with God. (Gen. 33: 24-30) 38. Succoth was a place Jacob built a house and booths for Esau.(Gen. 33:1) 39.Rachael died and was buried in Bethlehem. (Gen. 35:19) 40. Isaac was one hundred fourscore years when he died. (Gen. 35:28)

41. Esau’s sons were dukes. (Gen36:15) Esau was father of the Edomites. (Gen, 37:43.)

42. The Midianites sold Joseph to the Egyptians. (Gen.37:36.)

43. Judah slept with Tamar, his daughter-in-law thinking her to be a harlot, then not knowing she had slept with him he wanted her burnt with fire. He changed his mind when he found it to be himself. (Gen. 38) 44. Joseph’s Egyptian name was Zaph’nath-pa-aa-ne’ah. (Gen. 41:45) 45. Joseph had Ephraim and Manasseh by the Egyptian priest’s daughter. The priest was called Potipherah. (Gen. 41:50-51) 46. Joseph died at 110 years old and was embalmed in Egypt. (Gen. 50:26) 47. Moses fled to Midian and married the preist’s daughter there. They had a son called Gershom. (Exodus 2:16-35) He had another son called Eliezer. (Exodus 18:1-4) 48.Moses remained in the cloud for 40 days and night. (Ex. 24: 17-18) 49.An ephod was a priest’s garment. (Ex. 28) 50.God raised Pharoah up to show his power. (Exodus 9:16) 51. In (Exodus Ch. 13) God said they had to redeem the first born because God had taken all of Egypt’s firstborn.

52. The Lord is a man of war.(Exodus 15:3) 53. Miriam, the prophetess, used tumbrels, and sang and danced.(Exodus15:20) 54. Mana is like coriander seeds, white and taste like wafers made with honey.

Moses told Israel to store some of it in an omer to keep for all their generations. They ate this for forty years. (Exodus 16:31-35)

55. The wilderness the Israelites traveled through was called the Wilderness of Sin. (Exodus 17.1) 56. God fought a battle for Moses by having Moses to hold up his hands. As long as he held his hand up, Joshua prevailed in battle, but when he let it down, he failed. Moses sat on a stone while Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on each side of him. (Exodus 17:11-12) 57. Because Amalek fought against Moses and the Israelites, God said he would blot out the remembrance of Amalek and the Lord would have war with Amalek from generation to generation. (Exodus 17:14-16) 58. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law was a priest in Midian. He sacrificed to God when he heard from Moses of the great things God had done for the Israelites. (Exodus 18:12) Jethro is the one who suggest to Moses that he should make rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens to help him judge the people. This way Moses would not get so tired for doing it all alone.

Moses took his advice and did this. (Exodus 18:21) 59. Israel became a nation of God’s priest in Exodus Chapter nineteen in the Wilderness of Sinai. (Exodus 19:6) 60. God told Moses to have the people to consecrate themselves for two days, and to wash their clothes, and on the third day he would come to the mountain to speak to them all, but none were allowed to even touch the holy mountain.(Exodus 19:10-13) 61.A king was not to have many wives. (Deut 17: 14-20) 62.

God allowed Moses and Aaron to come upon the mountain to see him. The people got afraid of God because of the sight of the cloud, fire, smoke, and noise, so they asked not to see it, but only Moses do it. (Exodus 20:19) 63. God told the children of Israel not to make an altar of stone that had been hewn, but to make one of earth. They were not to go upon his altar by steps.

He didn’t want to see their nakedness as they walked up steps. (Exodus 20:2426) 64. If one took a Hebrew for a slave, he was to be freed after seven years. If he came in single, he must leave single, but if married, his family is to be released with him. However, if his master gives him a wife and she has children, then the master is to keep the wife and children. If the servant doesn’t want to leave these behind, he is to remain a servant for life and have his ear pierced to confirm this. (Exodus 21-2-6.)

65. A man could sell a daughter out as a slave, but the owner had to betrothed her to himself or to his son. If she doesn’t please them, they must let her be redeemed and not sold to a foreign people. (Exodus 21:7-11) 66. If a man strikes a man so that he dies. He shall be put to death, but if he didn’t lain in wait to do it, he shall be sent to a place of refuge, as Cain did.

(Exodus 21:12) 67. He who strikes either parent will be put to death. (Exodus 21:15) 68. A kidnapper shall be put to death if his victim is found in his hand. (Exodus 21:16) 69. If one beats another and he does not die, the beater shall tend to the one who received the beating until he recovers. (Exodus 21:18-19) 70. If a man beats his male or female servant and he or she dies, he shall be punished, but it doesn’t say how, but if that one lives a day or so, the master is not to be punished because the servant is his property. (Exodus 21: 20-21) 71.If men fight and hurt a pregnant child so that she only gives birth prematurely, but don’t die, he will receive whatever punishment her husband imposes upon him, but if anyone dies over it, it is life for life. (Exodus 21: 2223)

72. If an ox gores someone to death, and the owner knew the ox was violent, the owner will be put to death, but if he didn’t know it, he will kill the ox (Exodus 21: 28-30) 73. If a thief is found in the act of breaking in, if he is killed, the killer shall not be punished. If it happens when in daylight, there will be guilt upon the killer for his bloodshed. He must make restitution for the thief and if he has nothing, he is to be sold. If the theft is found in the thief’s hands, the thief shall pay double. (Exodus 22: 2-4) 74. If an animal gets loose and tears up someone else’s stuff, the owner must make restitution. If a fire breaks out and harms another’s property, the one who started the fire must make restitution. If one keeps something for another and it is stolen, he must be brought to the judge to see if he stole it himself. If one borrows something and it is harmed, the one who borrowed it must make restitution. (Exodus 22: 5-15) 75. If a man entices a virgin who isn’t engaged, and sleeps with her, he must marry her, but if the father refuses to let him have his daughter, the man must pay a dowry. (Exodus 22: 16-17) 76. You shall not permit a sorceress to live. (Exodus 22: 18) Is this for only the females or does it include males?

77. Whoever sleeps with an animal shall be put to death. (Exodus 22: 19) 78. Anyone who makes sacrifices to any god except the Lord shall be destroyed.

(Exodus 22:20) 79. You are not to mistreat a stranger nor oppress one. (Exodus 22:21) 80. You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you do, and they cry to God, he will kill the one who has inflicted them. He will make their wives widows and their children fatherless. (Exodus 22: 22) Does this still count if it is a motherless child?

81. If you loan money to any of God’s people who are poor, don’t charge them interest. (Exodus 22:25) 82. If you take your neighbor’s garment for a pledge, (if it is his only garment) give it back to him before the sun sets. (Exodus 22: 26) 83. Offer the first of your fruit, oxen and sheep, and produce to God. Also give to him the firstborn son. (Exodus 22:29-30) 84. Don’t eat of meat that was torn by beast. (Exodus 22:31) 85. You shall not circulate a false report, be a false witness, and follow a crowd to do evil, testify in a dispute to pervert justice, or show partiality to a poor man in his dispute. If you see an animal going astray or sick, even it belongs to your enemy, you are to help out. You are not to take a bribe either. (Exodus 23: 18) 86. You are to gather produce for six years for your family and you, but on the seventh year, leave the produce for the poor and the beast of the field.

Likewise, do this with your vineyards and olive groves. (Exodus 23: 10-11) Wonder how many does this today?

87. Six days you are to work but on the seventh day rest, you, your animals or live-stock, and anyone else there with you. (Exodus 23: 12) 88. There are three Feasts that you are to keep in the year. They are: The Feast of Unleavened Bread; (eat unleavened bread seven days) The Feast of Harvest; (Give the first fruits of harvest) and the Feast of Ingathering (The end of the year when you have gathered all the fruits of your labor.) For these three Feasts all the males are to appear at them. You are not to boil a young goat in its mother’s milk. (Exodus 23: 12-19) 89. God sent hornet to drive out the Hivites and the Canaanites for the Israelites, but he did it little by little in order to keep the animals of those towns from being so numerous for the Israelites.

90. Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy elders went to the mountain of God and saw God. They saw a paved work of sapphire stone under God’s feet. These ate and drank. The glory of the mountain shown for six days, and on the seventh day God called for Moses to come to him. Moses went into the cloud and stayed there for forty days and forty nights.(Exodus 24:991.Moses remained in the cloud for 40 days and night. (Ex. 24: 17-18) 92. God told Moses to have his people to make a dwelling for God to dwell in. He also told them how to build it and what materials to use. He had them make two cherubim of gold and put at the two ends of the mercy seat. These were to be of one piece with the mercy seat. The cherubim were to face one another and have their wings over the mercy seat. The mercy seat went over the ark and in the ark were the commandments. (Exodus 25:17-21) 93. Aaron’s four sons and Aaron was God’s priest. His sons were: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. These were to have certain garments made the way God instructed them to.

94.An ephod was a priest’s garment. (Ex. 28) 95. The bible says that the Sabbath was a sign forever between God and the children of Israel. (Exodus 31: 13) Notice, it doesn’t say it is between God and mankind, but the children of Israel, his nations of priests. According to the Jews, gentiles were never required to keep it or the holy days, unless they lived with Israel in their land, but were required to keep the seven Noah idée laws. I think that they can if they want to, but it is not required.

96. The Levites under Moses killed three thousand people because they worshipped the gold calf and refused to repent and go on the side of Moses.

(Exodus 32: 26-28) 97.The pillar of cloud with God in it stood at the tabernacle door and God spoke to Moses face to face as a friend speaks to a friend. (Exodus 33:11) Yet, he didn’t see God, but heard his voice because Moses asked God to let him see

his way. God only showed Moses his back after he put Moses in the cleft of a rock. God told Moses that he knew him by name. (Exodus 33: 17-23) 98. The first born of everything belongs to God, but he let the Israelites redeem a donkey’s first-born with a lamb, and the first-born son of humans was redeemed with money.

99.Moses was put between two rocks and God passed by, covering him with his hand. Moses saw God’s back. (Ex. 33: 18-23) 100. When Moses came from Mount Sinai with the tablets of the commandments, his face shone so that he had to wear a veil over it because it scared the people.(Exodus 34:30) 101. God’s cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting and God’s glory filled it.

Whenever the cloud lifted from the door the children of Israel traveled on, but when it remained at the door, they didn’t travel. It was at the door by day as a cloud and by night as fire. (Exodus 40: 34-38) 102. Aaron’s two sons, Nadab and Abihu put profane fire in their censers and offered it to God, so fire went out from the Lord and killed both of them. (Lev. 10: 1-2) 103. Aaron and his sons were not allowed to bare their heads. (Leviticus 10:6) 104. The children of Israel couldn’t eat animals that chew the cud or have cloven hooves. These included the camel; the rock hyrax; the swine. (Lev. 11:3-4) They couldn’t eat some flesh found in water if it didn’t have fins and scales.

(Lev. 11:9) Of the birds, they couldn’t eat of the following: eagle; vulture; buzzard; kite; falcon; raven;; ostrich; short-eared owl; the sea gull; the hawk; little owl; fisher owl; screech owl; white owl; jackdaw; carrion vulture; stork; heron; hoopoe; and the bat. (Lev. 11: 13-19) Of all flying insects that creep on all fours the ones with joined legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth may be eaten, but none others. The eatable ones include locust; the destroying locusts, the cricket, and the

grasshopper. (Lev. 11: 21-22) They may not eat any animal which divides the foot, but is not cloven-hoofed or does not chew the cud. (Lev. 11:26) They may not eat any animals that go on paws such as dogs (Lev. 11:27) Of the creeping things these the Israelites may not eat: the mole; the mouse; the large lizard; the gecko; the monitor lizard; and the chameleon; the snake; or anything that crawls on its belly or goes on all fours; or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth. (Lev.11:27-42) 105. If a woman has a male child she shall be unclean for seven days but if it is a female child, she shall be unclean for two weeks. (Lev. 12: 2-4) 106. Here are the people that Israelites may not sleep with or uncover their nakedness. Father, mother, step mother, step father, sister, step sister, brother, step brother, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, aunt, uncle, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, a mother and her daughter or her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, a woman as a rival to her sister, or a woman in her customary impurity, your neighbor’s wife, a male with a male, a female with a female, or either male or female with animals. (Lev. 21: 7-23) 107. You shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech nor profane the name of your God. (Lev. 18: 7-23) 108. Every one of you shall revere his father and mother and keep God’s Sabbaths. You shall not make any molten images. (Lev. 19: 3-4) 109. If you grow a garden or vineyard, don’t glean all of it, but save some for the poor and for the animals. (Lev. 19: 9-11) 110. Here are the laws to your neighbor and community. Do not steal or deal falsely one to another. Don’t swear falsely by God’s name; don’t swear by God’s name falsely. Don’t cheat or rob your neighbor; don’t curse the deaf nor hinder the blind. Don’t do injustice in judgment. Don’t be a tale bearer among your people or take a stand against your neighbor. Don’t hate your brother in your heart nor take revenge or bear grudges against the children of your people. Love your neighbor as yourself. Don’t let your life stock breed with another kind. Don’t sow your field with mixed seed, nor wear a garment

of mixed linen and wool. Don’t lie carnally with a concubine that is betrothed to a man. When you plant a tree for the first three years don’t eat of the fruit, but give it to the Lord on the fourth year, and eat of it on the fifth year. (Lev. 19: 11-25) 111. You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination or sooth saying. You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor disfigure the edges of your beard. Don’t make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor tattoo any marks on you. (Lev. 19: 26-28) 112. Don’t prostitute your daughter. Don’t give regard to mediums and familiar spirits nor seek after them. Honor the gray headed and old men. Don’t mistreat a stranger in your land. Be fair in measurements of length, weight, or volume. Don’t use dishonest scales. (Lev. 19: 29-36) 113. Whoever curses his father or mother shall be put to death. (Lev. 20: 9) 114. The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, both shall be put to death. If one lies with a daughter-in-law, both shall die. (Lev. 20: 10) 115. If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both shall die. (Lev. 20: 13) 116. If a man marries a woman and her mother, they shall be burnt with fire.

(Lev. 20: 14) 117. If a man or a woman mates with animals, all shall be put to death. (Lev. 20: 15-16) 118. If a man sleeps with a sister or step-sister, both shall be cut off. If a man sleeps with an aunt both shall be childless. If a man takes a sister-in-law both shall be childless. (Lev. 20: 17-21) 119. If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual cycle, both shall be cut off from their people. (Lev. 20: 18) 120. Keep God’s laws and statues so that the land you live in will not vomit you out from it. (Lev. 20: 22)

121. A man or a woman who is a medium or who has familiar spirits shall be put to death by stoning. (Lev. 20: 27) 122. A priest shall not defile himself for any dead person except it is his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother or his virgin sister who has had no husband. Priests may not make any bald places on their heads, nor shave the edges of their beards or make any cuttings in their flesh. They may not profane the name of God nor take a wife who is a harlot, a defiled woman, or a woman divorced from her husband. If the daughter of a priest profanes herself by playing the harlot, she shall be burnt with fire. (Lev. 21: 19) 123. Here are the rules for the high priest. He shall not uncover his head or tear his clothes. He can’t go near any dead person not even his father or mother.

He can’t go out of the sanctuary while the anointing is upon him. He must take a wife in her virginity and one from his own people. He can’t take a defiled woman or a harlot. If he has a defect, he can’t approach the bread of God. These defects include: broken foot or hand; hunchback or dwarf; marred face; blind or lame; eczema, defect in his eye; scab, or is a eunuch. (Lev. 21: 10-22) 124. Three times a year all men shall appear before the Lord. The Feast of Weeks, of the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end. (Exodus 34: 22-23) but in Lev. It names more. The fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. On the fifteenth day of this month is the Feast of Unleavened bread. Do another one when you come into the land. The Lord spoke to Moses and told him to speak to the children of Israel and tell them that these were his feast-the feasts of the Lord. (Lev. 23: 1-2) 125. The Lord said if the Israelites walk contrary to him, he would bring on them seven times more plagues according to their sins. He would send wild beasts among them and rob them of their children, destroy their livestock, and make them few in number. Their highways would be desolate. If they kept doing evil, they would eat their own children. (Lev. 26: 21-29)

126. The sons of Aaron were: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. (Numbers 3:2) 127. The sons of Levi were: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (Numbers 3: 17) 128. A king was not to have many wives. (Deut 17: 14-20)

Please watch for more Biblical facts in the next issue of Bible-Talk.

C. BIBLICAL ARTICLES A GOD of WAR By Retha Shortridge When I read the bible, it bothers me that God, Jehovah, killed so many people in the bible. Was it justice or revenge? Why did he do it? Why did he kill innocent children and helpless animals because of the sins of their nations?

Cain killed his brother over how they sacrificed. Another ancient book, ADAM and EVE tells that there was another reason, too. It seems that Eve and Adam had a daughter who they wanted Adam to marry instead of Cain. Cain got angry over this and killed his brother. It was a crime of passion. The punishment of a crime of passion, even today, does not seem to receive as much punishment as a premeditated crime does.

Anyway, I concluded that Cain deserved what punishment he got, that is, to be sent to a city of refuge and marked so others would not kill him. To me, this seemed like justice.

I read of others who did wrong and their punishments. There was the nation that captured Lot, and Abraham rescued him from them. This seemed like justice, but when I read about Sodom and Gomorrah, I thought at first that they probably deserved it. Then, I decided that there must have been innocent children and babies in those towns that had done nothing worthy of death. Did they deserve this type of justice? Then, I told myself that the town had become so wicked that there was little hope for the children to grow up to be any other way but evil. In one place of the Bible it states that God will not destroy a nation until it reaches the number ten in its wickedness.

We kill innocent baby snakes because they will eventually become big snakes just like their parents. The same is true of roaches. Baby roaches have done nothing to

deserve death; nor have innocent baby rats, but we know how they will turn out.

Perhaps God looked into the future of these innocent children and saw how they would turn out if allowed to live.

I considered some individual sins. What about Ham, Noah’s son? He looked upon Noah’s naked body and received a curse that carried on through all his generations. Was this justice? Poor Esau only gave up his birthright which, by the way, Jacob and his mother had schemed to take from him, and Esau received a stigma throughout the bible. Ham had evidently put within himself an evil that would defile his generations forever as something inherited. The birthright meant more to God than it did to Esau. Not caring about it was worse in God’s eyes than Jacob and his mother’s schemes and their deceiving spirits.

What about beautiful King David? David lusted after Beersheba, a married woman, so he had her husband put on the front line in war, knowing that most likely he would be killed. Sure enough, he was, and David took his wife.

When Nathan, the prophet confronted him with it by telling him of a certain man who had done something like this, David, not knowing he was the man, wanted the other person killed. He changed his mind when Nathan told him that he was the man spoken of. Doesn’t this sound like human nature? Dish out justice as long as it is not happening to you and yours. Was this justice?

Well, I didn’t find that David received much punishment from the people, but he did get punished by God. His punishment was worse than death. There is no greater heartache than losing a child. It did not stop there, either. His other sons fought each other and him. One tried his best to kill David, so he could take his kingdom, but was killed himself. His daughter got raped by one of his sons.

Trouble remained in his own household for his whole lifetime. I concluded that David received justice or worse.

Don’t forget righteous Judah, the tribe from which our precious Lord came from.

Judah went into his daughter-in-law, thinking her to be nothing more than a harlot because of her disguise.

She played it smart, though, and kept his staff for payment. She knew who he was, but she wanted a son to carry on her husband’s seed. Today, her act would sound like incest.

Anyway, when Judah found out she had committed whoredom he wanted justice.

He demanded that she be burnt with fire. I do not know why he chose this instead of stoning, but he did. She showed him and the others his staff.

Suddenly, things changed. He was not even punished by the rulers. Was this justice? I hope not, but I am sure that he received just punishment from God throughout the rest of his life.

I thought about the people of Egypt. Sure, the adults and leaders had to be wicked for their day. For one thing, their leaders had made the Israelites slaves for around four hundred years. But, consider the firstborn of their children. What had they done? The leaders had previously slaughtered the firstborn of the Israelite children of whom Moses had been one of those children, but his life was spared by the grace of God and the wisdom of his mother.

Sometimes, what goes around comes around. However, these children were still innocent. Was this justice? This one bothered me. However, I concluded this: Pharoah was going to kill all of Israel’s firstborn sons first. They chose their own fate by doing this.

May God help us to be merciful and not wish evil upon another because we may be bringing the same thing we wished for them upon our heads.

I went on to other incidents of war. When the people worshipped the golden calf, those who refused to repent and side with God were killed by the ground opening up and closing on them. They seemed to have deserved this after all the good things God had done for them, but didn’t some of their children decide with them?

What about the Egyptians who followed the Israelites across the Red Sea? They were soldiers, so justice was served here. How many times did the Israelites war with a city and God tell them to kill everything that moved, including their

animals? Does this seem fair? There had to be innocent children among those killed? There was another one that troubled me.

King David numbered the people against God’s command, and thousands of his own people were killed for something he had done. Were these incidents acts of justice from a just God? The only conclusions I can think of are either of the following. These people were so wicked that God had given up on them and decided that if he didn’t destroy these, all of them and the Israelites would eventually destroy themselves. Or the Israelites actually killed their own people and then wrote down that God did it.

There are many more acts of war and justice throughout the bible, but I have named a few that really bothered me. So, I started thinking other things. Had Jehovah really been an alien? Did he bring seeds to his new frontier, the earth, and sow them in the ground. Had he created Adam on a ship and then brought him to earth? Was Adam’s rib used like an incubator? Was that how Eve came about? Did Jehovah settle his new subjects much like Britain had done for America? Wouldn’t this explain his system of justice? These were humans, so they had to be dwelt with as humans. Wouldn’t any good human king have done the same to his subjects? Had this Jehovah been a more advanced human?

I searched out other religions and found that most of them had creation myths somewhat like the biblical one. They varied in some things, though, yet I recognized a snake, a garden, chaos, sin, and superior beings. They each had some kind of flood. I concluded that, evidently, somewhere, sometime there had been a great garden where humans had lived comfortably, but had failed one way or another and had got put out, and the fault had not been their own only but with the aid of a snake. The people had become wicked and most of them were finally destroyed by water. This destruction had come through the wisdom of a just God. I was not quite satisfied with this explanation. I read about Jesus. I struggled with his identity. Ebonite thought he was an inspired human, born from human parents, who had been adopted Son of God at his baptism. The Nazarenes

believed him to be born of a virgin, and was, thus, more than a human being but not the God. Trinity thinkers made him into one God with three distinct persons.

New Lights said he was the one God Jehovah playing three roles. Other religions defined him as a lesser god of the one high God, who had different titles from each one of them. They knew their images were not the gods, but only representations of them or the windows to them.

Zoroaster thought there was one God but two choices; good and evil. After he died, his one God was made into a dualism by personification of those forces.

Christians and Jews also personified Satan. The Essences believed in darkness and light, forces that govern the universe. New Agers teach that all religions lead to God. Deities say God is but he doesn’t get involved personally with humans.

What did it all mean? Was there a connection? I decided to compare all these religions. Personally, if I could choose a right religion, would I choose one or a combination of them all?

I like Zoroaster because he did not have flesh sacrifices. Instead, he used fire. He said that all have equal access to God. There were no needs for priests and prophets. There was no monopoly on God. All who worshipped him did so in spirit and in truth. There was light and darkness. All could choose between them.

The good Force loved them all equally. It did not love one and hate another.

There were universal laws set in motion that govern the universe. They could be altered to some extend by man’s choices. For example, smog could pollute the atmosphere which, in return, might poison man. Man could use up all his resources and have to suffer the consequences. Man could mess with the laws of nature so much that things might get in a mess.

God had nothing to do with their errors. There would be a place for rewards and punishments, much like the Christian’s heaven and hell. So, this was what Zoroaster taught. Sounds good, huh?

I also read about Buddha. He was a good man, who taught love and good things.

He was thought of as a holy man. Statues were made of him who could be used as

windows to the High God. This religion did not seem as terrible as I had previously heard. But, was it my choice?

I already have talked about the Jewish God, Jehovah, who had plenty of mercy but also used justice for punishment. He was one God. There was not room for windows to him; no statues were allowed. They did use carved statues of the cherubim in Solomon’s temple. I often wondered why this was not idolatry. Once, Moses told them to pray before an image of a carved snake. Why was this fine, but not other carved figures? Would I choose this God as mine? In it, there was not even room for Jesus.

Most Jews consider Jesus to be a pagan idol. They say the worship of him is the worship or an idol and of a human, both forms of idolatry. They also say the early Christians blended some Jewish elements with pagan elements and came up with the new religion.

Islam came about when a young man, called a prophet by followers, preached against making a man, Jesus, into a God. He believed Jesus was a prophet but not a god. This religion used a lot of violence for justice, too. They said they followed the teachings of Abraham and served the same God who Christians called Jehovah. They thought the Jews had changed the true Abraham’s scriptures to suit their own needs and came up with Judaism.

What about Christianity? Was it the religion of my choice? Jesus was a great person. It would be very hard to find any fault with him or with his teachings. He taught love and forgiveness like Buddha had. He went to Jewish worship and kept their law with mercy and love. He did not keep the Sabbath as strictly as the Jews did, but he did uphold it. He became the ultimate sacrifice, thus eliminating the need for further flesh sacrifices. He taught a heaven and a hell. Paul, who claimed to be one of his apostles, taught sin atonement and original sin, so, in a way, Christianity was a combination of all the other religions.

Years before Jesus came there were a school in Alexandria Egypt where philosophers studied. They came from all over to study math, science, and religion, among other subjects. Philo, an educated Jew, studied there. He came

up with the Logos or wisdom of God. Perhaps, Paul got this word from his writings. His writing sounded a lot like he was talking about Jesus. Did these pagan philosophers and the Jewish philosophers put their heads together and come up with a new religion, Christianity, which combined some elements from each available religion?

I did read a writing of Plato’s that wanted to make the perfect city. In this city they would change the way people of their day thought about God. They would create a good God, a just God, and not one as the one the poets of their day had described through their silly legends. He would live like a human and have their problems and passions, so he would understand them better.

I took all these thoughts into my mind. Zoroaster had the oldest religion of them all, except that of paganism, but somewhere along the way it had been lost or distorted. Abraham kept some of it. His followers changed some and kept some.

Orientals kept some and changed some. Jesus kept more of it than any of the others. He did add some elements of Jehovah and much of the Jewish religion.

The Clementine gospel said he taught them that the scriptures had been changed.

He did say to search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life.

Was this a direct hint that they had been altered? Did Apostle Paul pervert them even more? Or do Christians misinterpret Paul? What about Islam or Mormons?

Don’t they have a lot of truth?

Is religion constantly evolving? With each evolution, does more truth come to light? Who do we believe? How could any one person know which religion is the better one? Could any one of them be just as good as the others? Does it matter that we get it just right? Even sects within all these religions see different on certain doctrines. Doesn’t somebody have to be wrong and somebody right?

I have concluded: There is a God and creator. He is neither human nor alien. He is a force, but he has intelligence. He creates. He restores. He heals. He sets laws in motion and does not alter his own laws. His laws control the universe.

His first law was the law of life. This law was also love. This love was light.

Because of love he desired other things, so he created heavens and the earth through this love.

Then, he created humans in the image of this light. The Greek bible translation says that in the beginning was the Life, and the Life was with God, and the Life was God. English translations call it the Word. God is the only thing in existence that has power to give or power to completely destroy life.

Jesus, as a human, fulfilled all the requirements of this Life because this life filled his human body. This life had the power to lay down the human body or to take it back up. All of us have a measure of this life. It is what sustains us and keeps us alive. When it is withdrawn from the human body, the body dies. Jesus had the fullness of this light; and yet, this light controlled the universe elsewhere, too. Just as natural light goes from one end of the universe to the other end, so does God, who is total light.

Darkness is real, too. Light comprehends darkness, though, therefore, light is greater than darkness. Light came first because light can create. Darkness cannot create. It can pervert, though.

Was Darkness a freak of creation or was it made for a special purpose? Some Jews say that God created it (Satan) to be the prosecutor for the State; the State being God. They believe that Satan is only doing his job when he accuses us. Others say that this Satan is the cause of all our troubles and when they do wrong, they lay the blame on him. This was true of Adam and Eve. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the snake. (Satan) The Homilies writings say that Satan was a freak of nature. One of God’s laws went haywire and Satan was made, but that God turned it around for good; to sift darkness from the light.

One thing is for certain. We know that both these forces exist, but it should not be our concern. We need to learn to choose the good every time and let God worry about what to do with darkness. It will be taken out in due time. Even in Heaven there was room for darkness.

Satan revolted, so evil had to be present there, too. God booted him from Heaven, though. He gave him the earth, and, perhaps he is working for God after that, as a lawyer might work for a court. This evil force is something to be feared unless you have enough light within you to combat him. He is powerful. If you have that light (Holy Breath) that Jesus breathed on his disciples, you stand a good chance of withstanding him. It is even better if that light enters you and works from the inside.

So, perhaps there is truth in all the previous religions and even in some not mentioned. Each creation myth had some truth that had been carried through the generations.

If we tell our kids about our family trees, they are handed down from generation to generation, and some of them may become distorted or changed along the way, but the meat of each is usually true. It is human nature to get things wrong.

To me, this just makes it more historical.

Why, I believed for years that George Washington never told a lie and that all Indians were savages. What a deception that was. I believed that Santa Claus was real. He was based on a real person, but his image had been altered and made into a myth.

God is real. Jesus is real. The prophets existed. Throughout the years, some got distorted; misused, misjudged, or downright lied on. Their writings were probably altered some, too, but even if they were, their writing was destined by God to become our roadmap to finding him.

It is time we realized that God, the life force, loves us and he loves his creation.

Let us stop fighting and judging one another because of religious beliefs and look for things in common that we can share in peace, love, and mutual respect. This was what all these previous prophets taught, including Jesus. Instead of listening to the words, we make them into a doctrine and hate all others who do not join exactly with our beliefs.

There are two main events that will cause Jesus to return to earth: one is, if the whole world turns to God and worships him in one mind; the other is if the world

become so filled with violence and discord that Jesus will have to come in order to save us from ourselves. THE END

Article-2.

Who is God? Joan Shortridge In the beginning there was God, the Father of all creation. God is a spirit. No man has seen God at any time. God means life. God is living. He is called a being because he is. Really, the Life is neither male nor female. In this Life exists all things; both spiritual and physical.

God’s first act was to begat, so he begot a form for himself. This human like form became known as Jehovah (who later on became Jesus.) This Jehovah form was begotten not made.

The difference between begotten and made can be seen by looking at a human baby and a doll. A baby is begotten, but a doll is made. A baby pre-existed as a sperm and an egg.

Jehovah pre-existed as God the Father or as Life within its self. Jehovah was still God, yet separate. He became the second person or being in the Godhead. And, yes, he had male attributes as Jehovah. He was in the shape of humans; but rather humans were made in the shape of this Jehovah God. Jehovah, too, like Spirit God, sustained Life within himself. He was Life. In the beginning was Life (Greek) and Life was with God and Life was God. This Life Being that was with God was none other than Jesus. Jesus said,” No one takes my life, but I lay it down and have power to raise it up again.” No human being that ever lived beside Jesus can testify to being able to do this. Jesus proved that he was Life (God) by the many miracles that he did and when he rose from the dead.

Let us go back to Jehovah, the first form of Life. Remember God, the Father, does not have form. This Jehovah form created Heaven and Earth. He created everything that was ever created. He designed the universe. This is why John said that Jesus created everything that was; that is, everything besides Life (God, the

Father). Life had no beginning nor will it ever end. Jehovah was Life and will never end. Will Jehovah and Jesus both go back unto God, the Father, someday, and then will God be all and in all as he was in the beginning?

Jehovah, the creator of Heaven and Earth, saw that his creation was good, but something was missing. He designed the angels and all the host of Heaven. What were these hosts like? Some angels looked like this Jehovah form. Others looked like beasts. Yet, others probably had different shapes and forms. They, too, were created for Jehovah’s pleasure. They had limited power to create, much like humans.

We can design and create from matter and elements. We do not sustain these elements within ourselves. Neither did the angels. They were made from something. One ancient book says they were created from fire. These beings, it seemed, could never die, being spirits, but could become other forms. Is this why the fallen angels were chained?

Jehovah made the animals and birds. He made all living things upon Earth.

Perhaps he made Life beings on other planets, also. He does not say that he didn’t or that he never would create again. I believe he is always creating. Some of these animals may have been created in the images of some of the angels that looked like beast; the ones mentioned here and there in the bible.

Anyway, these creatures were finished and Jehovah was not fully satisfied. The bible does not say anything about the dinosaurs, but they were created in the first earth age, before Adam or other man. Perhaps they were a bad experiment of Jehovah’s. They were so huge that they consumed too much of the earth’s resources. So, they were destroyed by God through some physical thing like an asteroid or something greater.

The bible says that God uses things on earth that he has already created in order to keep man in line. He used locusts, mice, pest, storms, and others for his armies. He probably has many things in the upper atmosphere he can use on us, too.

The bible once said that Peter saw an angel that reached from Heaven to earth.

Were the angels like giants? Other ancient writings say that Adam was a giant.

Some Christian scientist believes that man lived on earth when the dinosaurs did.

Is this what the bible meant when it said there were giants in those days; men of renown. Had these men of renown lived during Adam’s time?

After he finished with the animals, fowls, and all creatures on Earth, Jehovah said, “Let us make man in our image and in our likeness?� Who was he talking to? Was it to the angels or to God (the Father)? Perhaps, he was talking to both God and to the angels.

God, the Father, had no form except that of his angel, Jehovah. Jehovah was called an angel at times, meaning he had the form of the angels, or that the angels had his form, him being begotten; them being created. So, Jehovah made man in his own likeness and form.

A doll is made in the likeness of a human baby or child. It is made of different material, though. Humans look like Jehovah God. They also have a high level of intelligence. Animals have intelligence also, but not as much as humans do. Is each human made in the form of one angel? Is this why Jesus said that his angel always goes before the face of the Father?

Anyway, according to ancient writings such as THE BOOK OF ENOCH and the CLEMENTINE HOMILIES, these angels were sent to Earth to teach the humans.

They taught them how to use make-up, among other things.

What did these angels do next? They lusted after the daughters of men and not only that, but they chose of the human women all that they desired. I believe that the generations of huge humans became smaller and smaller as the age progressed and as they sinned more and more. Their days on earth were also shortened.

However, by the time of Noah, they were nearly the size we are today. Then, when these angels took these human women, huge babies were born, much like the first men, men of renown.

Jehovah saw that things on Earth were getting out of hand. Violence now covered the earth. The giant humans that were being born were consuming too much food. They began to eat animals and to sacrifice them to these Angels, whom they considered to be some kind of gods.

Isaiah says God never did desire sacrifices. Jesus repeated this. The BOOK OF ENOCH, as well as the CLEMENTINE HOMILIES confirms this too. Jude quoted from the BOOK OF ENOCH. God was angry at these rebellious angels, who dared disobey him. He chained them in darkness. Their off-spring was half humans and half angels.

CLEMENTINE HOMILIES states that they were turned into different forms, what we know of today as germs, diseases, and viruses. Their fate was to live on earth among humans, but they could only survive happily inside humans, a place of utter darkness.

Now, they are inside us, eating and living off us. When they consume one human body they move on to another one. This is why Jesus allowed the demons he cast out to enter into the hogs. We are discovering things that seem to hinder their progress, though.

I would call their new form of life lower than our human life. These beings are what we call demons. Unlike these, humans were forgiven by Christ, and now have the potential to become like Jesus, God-like.

Not all things are demons. Some are caused from physical things. When we cut a finger, this is not a demon at work, but when infection enters that cut, it is a demon. If we do not rid our cut from that infection, it can take our lives.

Jesus said the girl who was deaf and dumb had a demon. If you burst an eardrum and become deaf from it, that is not a demon. If the thing causing you problems is a living thing, it is most likely some kind of demonic being that has attached itself to you.

Most people do not like to think they have a demon living inside them, but do not hesitate to admit they have a disease. Science calls the illnesses diseases, germs,

and virus, but those who know the history of the fallen ones recognizes these as demons.

Blocked arteries are not caused by demons. Being overweight can cause things to happen to your heart, but this is not caused by a demon. Neither is scarred tissue.

If a living something gets in a scarred tissue and feeds on the body that is one.

If you could look in a mirror and see the forms of all these microscopic diseases, germs, and viruses, it would nearly scare you to death. Most are ugly.

Jehovah got sick of all the humans, even when they began to sacrifice to him. He allowed it for awhile; much like he allowed divorces during the rule of Moses, but it was not desired in the beginning. Jehovah had to end it.

He decided to come to Earth as a human being and try to persuade them that he was the ultimate sacrifice. There would be no need for more. This would not be any easy task, though. He had to find a woman worthy to house his human form.

He knew that most humans had already worshipped the fallen angels as Gods, and the half human; half angel giants that he destroyed in the flood. Perhaps, the people were finally ready to believe in a total God, total human deity.

Mary found favor in his eyes. He sent an angel to tell her of the coming conception. Then, a part of him (Jehovah) went inside Mary and joined, mysteriously, with her human egg. Another form of life was brought into being.

He was total God and total man. He was called Jesus or Emanuel, meaning God Jehovah with us.

He, as God, and as the human man, Jesus, lived and taught his disciples about the kingdom of God and his plan for humankind. He fulfilled his destiny when he died, rose again, and ascended his glorified flesh body into Heaven to sit on the right hand of God, his spirit form.

Jesus, the man, had promised his faithful that he would return and rule with them on Planet Earth for one thousand years. After that, he would give back the kingdom to God, The spirit Father, and he would be subjected to God again.

Perhaps, the three of them, Jesus, Jehovah, and the spirit will become one again as they were in the beginning.

Before Jesus returned, though, he needed a form to live in among his faithful on Earth. He couldn’t trust the angels anymore. Jesus, the Jehovah human form, had done enough.

So, he sent the spirit of Jesus God, the Holy Ghost, to earth. Some call him a third person of the Godhead. He, whatever he is, lives among us today. He, too, is God Jesus, God Jehovah, and Father God. All three are one; yet three.

How can this be? Don’t ask me. I haven’t even figured out how the earth can be. I cannot really say how many we will see on earth or in heaven when all things are restored as in the beginning. They are both a family unity and one.

In Heaven, Jesus, (both God and man form) may exist apart from the Jehovah form. Remember that many of the angels looked like Jehovah’s form. The Jehovah was total God but not total man. The Holy Ghost may have His place as a separate being. Yet, it is all one God. We might use the egg as an example. We can separate the egg. We have the shell, the white and the yellow parts. This is three parts. They are one, but yet three. We can fry the white alone or use the yoke alone. The Godhead has Life within itself, each individual part of it. Each form can live apart from the shell or in the shell. What a mystery.

We will be in a form like Jesus when we live with him on earth and in heaven.

Perhaps, we will help create things. What an awesome future we have if we prove worthy of it, by following the examples of Jesus, the Son. How can anyone accurately explain Life? We have a small part of life abiding in us, but we have no power to sustain that life; not now, we don’t, but when we become like Jesus, perhaps we will. He promised that we will become like him and rule the new earth with him.

Sometimes we miss out for trying to find out what God is instead of getting to know him for who he is.

Until we meet Jesus face to face, just believe that God is, and Jesus is, and the Holy Ghost is, and try not to dwell too much on how or what they are exactly, except that they are the creator. THE END If you have an article that you have written and want me to include it in one of my magazine issues, please send it to me by email at: rethatrohs@yahoo.com. I will try to upload it with my file, but can’t be responsible for it in any shape or form. I have no control over who might steal it or claim it as their own.

D. Children’s Poems or Stories (Here is a learning story for children. Stories wanted from you, also. My email: rethatrohs@yahoo.com )

SALLY’S ICY DRINK STAND (math skills) Joan Shortridge Sally, a six year old, wanted to help her nine year old brother,Mike, in his ICY DRINK stand. The stand was set up near the school in their small town. Mike only operated the stand on Saturdays. This Saturday, little Sally wanted to accompany her only brother to town and help him in the stand.

“You can’t count well enough,” he told her. “What else can you do at the stand?”

Sally twisted her blonde head toward him and said, “I can take their orders.”

Mrs. Baker, their mother, thought it might work out alright for Sally to help at the stand. Smiling, she suggested, “Take her for this one day, and if she cannot do to suit you, she won’t be going next Saturday.”

So, Sally and Mike loaded all their cups, ice, and drinks into their mother’s car, and she drove them to the stand. They unloaded their stuff, and set up for business. They waved their mother on, as she worked at the beauty parlor right next door. They could handle this job by their selves.

As soon as they had opened for business Bart, a ten year old neighbor boy, stopped by the stand and ordered a strawberry icy drink. Sally took his order, and demanded to be paid one dollar.

He did not have a dollar bill but did have some coins in his pocket. He pulled out the coins and counted five dimes, three pennies, three quarters, and four nickels.

“Well,” Sally demanded, “Where is my dollar?”

Mike put in, “He has enough money to pay for the drink. He doesn’t have to pay with a dollar bill. Go ahead, Bart, count out the money that equals a dollar for her. She’s not that great at counting yet.”

Bart handed her three quarters, __?___dimes, and __?___nickels.

Suddenly, he reached into her hand, took back one dime and replaced it with __? __nickels. “I might need that dime later on,” he explained to her.

Sally glanced at Mike, who nodded that the money was right, so she handed the customer the drink.

Mike told Sally, “We probably should charge taxes next time. It is three cents on the dollar here, so how much would that be for one drink, Sis?” When Sally shrugged, he went on, “It would be three cents. If he had bought two drinks it would have been _?__cents for taxes.”

Sally grinned as another customer approached the stand. She commented, “I might learn to count money today.” To the customer, she asked, “What kind icy do you want?”

The girl replied, “I’ll take two pineapple-peach drinks.”

Sally made a distasteful face, but waited as Mike made and handed her the drinks. She told the customer, “You owe me one dollar and three cents for taxes.”

Mike frowned and added, “That is for one drink. The second drink is another dollar and three cents. That will be __?___dollars and six cents for two drinks.”

After the customer left, Mike scolded his sister. “You almost lost us the extra dollar and three cents. You have to learn to count right or you won’t get to do this again. Do I make myself clear?”

Sally nodded. “I just forgot,” she admitted. “Doing business is not so easy.

I will do better on the next customer,” she promised, as a tall, lanky lad from school approached the stand and ordered two strawberry-peach drinks. This time, Sally asked for the ___?__dollars and _?____cents.

The boy handed her four quarters, __?__dimes, and __?__cents. She took the money and handed him the drinks. After that, he left.

During the whole day, these kids sold twenty drinks. They earned ___? __dollars and __?___tax cents. The stuff they bought to make the drinks with had cost them four dollars and twelve cents. So, after subtracting this from their earnings, they had___?___dollars and __?___cents left. This was their profit.

Then, Mike gave Sally one fourth of the profit, not counting the taxes to be paid.

Sally earned __?___dollars and _?___cents.

Mike and Sally closed up the stand, took one drink each to drink, and joined their mother at the beauty parlor.

Mother finished her last hair style, and then had the children follow her to her car. She questioned them about their earnings. After they told her how much they had, she suggested they save ten percent in their piggy banks and spend the rest. So, Mike put ___?____dollars and __?___cents in his bank, while Sally put __?__dollars and __?___cents into her bank. Mike had _?___dollars and __? __cents left to spend, but Sally had only _?___dollars and __?__cents to spend.

They stopped at a local store, where Mike bought a kite for two dollars and a ball for three dollars. He had __?__dollars and _?____cents left to take home with him. Sally, on the other hand bought a doll for two dollars and had___?__ dollars and ___?__cents left to take home with her.

Mother suggested that they keep what money they had left to spend for something special later. THE END

2. THE VERB TENSE CONTEST (English skills. Fill in the story with the correct past tense.)

Two small lads, whom we’ll call by their nicknames, Worm and Bug, went to Sunday School where they listened to their teacher relate the story of little David, a Sheppard boy who (fight)______with a giant. Armed with a sling shot and rock, David pulled the sling back and (throw) _________the rock flew toward the giant.

David successfully (slay)______the giant with the help of God. This young lad was invited to see the King named Saul, and he (play)_____ his harp for the king.

David became best friends with Jonathon, the king’s son. After that, David often (spend)_______ time at Saul’s palace. David eventually became king over Israel, a Jewish nation.

After Sunday school Worm and Bug (leave)_______ the church and went with their parents to a nearby park where they threw a baseball with some other kids from the church. It rained and (drown) ________out their game.

(Here is a short poem taken from my eBook, Angels and a Lazy Rabbit Poetry Book, (ISBN-1468911937) which can be purchased from booktango.com for less than five dollars.

Rabbit Doll By

Joan (Jessee) Shortridge A poor widow and two little girls lived a long time ago.

They had little food and their house was cold.

The girls wanted toys but had none, They didn’t have a doll, no not one.

A naughty rich girl lived in town, She gave them cloth for clothes, but found, The little girls made toys instead, Two little dolls to sleep in their beds.

The children’s intentions were misunderstood, A rich Girl forced Mother to punish them good, But, the little girls refused to be sad, They played with the dolls they now had.

Seeing that the dolls were beautiful to behold, Rich Girl came and offered them silver and gold.

The girls refused to make her a deal, So, she decided-the dolls she would steal.

While they slept snugly in their beds, Rich Girl came and tore their dolls to shreds.

The girls awakened, tears streamed down their faces, Torn cloth and thread lay in their doll’s places.

They sewed and sewed, trying to fix them as before, But, there was not enough cloth left anymore.

Mother suggested, “Instead of two dolls, make only one.

You will have to share, but it beats having none.”

The girls put their heads together, They came up with a doll that looked better, “We’ll call him Rabbit Doll,” they said.

“Because his ears are long, and his teeth are spread.

Rich Girl came snooping around again, She found Rabbit Doll where torn cloth had been Her greedy heart filled with envy, She said, “I’ll steal this doll for me.”

One little girl asked, “You have dolls of every kind, Why is it that you still wish mine?”

Rich Girl cried, “This is the only doll in the world, That is a rabbit instead of a human boy or girl.”

Now, Rebel, a real rabbit, watched from the room, While keeping quietly hidden behind their broom.

He watched and waited, until to sleep the little girls fell, Rebel took the doll’s place, hoping no one could tell.

Once again, quietly as a mouse, Rich Girl sneaked into their house, Not knowing that Rebel was real, She stole him just for the thrill.

She grabbed the doll and fled into the night, But this time, Rebel Rabbit put up a fight.

He snatched and clawed Rich Girl’s perfect face, Got away and went back to the little girls’ place.

They received their rabbit doll for the rest of their lives,

Until each one grew up and became rich men’s wives.

And, even though he wished that he could stay, Ever so quietly, Rebel Rabbit sneaked away. THE END

The above poem is only one poem in the eBook. Each poem is a story within a story. You may purchase this eBook at booktango.com If you have a poem or short story that you would like to be included in this section of the magazine next month, please email it to me, but I can’t be responsible it.

Some reader could use it without your or my permission, and I can’t be responsible. My email is rethatrohs@yahoo.com

E. Events Brother Delmoe Jessee has appointments to minister at New Melody Church of (Fairview) Duffield, Va. every third Sunday of each month. This country church makes everyone welcome and allows you to sing and testify during service (when the spirit inspires you to do so) without having scheduled appointments. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Services at: Headquarters for Second Chance Ministries on Sunday morning only at 10:45-12:45 and is located at 265 Craig Street Christiansburg, Virginia 24073.

Email me your scheduled services at rethatrohs@yahoo.com

F. Ads EBooks: Angels and a Lazy Rabbit-ISBN9781468906226; Another Dimension-ISBN9781468926088; A Happy Kangaroo-ISBN1468926519 Rebel’s Jungle Friends-ISBN9781468912173; Angels and a Lazy Rabbit Poetry Book-ISBN1468911937 Alien Girl1 and 2 ISN-1468920693 The Dream that Saved my Unborn Baby’s LifeISBN9781468913101 (booktango.com) Little John’s Angels-ISBN9781463003395 (bookcountry.com) Meet the Math Family-ISBN 2940149187997; Meet the English Family-Native Americans Photo EBookproject 554672 Paper Dolls and House Coloring eBookHistorical EBook of Frontier America-project 557790;

House EBooks and Cutouts-project 560553(nookpress.com) In progress: A Journey with Gnome, Haunted House, and Loving an Alien by Joan Shortridge; also Seven Years of Insanity by Mark King and Glena Jessee-King.

(Your ad can go among the ads if you email the ad to: rethatrohs@yahoo.com (Please watch for the August issue around the 21st of August 2014) THE END

(In progress now at West Bow Publishing-this is not the final picture version, though.)

(This is the back of “Seven Years of Insanity” print book.)