RPFs Bible Reading and Study Thread

[Deborah K]

A few years back, I decided to read and study the Bible from start to finish, (I've since started over). It is changing me in some very important ways. I am definitely a better person for it. Not perfect, but better. By starting this thread, I thought it would be interesting, and perhaps helpful to others in understanding what it really means to believe in a higher power, and how it can transform your life in a very meaningful way. As Christians, many of us have not read the Bible in its entirety. And many of us just focus on specific verses to the exclusion of the rest of the Bible. If it is something you would like to do, and fellowship with other RPF members at the same time, I welcome you.

I'll post a minimum of one chapter at a time from both the OT and the NT. Since I'm not on the forums every single day, I welcome others to fill in when I'm not available to do it. This will be a monumental task since it will literally take years to get through the whole thing, but I'm committed to doing it, provided other members are getting something out of it too. Can we handle it?

I know we are a feisty bunch, and we'll get into heated debates over theology, but hopefully we can steer ourselves back toward the goal of reading and understanding the Bible together. It doesn't mean we'll always agree but like Paul states, we should strive to find harmony in thought and purpose. Let's do our best not to rehash unresolved arguments. Atheists, agnostics, and non-Christian folk are welcomed too. Feel free to express your opinions, and ask questions. All I ask is that everyone who participates is respectful.

Dr. Paul is a devout Christian, and so I think it would please him to know that his Christian supporters are doing something together to try to promote peace. Peace in our hearts, peace in the world.



May the Holy Spirit bless this project, and help us receive guidance from the Lord. Amen.

[Deborah K]

Genesis

Chapter 1

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

3 Then God said, "Let there be light; and there was light."

4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

6 Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."

7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.

8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

9 Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so."

10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, {and} fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them; and it was so."

12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.

13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

14 Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;

15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth; and it was so."

16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; {He made} the stars also.

17 God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,

18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

20 Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens."

21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

22 God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."

23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind; and it was so."

25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

29 Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;

30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, {I have given} every green plant for food; and it was so."

31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Source: http://www.thestudybible.org/Genesis-1/

[Deborah K]

Matthew

Chapter 1


1 The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.

4 Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon.

5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse.

6 Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.

7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa.

8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah.

9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.

10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah.

11 Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel.

13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor.

14 Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud.

15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob.

16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.

20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

21 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL, which translated means, "GOD WITH US.""

24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took {Mary} as his wife,

25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Source: http://www.thestudybible.org/book.ph...apter=1&verse=

[Deborah K]

My take on Genesis chapter 1, and Matthew Chapter 1:

First, let me just state that I don't take the entire work of the Bible literally. Of course, some of it I do. It spans over 1500 years and is written by many authors, making it seemingly contradictory. (I think God has a sense of humor.) I understand it to be a combination of many things like metaphor, history, genealogy, symbolism, prophesy, analogy, morality, and very valuable advice; to name a few things.

It is also a written body of work that describes a people during a certain period of time in human history. When that fact gets overlooked, it becomes easy to impose, with impunity, modern day mores on these ancient written works. So, it becomes necessary at times, to research other texts, written during the same period, in order to get a better understanding of how to interpret meaning. It's also helpful to look up the meaning of certain words in the original language. Having stated all of the above, I do believe that all of it is divinely inspired.

The first chapter in Genesis describes God's creation of the earth. Darwinian types have a problem with this, and it's hard not to - with evidence of evolution all around us. I believe in evolution. But I believe that God created evolution.

In the first chapter of Matthew, there is genealogy, and the virgin birth. Now, some people like to point out that so-called "virgin births" were commonplace for other "gods" in human history. Some will even claim (without any evidence to back it up, of course) that the virgin birth story in the Bible is a rip-off. In my opinion, it is possible that other virgin births of "gods" may have taken place in human history, although there is only one true God, the God of the Bible. As far as Mary conceiving as a virgin; in this day and age, no one can claim that it is unfathomable anymore.

[heavenlyboy34]

My take on Genesis chapter 1, and Matthew Chapter 1:

First, let me just state that I don't take the entire work of the Bible literally. Of course, some of it I do. It spans over 1500 years and is written by many authors, making it seemingly contradictory. (I think God has a sense of humor.) I understand it to be a combination of many things like metaphor, history, genealogy, symbolism, prophesy, analogy, morality, and very valuable advice; to name a few things.

It is also a written body of work that describes a people during a certain period of time in human history. When that fact gets overlooked, it becomes easy to impose, with impunity, modern day mores on these ancient written works. So, it becomes necessary at times, to research other texts, written during the same period, in order to get a better understanding of how to interpret meaning. It's also helpful to look up the meaning of certain words in the original language. Having stated all of the above, I do believe that all of it is divinely inspired.

The first chapter in Genesis describes God's creation of the earth. Darwinian types have a problem with this, and it's hard not to - with evidence of evolution all around us. I believe in evolution. But I believe that God created evolution.

In the first chapter of Matthew, there is genealogy, and the virgin birth. Now, some people like to point out that so-called "virgin births" were commonplace for other "gods" in human history. Some will even claim (without any evidence to back it up, of course) that the virgin birth story in the Bible is a rip-off. In my opinion, it is possible that other virgin births of "gods" may have taken place in human history, although there is only one true God, the God of the Bible. As far as Mary conceiving as a virgin; in this day and age, no one can claim that it is unfathomable anymore.

Well said. It's also important to understand that all the books in the Bible fit into a genre of some sort, and are written accordingly. If you read the OT (the whole thing, including the apocrypha), you come across all the major Jewish literary forms as well as colorful poetry. The NT writers usually borrow bits and pieces of Jewish styles to cater to their audiences. This is most obvious in Matthew's chiism. (Matthew is generally considered the most "Jewish" of the gospels)

[jmdrake]

Good thread Deb! Last time I read through Genesis I would cross reference ideas from it with other parts of the Bible. Take for instance "Let there be light."

John 1:4,5
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.

Psalms 119:105 [ נ Nun ] Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

[William Tell]

I take Genesis literally, if Darwin's theory were true, man has not fallen from God's blessing. He has risen above his animalistic state. In my view, that sounds like what Satan was telling Eve. If evolution was necessary, God did not create a perfect world. But Genesis teaches the opposite of macro evolution, from Adam to Noah men lived hundreds of years. Kent Hovind did some good lectures on this topic.

[Natural Citizen]

I take Genesis literally, if Darwin's theory were true, man has not fallen from God's blessing. He has risen above his animalistic state.

Seems like man was eternally cursed for essentially learning to question.

[William Tell]

Introducing Kent Hovind, he is currently in Federal Prison, put their over an IRS dispute. While he is scheduled to be released soon, Eric Holder and his goons are trying to keep him there. Kent has been a longtime supporter of Ron Paul, and the Patriot movement.

Here is one of his videos which goes into the age of the earth, and tackles the subject of Evolution, and proof of a Creator. Lots more on youtube.:

[mosquitobite]

There is evidence of mutation, not evidence of evolution.

Science has never proven evolution. Think "island of dr Moreau". From what I have read, evolution has never been proven in a science lab.

For example, shouldn't they be able to evolve a mouse or a bug into something else?


And yes on the virgin birth stuff - with IUI. In fact there's a new tv show with that premise!

[Jamesiv1]

If you also consider that the Old Testament was written by Jews, about the history of the Jews, it adds another layer of understanding.

[jmdrake]

Oh, and here's what I most interesting about Matthew 1. It's the geneology of Jesus. I used to find that boring. But think about each woman mentioned in it.

Tamar - She pretended to be a prostitute and was impregnated by her father in law.
Rahab - Caananite prostitute.
Ruth - Moabitess. (Her ancestor was born of incest).
Bathsheba - Her adultery with David led to the murder of her husband.
Mary - Unwed teenage mom. (And least when the baby was conceived).

[pcosmar]

Oh, and here's what I most interesting about Matthew 1. It's the geneology of Jesus. I used to find that boring. But think about each woman mentioned in it.

Tamar - She pretended to be a prostitute and was impregnated by her father in law.
Rahab - Caananite prostitute.
Ruth - Moabitess. (Her ancestor was born of incest).
Bathsheba - Her adultery with David led to the murder of her husband.
Mary - Unwed teenage mom. (And least when the baby was conceived).

There is nothing new under the sun.

[moostraks]

Seems like man was eternally cursed for essentially learning to question.

Well if you are a glass half full sort I suppose you could see it that way. Or you could possibly consider that being a created being humans lacked the foreknowledge and self control to make appropriate decisions so we learn the hard way. Negative consequences and the negative aspects of life are results of choices that have a certain result that is unpleasant. If these results wer not unpleasant we might continue to make these poor choices.

It isn't questioning that causes a consequence but making a poor decision...my take on it fwiw.

[Terry1]

I think that one of the most beautiful truths about the first chapter of Genesis is that while God is creating and forming the world and everything in it and telling us that it is ours to "subdue"--yet science has never found the beginning or end to anything that exists. Things just keep getting smaller, but there is no evidence of where anything begins or ends other than God Himself.

Mankind can manipulate creation and transform things from one substance into another, but they can not actually create anything that doesn't already exist. While mankind struggles to understand the mysteries of the universe and what lay beyond and beyond that in attempt to deny the existence of God. Creation all by itself is the very testimony shouting them down revealing that God does exist. This is why God said "by the evidence of the things created that mankind is without excuse. They all speak for themselves and testify every single day that God is real simply by their existence.

[donnay]

[Kevin007]

Arnold Murray is a false preacher.
Following are some of the aberrant teachings by Arnold Murray:
Unorthodox False Teachings:

1. Denies the Trinity and teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are really three offices held by the one God.
2. Denies the existence of eternal hell.
3. Denies the doctrine of the Rapture.
4. Denies physical resurrection of believers. We will be raised spiritually.
5. Teaches annihilationism: non-existence after death for sinners.
6. Teaches that certain Old Testament kosher laws regarding meat should be followed.
7. Teaches Serpent Seed doctrine: Eve had literal sexual relations with the serpent.
8. The offspring of Eve's impregnation resulted in Cain, Satan's offspring.
9. The Kenites are the tares of the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13.
10. Satan's fallen angels impregnated women around the time of Noah.
11. Interracial marriage is wrong.
12. Being born again is to enter into this body from a spiritual body of another age.
13. America and Britain are the lost tribes of Israel.
14. People were alive in a pre-existence.
15. There was an earth age prior to Adam where a race of people lived.
16. The Rapture is a false doctrine.


https://www.raptureready.com/who/Arnold_Murray.html

[moostraks]

Arnold Murray is a false preacher.
Following are some of the aberrant teachings by Arnold Murray:
Unorthodox False Teachings:

1. Denies the Trinity and teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are really three offices held by the one God.
2. Denies the existence of eternal hell.
3. Denies the doctrine of the Rapture.
4. Denies physical resurrection of believers. We will be raised spiritually.
5. Teaches annihilationism: non-existence after death for sinners.
6. Teaches that certain Old Testament kosher laws regarding meat should be followed.
7. Teaches Serpent Seed doctrine: Eve had literal sexual relations with the serpent.
8. The offspring of Eve's impregnation resulted in Cain, Satan's offspring.
9. The Kenites are the tares of the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13.
10. Satan's fallen angels impregnated women around the time of Noah.
11. Interracial marriage is wrong.
12. Being born again is to enter into this body from a spiritual body of another age.
13. America and Britain are the lost tribes of Israel.
14. People were alive in a pre-existence.
15. There was an earth age prior to Adam where a race of people lived.
16. The Rapture is a false doctrine.


https://www.raptureready.com/who/Arnold_Murray.html

Can you make any positive statements of your own beliefs on a subject or is it strictly hate on others?

[donnay]

Arnold Murray is a false preacher.
Following are some of the aberrant teachings by Arnold Murray:
Unorthodox False Teachings:

1. Denies the Trinity and teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are really three offices held by the one God.
2. Denies the existence of eternal hell.
3. Denies the doctrine of the Rapture.
4. Denies physical resurrection of believers. We will be raised spiritually.
5. Teaches annihilationism: non-existence after death for sinners.
6. Teaches that certain Old Testament kosher laws regarding meat should be followed.
7. Teaches Serpent Seed doctrine: Eve had literal sexual relations with the serpent.
8. The offspring of Eve's impregnation resulted in Cain, Satan's offspring.
9. The Kenites are the tares of the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13.
10. Satan's fallen angels impregnated women around the time of Noah.
11. Interracial marriage is wrong.
12. Being born again is to enter into this body from a spiritual body of another age.
13. America and Britain are the lost tribes of Israel.
14. People were alive in a pre-existence.
15. There was an earth age prior to Adam where a race of people lived.
16. The Rapture is a false doctrine.


https://www.raptureready.com/who/Arnold_Murray.html

Shepherd's Chapel Church

In Answer to Critics
by Pastor Arnold B. Murray

I make it a policy to never mention individual denominations, groups or single out individuals by name; however since 1991 several so called "Christian Research" organizations have willingly quoted each others's falsehoods and labels, without direct research, until they are blindly printing outright lies. This has gone on long enough now that I have categorized some glaring examples of such inaccuracies to facilitate making a clear Biblical response. I am not writing this document because I seek nor want any organization's endorsement, but I wish to point out these inaccuracies for intelligent Bible students who love to study God's Word. The Shepherd's Chapel Network now has millions of serious Bible students who study daily with us. It is because I love each of you who desire a deeper study into our Father's Word that I feel I owe this response to you and especially to new students of the Shepherd's Chapel.

I also should point out to those not familiar with the Shepherd's Chapel that we are completely independent; therefore we are not affiliated with any other church, denomination or group. As a matter of record, the only group of which I am a member is with the "Chosin Few" which is a group of Korean War veterans comprised of various military factions who fought in one of the more famous battles of that war. I am very proud to have served as a U.S. Marine in this severe winter battle in which approximately 12,000 of our troops faced a massive surprise attack by an estimated 120,000 of the Chinese communist enemy. Although suffering many casualties, the Marines and our British allies inflicted far more damage to the Chinese and were able to ultimately escape (with our dead and injured) from the Chosin Reservoir where we were at a grave disadvantage. Despite being wounded I survived this war because, I believe, the Lord had further plans and a purpose for my life. I have never forgotten the discipline of the U.S. Marine Corps and the lessons learned in war. If I teach like a Marine DI (Drill Instructor) it is with love because I know first hand the value of well educated and trained troops. In fact the root word behind the word "disciples" is "discipline". The Bible frequently uses military terms to convey how we must prepare to face spiritual warfare. As Christians our ultimate enemy is not "flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, to wit we must put on the whole armour of God" (Ephesians 6:10-19).

I believe many of the inaccurate perceptions of what I teach at the Shepherd's Chapel could be resolved quickly if those interested would simply request our "Statement of Faith" which has been freely available for many years. If you have not already requested it I would encourage you to do so. But perhaps the best way to evaluate what I teach is to simply listen for a while. One thing you will quickly notice is that I like to field questions which in my opinion is a fine way for the listener to test what is being taught. Since the beginning of my Bible teaching ministry, over 50 years ago, I have always insisted on taking questions from the congregation. This important part of teaching ensures that everyone has an opportunity to ask key questions, then hear and judge the knowledge of the teacher for themselves. Now let's take a look at some of the usual points of criticism that some of these so-called "Christian Research" people seem to steal from one another in their rush to reproduce lies against myself and the Shepherd's Chapel.

Please continue...

[Deborah K]

Genesis

Chapter 2

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.

2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven.

5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.

6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.

7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

8 The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.

9 Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers.

11 The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

12 The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there.

13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush.

14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.

16 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;

17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

18 Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."

19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought {them} to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.

20 The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.

21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.

22 The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.

23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."

24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Source: http://www.thestudybible.org/book.ph...apter=2&verse=

[Deborah K]

Matthew

Chapter 2

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

2 "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

3 When Herod the king heard {this,} he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

5 They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

6 'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'"

7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found {Him,} report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him."

9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over {the place} where the Child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And having been warned {by God} in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord *appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."

14 So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.

15 He remained there until the death of Herod. {This was} to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON."

16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.

17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

18 "A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE."

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord *appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said,

20 "Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child's life are dead."

21 So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned {by God} in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee,

23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. {This was} to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: "He shall be called a Nazarene."

Source: http://www.thestudybible.org/book.ph...apter=2&verse=

[Deborah K]

Genesis

Chapter 3


1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"

2 The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;

3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'"

4 The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!

5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make {one} wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"

10 He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself."

11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"

12 The man said, "The woman whom You gave {to be} with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate."

13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done? And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate.""

14 The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life;

15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

16 To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you."

17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.

18 "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field;

19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."

20 Now the man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all {the} living.

21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever--"

23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.

24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

Source: http://www.thestudybible.org/book.ph...apter=2&verse=

[Deborah K]

Matthew

Chapter 3

1 Now in those days John the Baptist *came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,

2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, "THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!'"

4 Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

5 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan;

6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 "Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;

9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.

10 "The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

12 "His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

13 Then Jesus *arrived from Galilee at the Jordan {coming} to John, to be baptized by him.

14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?"

15 But Jesus answering said to him, "Permit {it} at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he *permitted Him."

16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove {and} lighting on Him,

17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."

Source: http://www.thestudybible.org/book.ph...apter=3&verse=

[Deborah K]

Genesis

Chapter 4


1 Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, "I have gotten a manchild with {the help of} the LORD."

2 Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

3 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground.

4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering;

5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.

6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?

7 "If you do well, will not {your countenance} be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."

8 Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother? And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?""

10 He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground.

11 "Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

12 "When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth."

13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is too great to bear!

14 "Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

15 So the LORD said to him, "Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him."

16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

17 Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son.

18 Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech.

19 Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah.

20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and {have} livestock.

21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.

22 As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

23 Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, Listen to my voice, You wives of Lamech, Give heed to my speech, For I have killed a man for wounding me; And a boy for striking me;

24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold."

25 Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, {she said,} "God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him."

26 To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then {men} began to call upon the name of the LORD.

Source: http://www.thestudybible.org/book.ph...apter=4&verse=

[Deborah K]

Matthew

Chapter 4


1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.

3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."

4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'"

5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,

6 and *said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, 'HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU'; and 'ON {their} HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'"

7 Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'"

8 Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;

9 and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me."

10 Then Jesus *said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"

11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and {began} to minister to Him.

12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee;

13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.

14 {This was} to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

15 "THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES--

16 "THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED."

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

18 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

19 And He *said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

21 Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the {son} of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them.

22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

23 Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

24 The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.

25 Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and {the} Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and {from} beyond the Jordan.

Source: http://www.thestudybible.org/book.ph...apter=4&verse=

[Deborah K]

There is evidence of mutation, not evidence of evolution.

Science has never proven evolution. Think "island of dr Moreau". From what I have read, evolution has never been proven in a science lab.

For example, shouldn't they be able to evolve a mouse or a bug into something else?


And yes on the virgin birth stuff - with IUI. In fact there's a new tv show with that premise!

How do you explain findings like this? http://www.theguardian.com/science/2...uman-evolution

[Deborah K]

Introducing Kent Hovind, he is currently in Federal Prison, put their over an IRS dispute. While he is scheduled to be released soon, Eric Holder and his goons are trying to keep him there. Kent has been a longtime supporter of Ron Paul, and the Patriot movement.

Here is one of his videos which goes into the age of the earth, and tackles the subject of Evolution, and proof of a Creator. Lots more on youtube.:

I listened to this whole thing today. His take is interesting, although it threw me when at around 24 minutes he had a graphic up with a misspelled word "mater" instead of "matter". He has typos here and there too. He presents a good argument in some areas, and I'll be researching some of his claims. I like what he had to say about carbon dating.

[Deborah K]

Seems like man was eternally cursed for essentially learning to question.

He disobeyed God's instructions. Perhaps he would have learned everything he wanted to know at some point, had he just been willing to take instruction, instead of desiring to be on equal footing with his maker.

[jmdrake]

It's interesting that there are two different stories of creation. This has caused some confusion over the years. Some people have focused on Genesis 2's account of the creation of Eve as "proof" that Adam had a first wife named Lilith. But Genesis 2 tells the story of man and woman's creation. Also note in verse 19 it points out that the animals were made from the ground just like man in verse 7. For the longest I thought that the animals were spoken into existence while man was created from the ground by hand. In reality the difference is the two accounts in Genesis 1 and 2 and not some great difference in the creation of man and animals. For this reason some people believe animals have souls.



Last question. Since the man and the woman were "naked and not ashamed", why are we now so hung up on the human body?

Genesis

Chapter 2

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.

2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven.

5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.

6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.

7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

8 The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.

9 Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers.

11 The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

12 The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there.

13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush.

14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.

16 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;

17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

18 Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."

19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought {them} to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.

20 The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.

21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.

22 The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.

23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."

24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Source: http://www.thestudybible.org/book.ph...apter=2&verse=

[jmdrake]

After the fall the blame game began. Man has not changed in all these years.

Genesis

Chapter 3


1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"

2 The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;

3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'"

4 The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!

5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make {one} wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"

10 He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself."

11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"

12 The man said, "The woman whom You gave {to be} with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate."

13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done? And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate.""

14 The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life;

15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

16 To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you."

17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.

18 "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field;

19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."

20 Now the man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all {the} living.

21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever--"

23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.

24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

Source: http://www.thestudybible.org/book.ph...apter=2&verse=