# Lifestyles & Discussion > Peace Through Religion >  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.

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## 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/

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## 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=

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## 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.

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## 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)

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## 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.
_

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## 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.:

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## 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!

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## 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.

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## 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).

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## donnay



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## 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

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## 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.
> ...


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

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## 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.
> ...



*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...*

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## 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=

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## 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=

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## 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.
> ...

----------


## 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;
> 
> ...

----------


## moostraks

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


Ego. Being led to listen to voices from outside ourselves that we don't measure up to societies standards? Dh tells me all kinds of sweet things and I can list a mile long of my negatives and usually dismiss his comments as trying to earn some physical reward. I don't seem to take compliments as being genuine.

----------


## Deborah K

> 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?


Why is the tube you embedded hidden?  I see it when I reply to your post, but not in your actual post?? hmmm.

Anyway....as to the question of why we are so hung up on the human body.  I think the reason Adam and Eve became ashamed after they became aware of being naked, could be because to be naked, is to be vulnerable. And so they became aware of their vulnerability.

In today's world, I think nakedness has more to do with sexuality.  In primitive tribes where men's and women's privates are bare, there doesn't seem to be a problem with lust, or rape, etc..  But, in western culture, nudity is synonymous with lust.  Somewhere down the line in our human history, we felt the need to cover up. Some of it, I'm sure, had to do with cold climates.  But even today, in the Muslim faith, some cultures make the women cover up completely. And the Victorian Era has had a great deal of influence over our attitudes about sex and nudity. /rant

----------


## moostraks

> Why is the tube you embedded hidden?  I see it when I reply to your post, but not in your actual post?? hmmm.


I had a problem with embedding a video earlier as well. Something has been changed in the easy video button also. It gives different prompts. I ended up having to go to the computer and copy and paste from the address bar rather than you tubes link they offer.

----------


## Deborah K

Gonna post 4 chapters today, and when I get a chance, I'll post my take on what we have so far.  Feel free to correct me, disagree, or whatever.  While I don't want to see the thread get tossed into 'Hot Topics', I'd still like to see some lively debate.  I know a few of the non-believers have strong opinions.  You're welcomed to express them.

----------


## Deborah K

*Genesis
*
*Chapter 5*

1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.

2 He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.

3 When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of {a son} in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.

4 Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had {other} sons and daughters.

5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.

6 Seth lived one hundred and five years, and became the father of Enosh.

7 Then Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had {other} sons and daughters.

8 So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

9 Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan.

10 Then Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had {other} sons and daughters.

11 So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.

12 Kenan lived seventy years, and became the father of Mahalalel.

13 Then Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had {other} sons and daughters.

14 So all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

15 Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Jared.

16 Then Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Jared, and he had {other} sons and daughters.

17 So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

18 Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch.

19 Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had {other} sons and daughters.

20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah.

22 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had {other} sons and daughters.

23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.

24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and became the father of Lamech.

26 Then Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had {other} sons and daughters.

27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.

28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son.

29 Now he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands {arising} from the ground which the LORD has cursed."

30 Then Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after he became the father of Noah, and he had {other} sons and daughters.

31 So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.

32 Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Source: http://www.thestudybible.org/book.ph...apter=5&verse=

----------


## Deborah K

*Genesis
*
*Chapter 6*

1 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."

4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore {children} to them. Those were the mighty men who {were} of old, men of renown.

5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6 The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

7 The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them."

8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

9 These are {the records of} the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.

10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.

12 God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

13 Then God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.

14 "Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch.

15 "This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

16 "You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.

17 "Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.

18 "But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark--you and your sons and your wife, and your sons' wives with you.

19 "And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every {kind} into the ark, to keep {them} alive with you; they shall be male and female.

20 "Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every {kind} will come to you to keep {them} alive.

21 "As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather {it} to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them."

22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.

Source:  http://www.thestudybible.org/book.ph...apter=6&verse=

----------


## Deborah K

*Matthew
*
*Chapter 5*

1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

2 He opened His mouth and {began} to teach them, saying,

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 "Blessed are you when {people} insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

12 "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty {again?} It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

15 nor does {anyone} light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

19 "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others {to do} the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches {them,} he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses {that} of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

21 "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.'

22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty {enough to go} into the fiery hell.

23 "Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

25 "Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

26 "Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.

27 "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY';

28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 "If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

30 "If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

31 "It was said, 'WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE';

32 but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for {the} reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33 "Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.'

34 "But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,

35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING.

36 "Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

37 "But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' {or} 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil.

38 "You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.'

39 "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

40 "If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.

41 "Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.

42 "Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.'

44 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on {the} evil and {the} good, and sends rain on {the} righteous and {the} unrighteous.

46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

47 "If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing {than others?} Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Source:  http://www.thestudybible.org/book.ph...apter=5&verse=

----------


## Deborah K

*Matthew
*
*Chapter 6*


1 "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

2 "So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

3 "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees {what is done} in secret will reward you.

5 "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

6 "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees {what is done} in secret will reward you.

7 "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.

8 "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9 "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

10 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

11 'Give us this day our daily bread.

12 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.']

14 "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

15 "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

16 "Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites {do,} for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

17 "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face

18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees {what is done} in secret will reward you.

19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

20 "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;

21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 "The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.

23 "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

25 "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, {as to} what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, {as to} what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

26 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and {yet} your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

27 "And who of you by being worried can add a {single} hour to his life?

28 "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,

29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

30 "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is {alive} today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, {will He} not much more {clothe} you? You of little faith!

31 "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'

32 "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Source:  http://www.thestudybible.org/book.ph...apter=6&verse=

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## Deborah K

My take on Genesis Chapters 2 - 6. My take on Matthew Chapters 2 - 6 are forthcoming:

Genesis Chapter 2 is basically a review of what God has created, and it is also where God makes Eve for Adam, so he won't be lonely.  In Chapter 3, I see Adam and Eve refusing to accept responsibility for what they have done.  Now, even if one views this story as nothing more than a metaphor, I think you can still get something from it because it clearly has a moral :  Dudes!  You need to man-up and stop letting your women push you around!!  Quit being whiney bit_ _es and blaming US for everything.  (Just kidding! sort of)  What happens here?  He blames her, she blames the snake.  No one admits fault or asks for forgiveness.  They both give in to temptation.  Did God set them up to fail on purpose?  I don't think so, this story is one of many which lead me to believe in "free will".  He gave them the ability to choose to obey him.  They were told what the consequences would be, and yet they gave in to their temptations.  Temptation is a HUGE issue for humans.  Jesus knew this well.  He was tempted by Satan, and when he gave us the Lord's Prayer, it says right in it:... Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  

Every time I'm tempted to do something I shouldn't do (like eat something I really shouldn't, etc.), or don't do something I should do (like exercise, etc.), I always first try to justify it to myself, I make excuses for why it's okay.  And, later I regret it.  I'm not sinning per se, but I'm not 'respecting my temple' either.  How often do you give in to temptations?  And, would you be better off if you didn't?  If the Holy Spirit resides in our souls, he probably talks our consciences, you know, that tiny voice that nags at you to do the right thing?  Yeah, that's probably him.  Imagine how much better our lives would be if we even listened _half_ the time? 

In Chapter 4, their children arrive on the scene, Cain and Abel. And, immediately Cain decides to do things _his_ way, instead of God's way.  The Lord accepts Abel's offerings, but not Cain's and this makes him angry and full of rage.  And God tells him his life will be full of light if he would just obey.  He warns him that sin is ready to attack and destroy him, but that he can conquer it - if he would just listen!   But, what does he do instead?  He kills his brother.  Seems the world hasn't learned anything.

In Chapter 5 we have more genealogy, but Chapter 6 is where it really starts to get interesting.  The Nephilim arrive on the scene and start mating with human women and creating a hybrid human.  It is debatable as to what the Nephilim were.  Some translations say 'spiritual beings', some people think it's another word for 'Giant', but I don't think so, based on other Scripture (a topic for the future).  So anyway, around the same time, things start to get really bad on earth - lots of criminal behavior going on and God isn't happy at all about it and wants to destroy everything he created because he is sorry for creating them.  This brings us to a big question:  Can God make mistakes, have regrets, etc.?  The Bible says he does, and I give my take on it in a couple of different threads:  http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...=1#post5674696  Erowe has a response below this one, for those interested in an opposing view on whether God has regrets.  Also in Chapter 6 is Noah, and God is pleased with him because Noah obeys him.  And God tells Noah he's going to flood the earth and gives Noah the blueprint for the Ark.

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## Christian Liberty

> 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.
> ...


Not all of those doctrines are heresies.  Some are, but some are not.

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## Deborah K

My take on Matthew Chapters 2 - 6.

Chapter Two goes into Christ's birth and talks about Herod massacring all infants under the age of two.  There are debates as to whether or not the massacre is accurate history.  I found this article on the subject interesting and plausible:  http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post...y-Fiction.aspx

Chapter Three has an interesting verse that speaks to the ongoing debate in this forum on whether salvation is to be had through faith only, or through faith _and_ works.  It's verse 8:  8 "Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;"  Basically, John the Baptist is saying (when put into context): Before being baptized, prove that you have turned from sin by doing worthy deeds.

Chapter Four talks about Jesus's preparation for his ministry and his 40 day retreat and fast in the desert.  Again, we learn about temptation.  And this is where we understand that temptation is not a sin - even Jesus was tempted, by Satan.  We also learn that the nations of the world are Satan's to give.

In Five there are the BE - attitudes:  Jesus's sermon on the mount.  This is one of the most beautiful chapters to be found in the NT.  One verse that really stands out for me is this one:




> 13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty {again?} It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.


Jesus is saying to us Christians that we are the world's seasoning, to make it tolerable, and if we lose our flavoring, what will happen to the world?

In Chapter Six, what stands out for me the most is that as Christians, we shouldn't 'pretend' to be pious and tell everyone every nice thing we do for others.  I think it's okay to promote a charitable act that you support in an effort to bring more support, but it's not okay to develop a resume of charitable acts as a way to self-promote.  As Jesus states - it's all the glory you'll ever get.  And it's the same with prayer, and fasting; some people only pray at Church, and they try to come off like they're so pious, but behind closed doors, they're moody and rude, and they're basically hypocrites.  I'm sure we all have known someone like that.

This chapter also gives us the Lord's Prayer, and while Jesus tells us not to recite the same prayers over and over, he gives us the Lord's Prayer, and wants us to be mindful of exactly what we ask for in that prayer: to be fed (probably both spiritually and physically); to be forgiven, and to forgive others; not to be led into temptation; to be delivered from evil; and we also declare God to be Holy, and that His will be done here as well as in heaven, and that His kingdom will come to earth. 

At the end of this chapter he tells us not to worry about tomorrow but to live one day at a time.  That, to me, just reinforces that I need to trust in Him, He will take care of tomorrow.

There's so much more to these Chapters but these are the things that stand out the most for me.  I invite any and all input.  I'll put up the next few chapters of both testaments soon.  Blessings be upon you, the reader, and blessings be upon RPFs.

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## Miss Annie

> *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;
> 
> ...


It was Satan, in the first part of the chapter that taught us to "question things".  It did not come as a gift from God.  Satan, at the beginning statement questioned God's word. 
His first action was to cast doubt on the Word of God.  
The tree was called "the knowledge of good and evil".  I believe this is where the shame of nakedness came into play.  Shame came from the knowledge of evil, and not from God.

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## Miss Annie

> *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;
> 
> ...



The bolded part, I see as the first piece of prophecy in the Bible.  I believe that Satan has a great hatred for women and that this will be demonstrated through the Anti Christ as shown in this verse from Daniel : 
Da 11:37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, *nor the desires of women*, nor care for any God: for he shall magnifie himselfe aboue all

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## jmdrake

It's interesting that Satan tried to have Moses killed as a baby and Jesus killed.  Same attempt.  Same failure.




> My take on Matthew Chapters 2 - 6.
> 
> Chapter Two goes into Christ's birth and talks about Herod massacring all infants under the age of two.  There are debates as to whether or not the massacre is accurate history.  I found this article on the subject interesting and plausible:  http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post...y-Fiction.aspx
> 
> Chapter Three has an interesting verse that speaks to the ongoing debate in this forum on whether salvation is to be had through faith only, or through faith _and_ works.  It's verse 8:  8 "Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;"  Basically, John the Baptist is saying (when put into context): Before being baptized, prove that you have turned from sin by doing worthy deeds.
> 
> Chapter Four talks about Jesus's preparation for his ministry and his 40 day retreat and fast in the desert.  Again, we learn about temptation.  And this is where we understand that temptation is not a sin - even Jesus was tempted, by Satan.  We also learn that the nations of the world are Satan's to give.
> 
> In Five there are the BE - attitudes:  Jesus's sermon on the mount.  This is one of the most beautiful chapters to be found in the NT.  One verse that really stands out for me is this one:
> ...

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## Terry1

What's interesting in this thread is that I'm seeing a lot of typology or *types and shadows*.  I think it's important for many of us to understand how the OT and the NT relate to one another.  Why I want to touch on this particular subject is because I've been seeing a lot of misunderstanding and false teaching due to the fact that people are only reading the NT and not understanding that in order to understand the NT--they first must study and understand what the OT is saying.  Otherwise, we have this confusion about which "law" the NT Apostles are referring to with regard to "works and those we should and should not do.

"Typology stresses the connection between actual persons, events, places, and institutions of the Old Testament, and their corresponding reality in the New Testament which they foreshadowed. Moses the Lawgiver foreshadows Christ, the ultimate Lawgiver. Aaron, the High priest, foreshadows Christ, the ultimate High Priest. Manna, which fed the people in the wilderness foreshadows the Christ the Heavenly Bread (the Eucharist), which provides ultimate spiritual nourishment. The Burning Bush foreshadows the Theotokos. 

"Allegory, on the other hand, finds hidden or symbolic meaning in the Old Testament, which is inherent in text and does not depend on a future historical fulfillment-- for example, I Corinthians 9:8-10 sees the law forbidding the muzzling of an ox while it treads the corn as having the hidden meaning that a minister of the Gospel should be supported by the people he ministers to. The Song of Solomon is also often interpreted as an allegory of God (the Lover), and His love for His people (the beloved). The allegorical approach also often sees multiple correspondences in a given narrative which illustrate some point. For example, St. Paul explicitly uses allegory in Galatians 4, in which he sees the child of the slave woman (Hagar) as representing those under the Law, while the child of the free woman (Sarah) as representing those under the New Covenant, and the casting out of Hagar and Ishmael as representing the inferiority of the Old Covenant to the New (Galatians 4:21-31)."  Source http://orthodoxwiki.org/Typology

These type and shadows are absolutely necessary for understanding what is being spoken of in the NT.  This is a major problem I see in many churches today who are practicing dispensationalism and teaching a false Gospel.

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## Terry1

Starting with typology--what would you describe as the most prevalent type and shadow between the OT and the NT?

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