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This is to talk about books of the bible My favorite book is psalms. what's yours?

-- Kristine (jade@bbs.yab.com), July 27, 1997

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Dear Mr Jenkins and Mr Wendell,

I am so pleased that you have taken an interest in my 9 year old daughter's message base on the bible. However, the rather lofty discussion you are having, although interesting, is a bit above the 7-12 year old base of users that visit Kristine. Children cannot quite grasp either the language nor the high level of theology that you fine gentlemen who are obviously so knowledgeable in the bible are parlaying back and forth. Please either simplify your posts in respect for the tender age of the readers here, or find an alternative bible site to continue your discussion.

Thank you for your consideration, Ashley Albinda

-- Ashley Albinda (delta@neta.com), March 13, 1998.


Wow! Someone is talking about the bible! My favourite book is James Proverbs rock!

-- Sherry Dixon (Bellbeam97@yahoo.com), December 16, 1997.

It would be hard to pick a favorite. The Psalms are great, because of the comfort and encouragement they have offered God's people through the centuries. I love the Gospel of John, because it makes the way of salvation through simple faith in Jesus so plain. I also love Romans and Hebrews because of the clearly reasoned and forceful way they set forth the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. And I love First Corinthians, both Timothys, Titus and First & Second Peter because of the practical guidance they offer for living the Christian life. But even the books that aren't much fun to read are valuable because they're the record of God working out his plan of salvation in human history.

-- David Jenkins (ljenkins@vol.com), January 13, 1998.

My favorite is the Book of Revelation. It is appropriate that it is the last book in the Bible, because it serves as sort of an end-of-course test. Revelation is a summary of all the books which come before it in the Bible, and a code book for deciphering them. If one can not comprehend Revelation, they have no understanding of any of the rest of the books of the Bible either.

My next favorite are the group of writings which Jesus referred to metaphorically as "the Well of Jacob," nowadays known as the Pentateuch - for there is nothing in the Bible which does not originate there.

The final favorite I would mention here is the Book of Ecclesiastes, for the immortal wisdom espressed in Chapter 1:9-11

"That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there anything of which it may be said "See, this is new"? It has already been in ancient times before us. There is no remembrance of former things, Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come By those who come after."

It is by these sacred words that we know that "the Messiah" is not, was not, and never will be a flesh and blood human being. Rather, the Messiah, like the Phrophet Elijah, is a temporal event. A cyclical, recurring event - which happens again and again like clockwork.

Finally, we should salute the author of the Gospel of John. In this version of "the Good News," Judas Iscariot does not die. Instead, the betrayer or revealer becomes the enigmatic character called "the Beloved Disciple." For if Jesus had not been revealed by the Beloved Disciple, the mission of Jesus could not be accomplished. When the true literary character of Jesus is again revealed, the messiah event will be at hand - right on schedule.

-- Gene Windell (ewindell@psci.net), February 27, 1998.


With all respect to the opinions of Gene Windell, the Bible says in I John 4:1-3 that to deny that Jesus Christ (Messiah) has come in the flesh is to have the spirit of the anti-Christ.

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

-- David B. Jenkins (ljenkins@vol.com), March 07, 1998.



With respect to David B. Jenkins the term "flesh," like every other term in the scriptures, is a metaphor - which in turn is part of a larger riddle.

The Gospel authors wrote "cast ye not your pearls before swine." By what manner of arrogance does the Bible reader assume that he is anything other than the "swine" from which the true meaning of the scriptures is being concealed?

In the parable of the "Pearl of Great Price," we find the protagonist using the term "pearl" as a metaphor for truth, knowledge, wisdom. And he goes on to say, metaphorically, that the merchant of fine pearls must "sell" all he owns in order to acquire the Pearl of Great Price. In these verses, the process of baptism is being described - which is the doorway through which one must pass in order to comprehend the scriptures.

To achieve truth, one must stop believing in falsehoods. This is what is meant by the need for "the merchant" to sell all he owns - assuming that all he owns is falsehoods. To achieve 1 element of truth, one must stop believing in about 10 lies.

Yet, how is a man to know what is true and what is false - when all we know is what we are taught? And as surely as big fish eat little fish, the strong and clever exploit the weak and foolish for their own selfish gains - which comes close to being a good definition for the power of Satan. The institutions by which man is taught to believe are the instruments by which truth is concealed and the mind enslaved.

To know the truth, one must first humble themselves before God in admitting the possibility that everything he has been taught to believe may be dead wrong! 100% of the typical person's most cherished, heart-felt beliefs - about everything - may be dead wrong!

This is the meaning of the term "baptism." It is the cleansing of the mind of false believes. But because the initiate does not know what is true and what is false, he must believe in nothing. He must reject everything he believes. For only then may he be "born again." And it is a virgin birth.

The conventional interpretation of the Holy Scriptures was conceived by the evil Emperor Constantine, who said of Christianity "by this I shall conquer." An through the institutionalized teaching of falsehoods by his church, the world of Christendom has been enchanted and coerced into believing in magic, supernatural events, physical impossibilities and the most outrageous mythology. And we have indeed likened ourselves to swine by our eagerness to accept such brainwashing - and persecuting those who refuse to accept it.

The manner in which one interprets the scriptures will be based on the assumptions he brings to the task. And if his assumptions are wrong, his interpretation and conclusions will be wrong also. Yet who is sufficiently humble to be like the merchant of fine pearls, and willingly give up his pre-existing assumptions in order to find the truth?

One must walk before they can run, and most readers are not ready to deal with the metaphor of "flesh." The kindergarten course in Biblical metaphors is the term "woman." Everywhere throughout the scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, the term woman means "zodiac." Not astrology, not the individual 12 signs of the zodiac - there are other metaphors for those terms. Each time you encounter the term "woman" in any verse of the scriptures, substitute the word "zodiac" and you will begin to have some clue about what is being discussed.

Gene

-- Gene Windell (ewindell@psci.net), March 13, 1998.


My favorite book is Ezekiel, I guess because it talks about a restored time in the future when Yahweh returns and the temple will be rebuilt and sin offerings will be brought to it (Ez. 45:22).

Was Jesus a sinner? What do you think?

Jesus was talking to the other disciples about Judas when he said in Jn. 13:18

"I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.'

Now, it says (as underlined) that a scripture was fulfilled and Bible references correctly point to Ps. 41:9 which says just that. But for your convenience, let us back up to verses4-9 in the Psalm to see who is talking here:

Psa 41:4 As for me, I said, "O LORD, be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You." Psa 41:5 My enemies speak evil against me, "When will he die, and his name perish ?" Psa 41:6 And when he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood; His heart gathers wickedness to itself; When he goes outside, he tells it. Psa 41:7 All who hate me whisper together against me; Against me they devise my hurt , saying, Psa 41:8 "A wicked thing is poured out upon him, That when he lies down, he will not rise up again." Psa 41:9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.

The speaker in the Psalm is David, who was a sinner and is talking about his own life. The NT is full of these ?fulfilled prophecies? that are not prophecies at all. None of the Psalms are prophecies of the future. Email me at bw124@hotmail.com and I will send you a nice list of problems with the NT. Yes, I believe in the OT if that is what you are wondering! Peace!

Brett

-- Brett Winstead (bw124@hotmail.com), November 01, 2002.


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