whosoeverinhim – Page 5 – Ephesians 2:8 '…For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God…' NASB (New American Standard Bible)

December 29, 2024

Genesis – part4

Sunday 122924

Ephesians 2:8-9 ‘…For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s GIFT, so that no one can boast about it…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

Don’t let me or my writings influence or scare you in any way, instead, allow me to be used as a vessel to open the Word, just a little bit, and hopefully, together we are going to read and study His Word, and let God teach us what He wants us to hear.

Since the beginning of this study, our vision has been that we are ONLY going to follow what is found in the Holy Bible, that pertains to us, and we realize that it’s ONLY from our own effort that we put into this study, that we’re going to take anything away for our own use.

The verses we are going to study tonight:

Genesis 3:22-24, 4:3-7, 4:16, 4:25-26, 5:32, 6:1-2, 6:3-4, 6:13, 7:7-9, 8:13-14, 9:28-29, 11:1-4, 11:7.

Genesis 3 begins with the fall of man. The serpent lied to Eve and got her to try the forbidden fruit and Adam was also fooled.

Genesis 3

vs22 ‘…Then the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out with his hand, and take fruit also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever…’

vs23 ‘…therefore the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken…’

vs24 ‘…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…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

Man has been kicked out of the Garden and up through today, we have had to endure the temptations of Satan. He is still trying to defeat God and take the position that he is ruler of this world.

In Genesis 4, Adam and Eve are raising their children. Mentioned in the Bible is Cain and Abel.

Genesis 4

vs3 ‘…One day, it was time for the harvest. Cain brought to the Lord some of his crops as an offering…’

vs4 ‘…But Abel brought to God some of the first lambs that his sheep had given birth to. He brought pieces of fat from the best of his lambs to offer them to God. Abel and his gift pleased the Lord…’

vs5 ‘…But God was not pleased with Cain and his gift. So, Cain became very angry. His face looked sad…’

vs6 ‘…Then the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry? Why do you look sad…’

vs7 ‘…If you do what is right, I will accept you. But if you do not do the right thing, sin will be very near to you. It will be like a wild animal at your door that is ready to eat you. But you must become its master…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

I think I have found the reason why God had a problem with Cain’s sacrifice. In the past, I always thought it was vs5, it was the sacrifice that Cain had offered, but from doing this study and taking the time and actually reading the verses, I feel confident to now voice that it was vs7.

Genesis 4:7

‘…If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him….’ KJV (King James Version)

‘…If you do well, will your face not be cheerful? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

‘…If you had done the right thing, you would be smiling; but because you have done evil, sin is crouching at your door. It wants to rule you, but you must overcome it…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

It was ‘sin’ that kept God from accepting Cain’s sacrifice. It wasn’t the sacrifice itself; it wasn’t because it was grain and not an animal sacrifice, in the past, I always thought it was all about the sacrifice.

Cain didn’t kill Abel until vs8, so it had to be every day, ordinary sin that kept God from accepting Cain’s sacrifice.

And as I just said in vs8, Cail kills his brother Abel.

Genesis 4:16 ‘…Then Cain left the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

In vs16, after Cain had killed his brother, he was sent away from the presence of God, he was on his own.

Genesis 4

vs25 ‘…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 child in place of Abel, because Cain killed him…’

vs26 ‘…To Seth also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then people began to call upon the name of the Lord…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

We now go into Genesis chapter 5 and the family tree of Adam to Noah is given.

Adam – — — —

Seth – Genesis 5:3

Enosh – Genesis 5:6

Kenan – Genesis 5:9

Mahalalel – Genesis 5:12

Jared – Genesis 5:15

Enoch – Genesis 5:18

Methuselah – Genesis 5:21

Lamech – Genesis 5:25

Noah – Genesis 5:29

The purpose of this genealogy is to take the reader to the days preceding the flood, and that means the days of Noah.

Genesis 5:32 ‘…Now after Noah was five hundred years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

Genesis 5 ends in vs32 naming the sons of Noah which would be on the ark with him during the flood.

Genesis 6 begins the chapter stating the corruption of mankind.

Genesis 6

vs1 ‘…Now it came about, when mankind began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them…’

vs2 ‘…that the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose…’

In other versions, it is written as ‘the daughters of men’ and the ‘sons of God.’ Again, by doing this study this time, I have found different interpretations of just who the ‘sons of God’ are.

In the past, I have always been steered in the direction that these ‘sons of God’ are the fallen angels from heaven. The offspring from these sexual relations between a fallen angel and a daughter of man, produced the ‘Nephilim’ talked about in vs4.

The Nephilim are mysterious beings or people in the Bible traditionally imagined as being of great size and strength. The origins of Nephilim are disputed. Some, including the author of the Book of Enoch, view them as the offspring of fallen angels and female human beings.

Genesis 6

vs3 ‘…Then the Lord said, My Spirit will not remain with man forever, because he is also flesh; nevertheless, his days shall be 120 years…’

vs4 ‘…The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of mankind, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

Corruption had run rampant on the face of the earth. God had finally had enough.

Genesis 6:13 ‘…God said to Noah, I will destroy everyone. That is what I have decided to do. Everywhere on the earth, people are attacking each other. Now I will destroy the people and also the earth…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

God had had enough.

Of all the creation that covered the earth and all mankind, God saved two, male and female of every animal and eight humans, Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives.

Genesis 7

vs7 ‘…Noah and his wife went into the ship. His sons and their wives also went in. They all went into the ship to be safe from the deep water…’

vs8 ‘…Pairs of clean animals and unclean animals came to Noah in the ship. Also, pairs of birds and pairs of all the living things that move across the ground came to him…’

vs9 ‘…Each pair was one male and one female. They all came to Noah in the ship. Everything happened as God had said to Noah…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

Genesis 7:24 ‘…The deep water covered the earth for 150 days…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

God had everything on the face of the earth destroyed.

Genesis 8

vs13 ‘…Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the first month, the water that had covered the earth was now gone. The ground had become dry. Noah made a hole in the roof of the ship, and he looked around. He saw that the top of the ground was dry…’

vs14 ‘…By the 27th day of the second month, the earth had become completely dry…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

Noah and his three sons along with their wives re-populated the land.

Genesis 9

vs28 ‘…Noah lived for 350 years after God covered the earth with deep water…’

vs29 ‘…In his whole life, Noah lived for 950 years. Then he died…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

The next big event in Genesis is going to close tonight’s lesson. The tower of Babel begins in chapter 11 of Genesis.

Genesis 11

vs1 ‘…At this time, everyone who lived on the earth spoke one language. They used the same words…’

vs2 ‘…People moved to the east. They reached a large flat piece of land called Shinar. They stayed there to live…’

vs3 ‘…They said to each other, We should make bricks and cook them until they are hard. These people used bricks instead of stones to build houses. They used tar to hold the bricks together, instead of cement…’

vs4 ‘… They said, ‘Let us build a city to live in. We should also build a very tall tower. The tower will go up into the heavens. Then we will always be famous. If we do that, we will not have to separate and go to live in different places on the earth…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

When God seen what man was doing, He blamed it all on the use of the same language.

Genesis 11:7 ‘…Now we must go down to them. We must make their language become confused. Then they will not be able to understand each other…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

Man had determined for themselves what they were going to do … in a way, it is like our churches today preaching messages that man wants to hear. Man is writing their own books to guide a church through a service and man is getting away from what God wanted done.

History shows us that this is probably a very poor choice in judgement.

Keep your Bibles open and study the Word that God has given us.

I love y’all. The day is coming when we will hear Jesus Himself telling us how much He loves us. We will soon one day actually learn what the word LOVE really means.

Jesus, I pray that those ears and eyes, either listening or seeing this message today would be opened to the very fullest and allow Your love to come inside their lives and comfort them. Teach us Jesus. Protect us. We love You. Amen

InHIM. ><)))o>

December 28, 2024

Genesis – part3

Saturday 122824

The verses we are going to study tonight:

Genesis 2:1-25, 3:1-7.

So, tonight we’re going to continue our study in Genesis.

Genesis 2

vs1 ‘…And so the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their heavenly lights…’

vs2 ‘…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…’

vs3 ‘…Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God had created and made…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

We begin Genesis 2 with the ending of the seventh day in the Week of Creation.

vs4 ‘…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…’

vs5 ‘…Now no shrub of the field was yet on 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…’

We’re told that on Day 3 of Creation, God created the plants, but because of no rain, nothing grew on the land.

vs6 ‘…But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground…’

vs7 ‘…Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person…’

vs8 ‘…The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed…’

vs9 ‘…Out of the ground the Lord God caused every tree to grow that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…’

vs10 ‘…Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers…’

vs11 ‘…The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold…’

vs12 ‘…The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there as well…’

vs13 ‘…The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush…’

vs14 ‘…The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates…’

vs15 ‘…Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend it…’

vs16 ‘…The Lord God commanded the man, saying, from any tree of the garden you may freely eat…’

vs17 ‘…but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die…’

Now we know that the tree wasn’t poisonous, and if a man ate from it, he would not physically die. It was Spiritually how man would die. Look at this world today in the 21^st century, just look at the death that is so obvious from looking around us. Man could so quickly save themselves from this Spiritual death, but this is once again, the results that are so evident of the presence of Satan in this world.

vs18 ‘…Then the Lord God said, it is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him…’

vs19 ‘…And out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal 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…’

vs20 ‘…The man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him…’

vs21 ‘…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…’

vs22 ‘…And the Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man…’

vs23 ‘…Then the man said, at last this is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ Because she was taken out of man…’

vs24 ‘…For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh…’

vs25 ‘…And the man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

Now today in almost, if not all weddings, vs24 is used in marriage vows. I’m unsure how many couples I’ve married over the years, the difference, I like using vs18 instead of vs24.

vs24 ‘…For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh…’

vs18 ‘…Then the Lord God said, it is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him…’

It is true that a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, but the woman is not a slave to the man. There is nowhere, where it is said that a woman will cook dinner, clean the dishes, clean the house, take care of the kids, it’s just not anywhere to be found. The woman is a helper, she is to help cooking dinner, help doing the dishes, help cleaning the house, etc.

With the above said, nowhere is it written that the man is the only one responsible for taking out the garbage, for cutting the grass, for painting the house and planting the garden. Actually, the woman is a helper, she is to help take out the garbage, help cutting the grass, help painting the house and help planting the garden.

A marriage is a union between the two individuals. They are only going to get out of a marriage what they put into that marriage.

Years ago, a very good pastor friend of mine taught how a marriage was a 50 / 50 relationship.

Over the years, I have to disagree with my friend. A marriage, a successful marriage is a 100 / 100 relationship.

50 percent times 50 percent is 25 percent. A couple can only possibly achieve 25 percent of what is possible for that couple.

But 100 percent times 100 percent is 100 percent. The couple is going to get ALL that is available to them as a couple.

I’ve not intended for this lesson to turn into a couple’s lesson on how to survive but I simply want to show how God has given us the ability to achieve as much as we can.

Just as we know that the tree was not poisonous and a person couldn’t physically die from eating that tree’s fruit, we should also know that a marriage is so much more than a 50/50 relationship. We’re not going to die in a 50/50 relationship, but it is possible that we may achieve so much more if we work at it.

We’ve been in Genesis now for two chapters and we’ve learned of the PERFECTION that can be found through our God.

We’ve also seen how not everything that we want to know is not necessarily easy to find.

We’re going to have to work for it.

This next lesson in Genesis is going to be on the ‘fall of mankind.’

Satan, in his evil ways, tempted Eve one day into thinking she was smarter than God.

Genesis 3

vs1 ‘…Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God really said, you shall not eat from any tree of the garden…’

vs2 ‘…The woman said to the serpent, From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat…’

vs3 ‘…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…’

vs4 ‘…The serpent said to the woman, you certainly will not die…’

vs5 ‘…For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil…’

vs6 ‘…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 some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate…’

vs7 ‘…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 waist coverings…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

Today, in the 21^st century, we are confronted with more temptations than ever. It is difficult for us to make it through this human life that we live in.

We are fortunate that we know the Bible and it tells us that God knows we’re going to have a hard time getting through this life.

Keep your Bible always handy and near because there’s coming that time when you are going to need the strength from God, and you’ll only find it in the Word.

I love y’all.

InHIM. ><)))o>

December 27, 2024

Genesis – part2

Friday 122724

The verses we are going to study tonight:

2 Peter 2:4; Genesis 1:1, 1:2; Ezekiel 28:13-15; Isaiah 14:12-14; Revelation 12:4, 1:20; Jude 1:6; Matthew 5:48; Deuteronomy 32:4.

In my attempt to spread the Word, to the people in the 21^st century, I am posting a new lesson every morning.

I am posting my lessons on eleven (11) different sites.

On Facebook, I am:

Whosoever Inhim

Whosoever inhim Bible Study

Or, in a search engine, simply type:

lrabbe.wordpress.com

whosoeverinhim.weebly.com

lrabbe2024.wixsite.com/my-site-2

lrabbe2024.wixsite.com/whosoeverinhim

whosoeverinhim.blogspot.com

www.tumblr.com/whosoeversblog

whosoeverinhim.cw.center

inhim.webador.com

free-4140862.webador.com

From our last study in Genesis and from the television show I seen ‘Is Genesis History,’ I have desired to know more about what we have been told that has happened over the years. After watching the scientists that are Christians explaining the origins of mankind and our earth, I specifically wanted to try and break this one book (Genesis) down.

So, yesterday morning, we tackled the Week of Creation. There were a couple of questions as we began but once we cleared those first few hurdles, the remainder of chapter one was fairly easy to comprehend.

Several months ago, in an earlier study, I spoke of the Week of Creation but, an observation was made that missing from that week of creation in Genesis 1, there was one thing that we have no explanation given to us and that was about Satan, himself.

As in the earlier study, I used Scripture to make a timeline, but it was all based on really my own conjecture since we really have not been told exactly when and where certain things happened. I believe that God felt it unimportant for us to know in detail exactly what happened.

Here is my timeline.

This all begins in 2 Peter, where we are studying about ‘False Prophets’ and a comment is made:

2 Peter 2:4 ‘…For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment…’ KJV (King James Version)

…if God spared not the angels that sinned but cast them down to hell, the question here is what God is going to do to these ‘False Teachers,’ these ‘False Prophets.’

So, in this study I had us turn to Genesis 1:1.

Genesis 1:1 ‘…In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…’ KJV (King James Version)

The words we are going to focus on in this verse are those first three words …

… in the beginning

So far in Genesis, this is nothing but PERFECTION on God’s part.

Everything after that first verse involves anything but perfection.

Go back to 2 Peter really quick and remember that Peter is speaking how God ‘did not spare these angles that sinned’ and He ‘cast them directly down to hell.’

I believe this verse that Peter is telling in 2 Peter happened between vs1 and vs2 of Genesis.

Genesis 1:2 ‘…And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters…’ KJV (King James Version)

Remember yesterday, that hurdle we faced right at vs1? I asked the question, was vs1 a title or is it telling us that God had already created the heavens and earth?

Let’s go with the premise that, heaven and earth were created; in vs2, the earth was without form and ‘darkness’ was upon the deep.

What happened to the sun, where’d it go?

Again, remember yesterday and the comment I made about the science project that looks like it had failed?

What if heaven had already been created according to vs1.

This darkness came from the casting down of the angels that sinned against God. That’s why the description of the ‘earth’ was so bland, so imperfect.

Ezekiel 28:13-15

vs13 ‘…Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created…’

Can you just imagine the beauty that must’ve been present in the garden of Eden?

vs14 ‘…Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire…’

vs15 ‘…Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee…’ KJV (King James Version)

Remember in Eden, besides God there were only 3 others present that we know of: Adam, Eve and Satan, the devil.

So, who is being talked about in these verses?

Isaiah 14

vs12 ‘…How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations…’

vs13 ‘…For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north…’

vs14 ‘…I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High…’ KJV (King James Version)

In vss13 and 14, Satan was thinking how he would ascend over and above God in heaven. His arrogance is so highly shown to the reader that would take their time and look through Scripture at what has been written.

We are going into the NT and looking all the way towards the end.

Revelation 12:4 ‘…And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman, which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born…’ KJV (King James Version)

The ‘stars’ in heaven are the angels.

Revelation 1:20 ‘…The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches…’ KJV (King James Version)

In Isaiah we were told ‘thou cut down to the ground’ just as in 2 Peter ‘they were cast down to hell’ and just as in Revelation 12, they were ‘cast them to the earth.’

We continue reading in Jude.

Jude vs6 ‘…And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day…’ KJV (King James Version)

Where was their first estate, you might ask … in Revelation 12:4, it was written, the stars of heaven … the angels in heaven. Heaven was their first estate.

This morning’s lesson is maybe a repeat from our lesson earlier, but I want to clarify that hurdle from our first lesson in Genesis yesterday morning.

This is all conjecture, I know, and I’ve made the point if we don’t know for sure from what we read in the Word, we’re going to leave it alone, but I think this is the explanation of that hurdle.

Satan, the casting down to earth happened between PERFECTION and a formless, dark void.

What is it then that we should take from this lesson?

I truly believe that this should strengthen our faith and trust in God that He is going to keep His place of residency clear from evil and He is going to keep it in its PERFECTED state.

Throughout this lesson, and let me be clear here, I’m not talking about our Bible study here, I’m talking about this lesson that God has given us through His Word.

This lesson that God has given us, we are able to trust and believe that God, our Father in heaven, is PERFECT. His home is PERFECT. His demeanor is PERFECT. There is nothing that can be said about God that doesn’t exude PERFECTION.

As we sit at night in our easy chair, and we reach over to get our Bible, and we open it to read His Word we should feel nothing but PERFECTION in our midst.

Over the lessons that we intend on seeking out more wisdom from God, our Creator we can positively KNOW that we are delving into His PERFECTION to strengthen us as we move forward throughout this life we are living in.

Matthew 5:48 ‘…Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

Deuteronomy 32:4 ‘…The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and just is He…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

The Bible, God’s written Word that we have been given is PERFECTION.

So, are there going to be times that we’re going to find it hard to understand what is being said …

… of course there are going to be those times. But rather than closing the book and putting it on a shelf and commenting how the Word is fake and it is nothing more than a good or a bad story, we’re going to say a prayer and ask for some guidance and some assistance to help us move forward so we cannot be tripped up by Satan’s evil tricks where he wants us to not understand, he wants us to fail because in his mind he still thinks he can overtake God and by making us fail, he thinks he’s one step closer to the top.

Don’t let him use you to fill his evil mind with success.

Stand firm, say a short prayer to Jesus and ask Him for His assistance. You don’t need Satan as bad as he needs you. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus and look to Him for the strength that you’re going to need to defeat Satan and his evil ways.

I love every one of y’all. Always remember that Jesus loves each one of us even more than what we even fathom what the word LOVE even means. There’s coming that day when Jesus is going to show us.

Keep your Bibles always open. Download electronic Bibles onto your phones, tablets and computers. Don’t leave home without one.

Study the Word throughout each and every day.

InHIM. ><)))o>

December 26, 2024

Genesis – part1

Thursday 122624

The verses we are going to study tonight:

Genesis 1:1-31.

I just seen an amazing television show asking the question: ‘Is Genesis History.’

About a month ago, I started to write a lesson, and my intentions were to begin in Genesis and work my way through the Bible hoping to find some sort of sense that involved how I was living my life.

From my recent study in the book of Genesis, and after watching this program, I have discovered a new sensation of hunger to re-study the book, once again.

In the past I’ve taught, if we cannot find something in the Word, we should leave that something alone since it apparently isn’t meant for us to discover what we thought we might be looking for.

So, as we are about to begin, let’s say a short prayer and ask God for His guidance:

Help us Jesus and keep us on track. Guide us and assist us in our search for what we do not know.

Genesis 1:1 ‘…In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

From the very beginning, and we are only on the 1st verse, we have to ask ourselves, is verse 1 a title or is verse 1 claiming what has already happened?

‘…In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…’ KJV (King James Version)

‘…In the beginning, when God created the universe…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

‘…In the beginning, God made the heavens and the earth…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

All four versions are basically the same, except in the GNT version, vs1 and 2 are separated by a comma and not a period as in the other three versions.

I think this is going to have me look in several different versions just to see if I can find an answer to my original question, is vs1 a title or is the verse claiming that it has already happened.

Genesis 1:1-2 ‘…In the beginning, when God created the universe, the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God was moving over the water…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

Totally different from the other versions. I think we should throw out the anchor and stay right here for a little bit and check out some other versions of the Bible.

After throwing out the anchor I decided to look at many different versions … and I found similar variation like the GNT version, the difference.

Genesis 1:1-3 ‘…In [the] beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was formless and void, and darkness [was] on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God [was] fluttering on the face of the waters, and God says, Let light be and light is…’ LSV (Literal Standard Version)

Genesis 1:1-3 ‘…In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth — and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters—Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light…’ NAB (New American Bible)

Genesis 1:1-2 ‘…In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters…’ NRSV (New Revised Standard Version)

Genesis 1:1-3 ‘…In the beginning of God’s preparing the heavens and the earth — the earth hath existed waste and void, and darkness [is] on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God fluttering on the face of the waters, and God saith, Let light be and light is…’ YLT (Young’s Literal Translation)

So, it has become apparent there are some similarities in the different versions but at the same time, there is still this eerie difference looming out there.

If I were to use the YLT version, it seems the earth was previously made and it was just sitting there …

Genesis 1:2 ‘…the earth hath existed waste and void, and darkness [is] on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God fluttering on the face of the waters…’ YLT

A couple of questions immediately arise, was there an earlier flood than in Gen 6? Why was the earth covered in water?

In Genesis 1:2 (YLT), what is meant when the words ‘waste and void’ are used?

In the Bible, the words ‘without form’ and ‘void’ are translations of the Hebrew words tohu and bohu, which are often used together to describe a ‘place of chaos, formlessness, emptiness, a wasteland.’

It almost sounds as if God had given up on an earlier attempt at creating the earth as we know it today.

In a way, it’s almost like a science project that had failed in the first attempt(s).

After stepping over this first hurdle, we are going to continue in the week of creation.

Beginning in vs6, day two begins and by vs8, day two is finished.

vs6 ‘…Then God said, let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters…’

vs7 ‘…God made the expanse, and separated the waters that were below the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse; and it was so…’

vs8 ‘…God called the expanse ‘heaven.’ And there was evening and there was morning, a second day…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

vs9 ‘…God said, the water that is under the sky will come together in one place. Then dry ground will appear. And what God said happened…’

vs10 ‘…God called the dry ground ‘land’. He called the water that had come together ‘sea’. God looked at what he had made. He saw that it was good…’

vs11 ‘…Then God said, the land will cause plants to grow. There will be plants with their seeds and trees with their fruits. Each kind of plant and tree will have its own seeds and fruits. And what God said happened…’

vs12 ‘…All kinds of plants and trees began to grow in the ground. The plants made seeds. The trees made fruits with seeds in them. Each plant made its own kind of seeds. God looked at what he had made. He saw that it was good…’

vs13 ‘…Evening passed and then it was morning. That was the third day…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

vs14 ‘…God said, there will be lights all across the sky. They will make the day different from the night. They will show the seasons, days and years…’

vs15 ‘…The lights in the sky will give light to the earth. And what God said happened…’

vs16 ‘…God made two great lights. The brighter light ruled over the day. The less bright light ruled over the night. God also made the stars…’

vs17 ‘…God put all these lights in the sky to shine their light on the earth…’

vs18 ‘…They were to rule over the day and night. They were to make the time of light separate from the time of dark. God looked at what he had made. He saw that it was good…’

vs19 ‘…Evening passed and then it was morning. That was the fourth day…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

vs20 ‘…God said, the waters will become full with many living things. Birds will appear and fly above the earth, all across the sky…’

vs21 ‘…God made big animals to live in the sea. He made every different kind of living thing that filled the sea. He made every different kind of bird to fly in the sky. God looked at what he had made. He saw that it was good…’

vs22 ‘…God blessed the animals and the birds. He said to them, give birth to many young ones, so that you grow in number. Fill all the water in the seas. The birds also should become very many, all across the earth…’

vs23 ‘…Evening passed and then it was morning. That was the fifth day…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

vs24 ‘…God said, different kinds of animals will now appear on the land. There will be farm animals and wild animals. There will also be other small animals that move along the ground. There will be many kinds of animals, and each kind will be different. And what God said happened…’

vs25 ‘…God made the different kinds of wild animals and the different kinds of farm animals. He made all the different kinds of animals that move along the ground. God looked at what he had made. He saw that it was good…’

vs26 ‘…Then God said, we will make humans so that they are very much like us. They will rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the sky. They will rule over the farm animals. They will rule over the whole earth and all the animals that move along the ground…’

vs27 ‘…God made humans. He made them to be like himself. He made some of them males and some of them females…’

vs28 ‘…God blessed them. He said to them, give birth to children. Grow in number. Fill the earth and rule over it. Rule over the fish in the sea. Rule over the birds in the sky. Rule over every different kind of living animal that moves along the ground…’

vs29 ‘…Then God said, Listen! I now give to you every plant on the earth as your food. I give you every plant that has seeds in it. I give you every tree that has fruit with a seed in it. I give them to you for your food…’

vs30 ‘…I give to the animal’s, green plants for their food. It will be food for all the animals on the earth, all the birds in the sky and all the animals that move along the ground. Everything that has life may eat every kind of green plant. And what God said happened…’

vs31 ‘…God looked at everything that he had made. He saw that it was very good. Evening passed. And then it was morning. That was the sixth day…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

Day 1 = earth, formless, light = day and darkness = night. vss1-5.

Day 2 = expanse, ‘heaven’ (that space above the earth). vss6-8.

Day 3 = land, plants (adult plants that produced seeds). vss9-13.

Day 4 = stars, planets (lights in the sky). vss14-19.

Day 5 = sea animals, birds. vss20-23.

Day 6 = animals (farm, wild and small), humans (male and female). vss24-31

Genesis 1:1-31 are all of the Creation week, the first six days.

I love all of y’all. Keep your Bibles opened at all times and study the Word that God has given us.

InHIM. ><)))o>

December 25, 2024

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Wednesday 122524

The verses we are going to study tonight:

Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16; Luke 2:1-20.

It is Christmas and today in the 21^st century, most human beings have lost sight of the reason why we give gifts to our loved ones. There are even those that give gifts to co-workers, their mailman, and many more. Sometimes bonuses are given to employees at Christmas time. We have accepted the idea of the gift, but we’ve lost the entire concept behind what the giving of that gift was originally all for.

Tonight, our lesson is on the GIFT we have been given by our Creator, God.

If us human beings were not given this GIFT, there would be no Everlasting Life after we pass away. If we were lucky enough to be born, grow up, get married, have children, our children could also grow up, get married and have children of their own, making us grandchildren. And we’d get older and eventually, one day, we’d die, be buried and that would be that another life gone.

But God gave us a GIFT, by His Grace, that would give each human being the opportunity to have Everlasting Life, the only thing, we have to believe that He could give us such a GIFT.

My favorite, two verses found in the Bible …

Ephesians 2:8-9 ‘…For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s GIFT, so that no one can boast about it…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

I find it amazing that these verses are not the most popular verses found in the Bible. I cannot believe there are so many that call themselves Christians today and they don’t even know about these verses. The only thing I can do is ask WHY doesn’t everyone know about these verses?

There are probably, many reasons why people don’t know about these verses … maybe the most notable has to be because Satan doesn’t want us to know how easy LIFE can be for us human beings. The next reason, the GIFT is free, given to us by God Himself and the churches in our land today don’t understand the word ‘free.’

If it’s FREE, they can’t charge any money for it so, why would they teach us about it; what’s in it for them?

They could preach on Sunday mornings about the Ten Commandments and preach about how we’re supposed to ‘tithe’ every week. These things churches can make a money on … but a GIFT … especially if it’s free … it’s not gonna happen!!!

God chose that His only Son would be given to us, mankind, and this Son would allow Himself to be used as a sacrifice, that would allow us to have Everlasting Life with God, FOREVER.

Believe it or not, this next verse is the most popular verse in the Bible.

John 3:16 ‘…God loved the people in the world so much that he gave his one and only Son to save them. As a result, everyone who believes in the Son will not die. Instead, they will live forever with God…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

Luke 2

vs1 ‘…Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth…’

vs2 ‘…This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria…’

vs3 ‘…And all the people were on their way to register for the census, each to his own city…’

vs4 ‘…Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David…’

vs5 ‘…in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was pregnant…’

vs6 ‘…While they were there, the time came for her to give birth…’

vs7 ‘…And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn…’

vs8 ‘…In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night…’

vs9 ‘…And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened…’

vs10 ‘…And so the angel said to them, do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people…’

vs11 ‘…for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord…’

vs12 ‘…And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger…’

vs13 ‘…And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of angels praising God and saying…’

vs14 ‘…Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased…’

vs15 ‘…When the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, Let’s go straight to Bethlehem, then, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us…’

vs16 ‘…And they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger…’

vs17 ‘…When they had seen Him, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child…’

vs18 ‘…And all who heard it were amazed about the things which were told them by the shepherds…’

vs19 ‘…But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart…’

vs20 ‘…And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

Several years ago, I began watching the television series named ‘the CHOSEN.’ The number one reason why I love the show so much is it visualizes what I know and what I read in the Bible.

I very much enjoyed the entire ‘Christmas’ show. The birth, in that manger, with the animals right there in the background, visually, explains more than any word(s) that could be written on paper to describe the scene.

By seeing the scene, I am in a way, present at the very birth of Jesus. Then when I do read, when I read of this GIFT, that is how I look to Jesus. When I hear of His ministry, I look at this Gift that I’ve been given.

To me, the entire GIFT of Christmas, everything all takes on a new and different meaning for me.

So, for this study, I happened to ask google.com why is Jesus described as a gift.

The gift that God gave was His Son who came to be the Savior of the World. But He came to give His life. Jesus was given as the gift of death in our place, and by that substitution, we live. If we look closely at each gospel, the salvation God gave in Christ is beautifully described through the arrival of Christ.

Throughout the Bible, we can read of the different Spiritual Gifts that God has given us, but these gifts have been given to us to ‘edify’ or to teach one another and others about God.

We have been blessed that we have a God that desired that one day we’d be in His presence rather than a God that just has slaves in front of him doing as he wishes.

It is now, today in the 21^st century, as we are celebrating what human traditions have been formed into what we today, celebrate as Christmas, that we are able to step back and actually view what was done for us over 2000 years ago.

Just us having the opportunity today to reflect on what has happened in the past should make us want to enjoy those moments with our God and thank Him for what He has done for us and thank Him for what He has planned for our future.

Too often today, in this fast-paced life that we are all a part of today, we are given the opportunity to slow down and try to comprehend what has been given to us.

To have the ability to scan over centuries in our mind, from that day in a stable where a baby is born, the opportunity to share in image, a thought of the difference in life about clothing, robes in a manger and today it’s Levi’s, Nike’s and flip-flops. Traveling either by foot or on a mule and today it’s in an automobile or flying in a plane, its like night and day.

It seems the only thing our different generations have in common is we were male and females, although today in the 21^st century, sometimes that can be a difficult and most times an incorrect assumption.

We have an opportunity today to be more than we were just yesterday. We can do more than what even seems possible.

In this most desirable time of year, enjoy your family and friends. Slow yourself and the fast-track life down a little and take the time to ‘smell the roses.’

Enjoy those around you because tomorrow it may not be the same. Enjoy to the fullest what you have been given today.

Keep your Bibles opened and read the Word that God has allowed for us to have today. There were those days, a hundred years ago when it wasn’t feasible to have the Bible available to you to read on your own.

Download Bible apps onto your smartphones, your tablets and on your computers so you are able to get into the Word at any time throughout your day. Read of the amazing stories that we have been told and promised for in our future.

I love all of you. Look forward to that day when Jesus Himself will teach us each what the full meaning of LOVE really means.

Enjoy this time of Christmas with everyone that you love.

Remember, out there in this great big world that we live in, there are those that need that same feeling of love that so many times, we today take for granted today.

If and when you see these people, a simple ‘hello,’ an easy ‘good morning,’ or in some cases, a ‘be blessed’ could mean more than you’d ever know.

InHIM. ><)))o>

December 24, 2024

tick, tock, tick, tock …

Tuesday 122424

So, our study consists of two ground rules:

1^st we ONLY read and follow what is found in the Holy Bible.

2^nd we ONLY learn from a study by what effort we put into that study.

The verses we are going to study tonight:

Hebrews 1:1; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Ephesians 6:17; John 3:18, 11:35, 38-45, 46; Mark 9:23-24; Matthew 19:26, 17:19-20; Titus 1:15-16.

So, let’s begin …

The book of Hebrews is without an author claiming the book as his writing.

Hebrews 1:1 ‘…Many years ago, God spoke to our ancestors by his prophets. He spoke many times and in many different ways…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

In the past, God spoke to the Israelites. He spoke to them through His prophets, which were Israelites.

Our focus this entire study has been on how we are to attain the FAITH needed, so we would be able to one day walk in Jesus’ presence.

We’ve spent time noting several key verses that we’ve found in the Bible.

2 Timothey 3

vs16 ‘…All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living…’

vs17 ‘…so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

All Scripture not some, not only Paul’s writings, not just the Old Testament, not just the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John … rather, ALL Scripture.

What does it mean to be inspired? Google gives the meaning for ‘to be inspired’ as: to fill someone with confidence and desire to do something.

God has inspired us with ALL the Scripture that we have been given. We can be confident when we teach this Scripture on to others. It is in this confidence that we serve God.

When God arms us with His protection, it is by us arming ourselves with the armor that He has provided for us.

Ephesians 6:17 ‘…And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…’ KJV (King James Version)

This ‘Word of God’ is the same in Ephesians 6 as ‘All Scripture’ is in 2 Timothy 3.

John 3:18 ‘…The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

Tonight’s study … is it obvious to you yet.

Tonight, we MUST put our focus on this cruelest of sins, and that is UNBELIEF.

This study of ours has been focusing on this tragedy of a sin that can affect each one of us. And hopefully, by this constant reminder of how important it is for us to BELIEVE, the thought of unbelief is easily defeated.

The shortest verse in the Bible is found in John 11:35 ‘…Jesus wept…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

The shortest verse is united with one of the more powerful passages found in the Bible. It is the story of Lazarus in the tomb.

John 11

vs38 ‘…So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it…’

vs39 ‘…Jesus said, Remove the stone. Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days…’

vs40 ‘…Jesus said to her, Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God…’

vs41 ‘…So they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me…’

vs42 ‘…But I knew that You always hear Me; nevertheless, because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me…’

vs43 ‘…And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out…’

vs44 ‘…Out came the man who had died, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, Unbind him, and let him go…’

vs45 ‘…Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

That very day, after witnessing a miracle performed by Jesus, rather than believing, in their UNBELIEF …

vs46 ‘…But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

Unbelief is a moral problem.

The Bible says that unbelief is a moral problem of desire, and that people don’t want to believe the Christian message is true.

Just how true is that statement?

Unbelief can be exposed.

Jesus rebukes those who express unbelief to expose it so that believers can see it for what it is and fight it. Some symptoms of unbelief include doubt, skepticism, self-pity, and self-indulgence.

Unbelief can be helped.

Jesus says that if someone can believe, all things are possible for them.

Mark 9

vs23 ‘…And Jesus said to him, If you can. All things are possible for one who believes…’

vs24 ‘…Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, I believe; help my unbelief…’ ESV (English Standard Version)

Matthew 19:26 ‘…Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible…’ NIV (New International Version)

Matthew 17

vs19 ‘…Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked him, Why couldn’t we drive the demon out…’

vs20 ‘…It was because you do not have enough faith, answered Jesus. I assure you that if you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this hill, Go from here to there and it will go. You could do anything…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

Titus 1

vs15 ‘…Everything is pure to those who are themselves pure; but nothing is pure to those who are defiled and unbelieving, for their minds and consciences have been defiled…’

vs16 ‘…They claim that they know God, but their actions deny it. They are hateful and disobedient, not fit to do anything good…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

The Old Testament is a perfect example of UNBELIEF.

This world that we live in today is more UNBELIEF than there is believing in the correct things.

We should be believing what the Bible teaches us rather than listening to a large majority of the sermons voiced every Sunday morning.

The end of this world as we know it is close to completion … there is not much time left to make up your mind.

I sit in a room with the lights off and try to listen to the quietness around me, I do this so I can clear my mind of what is going on just outside my door.

Jesus is there for us. He is there to strengthen us when we need His help. All we need to do is ask Him for His help and He will be there by our side.

As the clocks tick, tock, tick, tock …

… the end is right around the corner.

At any moment, the sound of the trump could be heard, and it will be time for us to leave.

Keep yourselves ready and be prepared for when He calls us to join Him.

I love every one of you. Jesus loves each one of us more than I could ever think of loving another human being.

Read His Word and prepare you and your loved ones for His return.

Return your voice to Jesus and pray to Him. Return your voices to Him. This will complete the relationship between you and Him.

It is going to be that relationship that will allow Jesus to know you by name, so that He can call on you.

InHIM. ><)))o>

December 23, 2024

God is OMNISCIENT

Monday 122324

So, our study consists of two ground rules:

1^st we ONLY read and follow what is found in the Holy Bible.

2^nd we ONLY learn from a study by what effort we put into that study.

The verses we are going to study tonight:

Genesis 5:32, 9:24, 10:21, 11:10; Phillipians 4:13; Hebrews 11:6; Proverbs 19:21, 16:9; Ephesians 1:11; Philippians 4:6-7; Romans 2:8; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Ephesians 6:17.

So, let’s begin …

I have just spent the past three days working on a timeline of the Bible for our study, trying to compare Scripture to this world that we live in.

I have concluded that the Holy Bible has not been written to satisfy our ‘human’ needs. It has been given to us to prepare us for the future that GOD has waiting for us.

Let me try and explain what I’m trying to say:

The Bible hasn’t been written to lead MANKIND through time.

It wasn’t written so we could prove facts, or we could set our clocks with it.

But it was written to prevent us from making the same mistake(s) by man, twice in history.

Without getting to far into it:

Genesis 5:32 ‘…After Noah was 500 years old, he had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

According to verse 32, Shem, Ham, and Japheth are triplets? When the 3 boys are referred to in the Bible at the same time, they are always placed in this order: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 9:24 ‘…When Noah awoke from his wine [induced stupor], he knew what his younger son [Ham] had done to him…’ AMP (Amplified Bible)

This verse caused my first ‘seen’ RED FLAG.

Again, in Genesis 10:21 ‘…Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber [including the Hebrews], the older brother of Japheth, children were born…’ AMP (Amplified Bible)

This verse caused my second ‘seen’ RED FLAG.

According to Genesis 9:24 and Genesis 10:21, the boys, in order from oldest to youngest would be:

Shem, Japheth, and Ham and we know, they are not triplets.

This has been just one example, here is another:

Genesis 11

vs10 ‘…These are the descendants of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he had a son, Arpachshad…’

My next ‘seen’ RED FLAG has been found … are we being told after the flood ‘began’ or ‘when Noah and his family came out of the ark’ and after the flood had been dissipated by God?

We haven’t even gotten part way through the Book of Genesis and flags are being drawn every few chapters.

There are positive points from spotting these RED FLAGS though … I needed the Bible open, and I needed to be in the Word for me to find these red flags.

I could have been asleep on the couch, and nothing would have happened … for now anyways that is.

We MUST open our Bibles and read the Word that God has given to us.

If and when we find these RED FLAGS, it’s not like we’re being shown to close the book and leave it alone, we’re being shown what we’re looking for isn’t as important to God as we think it is to us.

I found Scripture from Adam all the way to Jacob. The ages of the fathers when their boy child was born until Joseph was sold into slavery and he was moved into Egypt. I could have pondered on that point but, I would have missed the opportunity to see that God had planned for Joseph to be situated in Egypt before Jacob’s family would be forced into seeking out food from a foreign country, and that happened to be Egypt.

Jacob didn’t foresee it, Joseph didn’t foresee it, I didn’t foresee it when I first read it but after God showed me the mystery, my eyes were opened.

God, the ‘Omniscient’ God. Omniscient is defined as ‘ALL KNOWING.’ God knew beforehand that Jacob and his family were going to need help. His solution was to put a member in place to satisfy the need.

This same God is looking out for you and me.

What we might see as a need, God may know ahead of time, something that is better for us.

It is only going to be when we seek His assistance that we will be able to conquer what it is that He needs to have us defeat.

Phillipians 4:13 ‘…I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me…’ NKJV (New King James Version)

Hebrews 11:6 ‘…Unless we trust God, it is impossible for us to make God happy. Anyone who comes to God must believe that God is there. They must also believe that God helps everyone who wants to know him…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

I could have kept going trying to pinpoint a year to a verse in the Bible but there is so much more in the Bible for me to find out about.

It is so easy to get sidetracked when reading the Word. Maybe something might appear as if it is important but you’re putting ‘your own situations’ in front of what God is trying to tell us.

Proverbs 19:21 ‘…You may have lots of ideas about what you want to do. But it is the Lord’s plans that are important…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

Don’t scan through the Bible trying to solve a problem that you might face in your life, but rather READ the Word and learn what God wants from us so our life is made complete in Him.

Here is another one from the Old Testament:

Proverbs 16:9 ‘…People make plans for what they will do, but it is the Lord who leads them in the right way…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

Allow God the Glory to lead you to better your life.

Ephesians 1:11 ‘…All things are done according to God’s plan and decision; and God chose us to be his own people in union with Christ because of his own purpose, based on what he had decided from the very beginning…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

Everything today is ‘rush, rush, rush!!!’ ‘Hurry, quick. Let’s go.

Just calm down, take a breather and allow God to satisfy your needs.

Philippians 4

vs6 ‘…Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart…’

vs7 ‘…And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

It is impossible for me to answer every question that may arise from a member in our study group.

It’s going to be impossible for any one of you to solve every problem that you might be faced with.

God already knows the solution for every problem that will occur in our lives. We need the FAITH and believe that He can heal every problem. He can prevent every problem from ever occurring to us, the thing is we, we must have FAITH in Him, knowing that He can solve and prevent all our problems.

It is through this same FAITH that God can work through us to help others that are in need. Our FAITH is what is going to keep us moving forward.

We attain this FAITH from the strength found in our relationship with God.

The more times that we’re in His Word, and we return our voices back to Him in prayer, we are strengthening our relationship with Him.

Romans 8:28 ‘…And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

Relax, keep in His Word and strengthen yourself every day.

2 Timothy 3

vs16 ‘…All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living…’

vs17 ‘…so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

Here is a different version for you …

vs16 ‘…Everything that is written in the Bible comes from God’s Spirit. It helps us in many ways. The Bible teaches us what is true. It warns us when we are doing wrong things. It shows us what is right. It teaches us how to live good lives…’

vs17 ‘…As a result, people who want to serve God can know how to live properly. They will be people who are ready to do all kinds of good things…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

No matter how you read it, it is through His Word when we are made strong.

Evil lies around every corner. Just waiting to pounce on our unprotected minds.

Keep yourselves protected by keeping yourself armed with the ARMOR He has prepared for us.

One very important piece of that armor is the sword, which is the Holy Bible.

Ephesians 6:17 ‘…And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God…’ AMP (Amplified Bible)

I love all of you. Remember, God loves each one of us even more.

InHIM ><)))o>

December 22, 2024

COMMON SENSE

Sunday 122224

Do not let me or my writings influence or scare you in any way, instead, allow me to be used as a vessel to open the Word, just a little bit, and hopefully, together we are going to read and study His Word, and let God teach us what He wants us to hear.

So, our study consists of two ground rules:

First we ONLY read and follow what is found in the Holy Bible.

Second, we ONLY learn from a study by what effort we put into that study.

The verses we are going to study tonight:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3; Philippians 1:6, 10, 2:16; 1 Corinthians 1:8; Zephaniah 1:14; Amos 5:18; Isaiah 13:6; Ezekiel 30:3; 2 Samuel 23:3; Psalms 18:2, 62:7; 1 Corinthians 10:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:5-8.

As you are reading this lesson it is Sunday December 22^nd, and I am proofreading this lesson on Saturday December 21^st, getting it ready for posting tomorrow morning.

I hope our lesson this morning is not as difficult for you to read as it has been for me to write.

Let me note that in my Bible in the NASB version, there are subtitles used in 2 Thessalonians 2.

The first subtitle is MAN OF LAWLESSNESS, for verses 1 through 12.

The second subtitle is STAND FIRM, for verses 13 through 17.

It is like this Bible is alerting me to realize and see both subtitles.

The Man of Lawlessness is speaking of Satan, and Stand Firm is the reminder God has told us to guard ourselves from this evil that is always lurking out in front of us.

So, let us STAND FIRM and walk through this lesson this morning.

We MUST always remember to keep our guard up, which means our FAITH and TRUST in Jesus Christ is to remain always on HIGH ALERT.

Our study tonight maybe involves a little bit of thinking, a little bit of common sense, and that is one thing this world is really lacking right now today in the 21^st century.

One must agree though, that the world that we live in is full of evil.

There are evil people, evil thoughts, evil television, and the list could go on and on for quite a while; evil is everywhere, all around us, all the time.

I am going to post what I have been having a tough time with, this morning.

2 Thessalonians 2

KJV

vs1 ‘…Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him…’

vs2 ‘…that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand…’

vs3 ‘…Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come, a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition…’ AKJV (Authorized King James Version)

And again, same verses in a different version.

NASB

vs1 ‘…Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him…’

vs2 ‘…that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit, or a message, or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come…’

vs3 ‘…No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

Paul wrote this letter because there were those claiming that the day of the Lord had already come.

These would have been false teachers trying to influence a crowd into believing what, these false teachers wanted a person to believe in and not necessarily what was the truth.

The Bible describes The Day of Christ as a specific day when Jesus will reward His children at the Rapture and The Day of the Lord is speaking of the beginning of the Tribulation.

My difficulty this morning is explaining why these two different versions are using these two different time periods in the same place.

As I try to figure out an explanation, let me show you how the Bible defines these two different days.

First is The Day of Christ:

Philippians 1:6 ‘…Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ…’ KJV (King James Version)

Philippians 1:10 ‘…That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ…’ KJV (King James Version)

Philippians 2:16 ‘…Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain…’ KJV (King James Version)

1 Corinthians 1:8 ‘…Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ…’ KJV (King James Version)

The Day of the Lord is about the judgement coming onto this earth and its inhabitants.

Zephaniah 1:14 ‘…The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly…’ KJV (King James Version)

Amos 5:18 ‘…Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light…’ KJV (King James Version)

Isaiah 13:6 ‘…Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty…’ KJV (King James Version)

Ezekiel 30:3 ‘…For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen…’ KJV (King James Version)

Today in the 21^st century, there are those that still believe in Jesus Christ, hence, there is you and me, agree.

In the KJV (King James Version), vs3 speaks of ‘a falling away’ and the NASB (New American Standard Bible) speaks of ‘APOSTASY.’

In the Bible, ‘APOSTASY’ is the act of turning away from the Christian faith and abandoning Christ.

This is, the ‘falling away’ spoken about in the KJV.

I am not going to speak for you but only for me, I have no intentions of ever abandoning Jesus.

He is my ROCK.

2 Samuel 23:3 ‘…The God of Israel has spoken;
the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God…’ ESV (English Standard Version)

Psalm 18:2 ‘…The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold…’ ESV (English Standard Version)

Psalm 62:7 ‘…On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God…’ ESV (English Standard Version)

1 Corinthians 10:4 ‘…and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ…’ ESV (English Standard Version)

Why would I leave the only one that I have in this life?

What is there in this world if I do not have Jesus by my side?

The Day of Christ will happen just before the Day of the Lord begins. As soon as Jesus’ church is gone, the Tribulation (7 years) will begin.

Let us go back to the reading to further clarify these verses.

2 Thessalonians 2

vs4 ‘…Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God…’

vs5 ‘…Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things…’

vs6 ‘…And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time…’

vs7 ‘…For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way…’

vs8 ‘…And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming…’ KJV (King James Version)

a newer version again …

vs4 ‘…who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God…’

vs5 ‘…Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things…’

vs6 ‘…And you know what restrains him now, so that he will be revealed in his time…’

vs7 ‘…For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is removed…’

vs8 ‘…Then that lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will eliminate with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

There are two things we can take from these readings:

First – Paul does not speak of anything but GRACE in his writings, except in these verses. This is the only time he speaks on the tribulation.

Second – That word MYSTERY appears again.

From vs3, this ‘falling away’ is only going to happen on the Day of Christ. As soon as Jesus’ church is gone from this earth, the Day of the Lord will begin with the 7 years of Tribulation.

This word mystery is used that I believe ties the entire passage together in both versions.

From vs2 this ‘Man of Sin’ and this ‘Man of Lawlessness’ ties in with vs8, this ‘wicked, lawless one,’ will appear; Satan Himself.

This is another time, in Paul’s writings where he speaks on the RAPTURE.

Jesus’ church MUST be removed from this earth so that there is a huge falling away or abandonment of Him and evil and lawlessness will appear thus exposing the evil one and beginning the process of the Tribulation that the Bible speaks for those not under the Grace of God.

This, along with what we find in the Bible today is all based on our FAITH in Jesus Christ.

As in our earlier studies, this is all based on our BELIEF or our UNBELIEF in God.

I cannot tell you how you must think. The only way you can find out for yourself is through your relationship with Jesus Himself.

I’d caution you to be certain that you’re not going to be one of those, like those at Kadesh Barnea that ended up wandering for 40 years in the desert, just because they didn’t believe.

I love all of you. Jesus loves you even more than I can. Open His Word, read what we have been given and then return your voices to Him and ask that He would give you the knowledge to know what is right and what is wrong.

The stories and descriptions of hell has been all that I needed to make certain that I am ready for that day when the angel shall sound the trump.

I pray you will be prepared as well.

InHIM. ><)))o>

December 21, 2024

LISTEN

Saturday 122124

So, our study consists of two ground rules:

1^st we ONLY read and follow what is found in the Holy Bible.

2^nd we ONLY learn from a study by what effort we put into that study.

The verses we are going to study tonight:

John 4:4, 7a; Philippians 4:8; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16.

So, let’s begin …

From a previous study we know that we MUST change our lives to fit around the Word and not change the word to fit around our lives.

After me re-reading the past study, I also have realized just how bad off my family and friends really are. I keep asking myself, ‘what do I need to do to help them?’

All I can do is pray for them and ask that God might give them a peek at what their future is looking like.

So tonight, I want to focus on what God tells me I can do for those that are lost.

As I have been online, searching for ways to minister to the lost, I have found some very interesting viewpoints.

Maybe the 1^st and most relevant for me was when there was a posting that put ‘LISTEN and EMPATHIZE’ as being the way one should approach to help minister to the lost individual.

I found an opinion on google.com:

What is an example of a good listener in the Bible?

One notable example is the encounter between Jesus and the woman at the well (John 4:1-42). Jesus listened intently to her story, acknowledging her deepest struggles and offering her living water. His attentive listening broke societal barriers transformed her life and ignited a revival in her community.

I know for myself personally, the woman at the well is one of my favorite stories of Jesus interacting in a Gentile land with a Gentile woman from Samaria.

John 4:4 ‘…on his way there he had to go through Samaria…’

And in vs7a ‘…A Samaritan woman came to draw some water… GNT (Good News Translation)

Rather than us holding up the Bible and confronting the lost individual with verse after verse of Scripture, we should be sitting and opening our ears and listening to their struggles and stories of the lost before we even begin thinking about anything else.

We should listen to the lost person’s struggle before we begin to think about a way out for the lost to find their way back to Jesus.

Empathize in the dictionary is defined as understanding and sharing feelings with an individual.

When Jesus was at the well with the woman in Samaria, He wasn’t quoting Scripture or accusing the woman of what she had done wrong in her life. He didn’t make comments on her appearance or her cleanliness.

The next thing on this list after listening and empathizing was for us to PRAY.

We should pray asking God what is it that we can do for this individual.

Ask that He gives us the knowledge to be able to speak the words needed to help the individual redirect their focus away from what has been keeping them lost, whether it’d be because of a religion or whatever.

Phillipians 4:8 ‘…Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]…’ AMP (Amplified Bible)

Rather than quickly determining a solution and reacting, allow God the opportunity to be the reaction. Allow Him to make the next move, instead of you interrupting His plan for saving those lost souls that are found all around us today.

Next, voice your experiences that you have either faced yourself or voice those experiences you’ve seen with others.

Interact with caution, care and concern. Don’t overburden the individual with your beliefs or your solutions but rather, try and seek what and where the individual is in their own walk in this life.

When the time comes for eventually voicing relevant verses from the Bible, share verses that mean the most to you, but give extra consideration for the individual that you are speaking to and consider specific situations and possible specific emotions the unbeliever may be facing at that present time.

1 Corinthians 2

vs1 ‘…Christian friends, I came to tell you God’s true message. I did not use clever words when I spoke to you. I did not try to make you think that I was very wise…’

vs2 ‘…While I was with you, I decided to teach you only about Jesus Christ. I taught you about his death on a cross. I wanted to forget everything else…’

vs3 ‘…I lived among you as someone who felt weak. I was very afraid…’

vs4 ‘…When I spoke to you and when I taught you God’s message, I did not use clever words. I did not want you to believe me because you thought I was wise. Instead, it was the power of God’s Holy Spirit that showed you that my message was true…’

vs5 ‘…As a result, you now believe because of God’s power. You do not believe because of human ideas…’

vs6 ‘…But we do speak about wise thoughts to those of you who know Christ very well. But those wise thoughts do not belong to this world. They are not the ideas that the rulers of this world think are important. Those rulers will not be powerful for long…’

vs7 ‘…No, the wise thoughts that we speak about belong to God. He has hidden them from people until now. But before God made the world, he decided to let us know these secrets. He wanted us to enjoy his glory…’

vs8 ‘…None of the rulers of this world understood God’s wise plan. If they had understood, they would not have killed Jesus on a cross. He is the Lord who rules heaven and earth…’

vs9 ‘…This is written in the Bible: Nobody ever saw or heard anything about this.
Nobody ever thought that it could happen.
But these are the things that God has prepared for his people who love him…’

vs10 ‘…But God has sent his Spirit to show these secrets to us. God’s Spirit looks carefully into everything. He even knows God’s secret thoughts…’

vs11 ‘…Only a person’s own spirit can know everything that is in his thoughts. And it is the same with God. Only God’s Spirit knows everything that is in God’s thoughts…’

vs12 ‘…We have received God’s own Spirit, not a spirit that belongs to this world. As a result, we can understand all the good things that God has given to us…’

vs13 ‘…Those are the things that we speak about. We do not use clever words to speak about human ideas. Instead, we speak the message that God’s Spirit has taught us. In that way, we explain a spiritual message to people who have God’s Spirit…’

vs14 ‘…If someone does not believe in God, they cannot accept the message that comes from God’s Spirit. They think that God’s message is silly. They cannot even understand those things. Only God’s Spirit can explain them to people…’

vs15 ‘…But we have God’s Spirit with us. So, we can understand the true value of all things. But other people cannot truly understand us, who belong to God…’

vs16 ‘…As it says in the Bible: Nobody can know what the Lord God is thinking. Nobody can tell him what he should do. But we think about these things in the same way that Christ thinks…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

In a second article on google, I found a list of 5 things that help us understand our salvation.

1-we all are sinners and stand under the judgment of God.

2-God loves us, and Jesus came to make forgiveness and salvation possible. He died on the cross as the complete sacrifice for our sins. He took on Himself the judgment that we deserve.

3-God in His grace offers us the gift of eternal life. But like any gift, it becomes ours ONLY when we respond and receive it.

4-salvation is intimately linked to Jesus and the cross. Jesus’ virgin birth, by the miraculous intervention of the Holy Spirit, meant that He did not inherit a sinful human nature like we did. Neither did Jesus commit any sin during His lifetime. Jesus became the only perfect Man, and as such, He was uniquely qualified to put into action God’s plan of salvation for mankind. On the cross, Jesus took the punishment of our sin. He was our Substitute. He suffered the judgment and condemnation of death that our sinful nature and deeds deserve.

5-faith is essential for salvation. But there are various kinds of beliefs or faith, and not all are linked to salvation. In the New Testament, faith means more than intellectual belief. It involves trust and commitment. I may say that I believe a bridge will hold my weight. But I really believe it only when I commit myself to it and walk across it. Salvation faith involves an act of commitment and trust, in which you commit your life to Jesus Christ and trust Him alone as your Savior and Lord.

So far, just from this study I have been so calmed down just realizing to sit down, relax and calmly allow God the glory to gather His lost.

God will use us but we MUST allow God to work through us so His work can be fulfilled.

If we enter into the task …, WHAT CAN I DO … we are going to fail the lost, fail ourselves and we are going to fail God for allowing Him the opportunity to recover the lost soul.

Keep your mind and focus on God and allow Him to work through you.

I love every one of you. Always remember that God loves us even that much more. He wants you to be with Him and by His side. Keep in His Word and allow Him to work through you.

InHIM. ><)))o>

December 20, 2024

Is it for a Jew or a Gentile

Friday 122024

We have two ground rules in this study:

1 – we are ONLY going to read and follow what is found (that pertains to us), in the Holy Bible.

2 – we are ONLY going to learn from a study, what effort we put into that study.

The verses we are going to study tonight:

Zechariah 9:9; Isaiah 42:1, 7:14, 9:6; Romans 11:13; 1 Corinthians 12:2, 15:1-4; Galatians 2:7-8; Ephesians 2:11, 19; 1 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 1:2; James 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; 2 John 1:1; Jude 1:1; Revelation 1:1.

In my attempt to spread the Word, to the people in the 21^st century, I am posting a new lesson every morning.

I am posting my lessons on eleven (11) different sites.

On Facebook, I am:

Whosoever Inhim

Whosoever inhim Bible Study

Or, in a search engine, simply type:

lrabbe.wordpress.com

whosoeverinhim.weebly.com

lrabbe2024.wixsite.com/my-site-2

lrabbe2024.wixsite.com/whosoeverinhim

whosoeverinhim.blogspot.com

www.tumblr.com/whosoeversblog

whosoeverinhim.cw.center

inhim.webador.com

free-4140862.webador.com

I have tried to organize who the books in the Bible were specifically written to. As we read in 2 Timothy 3 that ALL Scripture has been inspired by God, it must be acknowledged though, that NOT all Scripture has been meant for us to follow. This is the main reason for this study to show who these letters were written to.

I am hoping to show that NOT all the Bible is meant for the Gentile.

O.T.

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

—

In searching the Bible I’ve been looking for a written record showing who the O.T., Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were originally written to … I stumbled across the following:

Here’s what we see when we look back at the Old Testament. When you look at the specific passages of the promised coming Messiah you find four distinct aspects.

The Messiah would be the King:

Zechariah 9:9 ‘…Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey …’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

The Messiah would be a servant:

Isaiah 42:1 ‘…Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

The Messiah would be a man:

Isaiah 7:14 ‘…Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

The Messiah would be God:

Isaiah 9:6 ‘…For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)

What’s amazing is that in the New Testament, the four gospels show just that!

Matthew – Presents Jesus as the King

Mark – Presents Jesus as the Suffering Servant (Jehovah’s servant come to do the will of the Father)

Luke – Presents Jesus as the Son of Man (Christmas Story when Jesus was born)

John – Presents Jesus as God (The Word WAS God)

The O.T. was written to document for the Jewish people of the promise of a Messiah.

The 4 gospels were written to the Jewish believer to show them that Jesus Christ was that Messiah promised to the Jewish forefathers, in the O.T.

—

Acts is a history of the early church, covering the founding of the church under Peter and the missionary journeys of Paul. The book emphasizes the fulfillment of the Great Commission, and the apostles’ role as witnesses for Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and beyond. Luke also portrays Christianity as a universal religion that’s open to all, while emphasizing the piety, purity, and innocence of Jesus’s followers

Romans 11:13 ‘…I am speaking now to you Gentiles: As long as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I will take pride in my work…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

1 Corinthians 12:2 ‘…You know that while you were still heathen, you were led astray in many ways to the worship of lifeless idols…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

1 Corinthians15 (the Gospel preached by Paul)

vs1 ‘…And now I want to remind you, my friends, of the Good News which I preached to you, which you received, and on which your faith stands firm…’

vs2 ‘…That is the gospel, the message that I preached to you. You are saved by the gospel if you hold firmly to it—unless it was for nothing that you believed…’

vs3 ‘…I passed on to you what I received, which is of the greatest importance: that Christ died for our sins, as written in the Scriptures…’

vs4 ‘…that he was buried and that he was raised to life three days later, as written in the Scriptures…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

2 Corinthians – he then turns his evangelistic focus to the non-Jew (or Gentiles), where he found considerably more fruit. Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half teaching God’s Word to the new converts. Those new believers became the church at Corinth, to whom Paul wrote his two New Testament letters.

Galatians 2

vs7 ‘…On the contrary, they saw that God had given me the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the task of preaching the gospel to the Jews…’

vs8 ‘…For by God’s power I was made an apostle to the Gentiles, just as Peter was made an apostle to the Jews…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

Ephesians 2

vs11 ‘…You Gentiles by birth—called “the uncircumcised” by the Jews, who call themselves the circumcised (which refers to what men do to their bodies)—remember what you were in the past…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

vs19 ‘…So then, you Gentiles are not foreigners or strangers any longer; you are now citizens together with God’s people and members of the family of God…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

Philippians was written by Paul to the Christian church in Philippi, Macedonia. It was penned while he was in prison.

Colossians was written by Paul to the Christian congregation in Colossae, Asia Minor. It was penned while he was in prison.

1 Thessalonians was written by Paul to the Christian community in Thessalonica.

2 Thessalonians was written by Paul to the Christian community in Thessalonica.

1 Timothy 2:7 ‘…and that is why I was sent as an apostle and teacher of the Gentiles, to proclaim the message of faith and truth. I am not lying; I am telling the truth…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

2 Timothy Paul encouraged Timothy and offered strength to help him carry on after Paul’s impending death. Paul was aware that his time was short, and he desired to see Timothy, whom Paul figuratively called ‘my dear son’ (1:2).

1:2 ‘…To Timothy, my dear son: May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace…’ GNT (Good News Translation)

Titus was written by Paul where he instructs Titus on how to lead the churches, including how to appoint elders, preach sound doctrine, and live a virtuous Christian life. The letter also discusses the roles of different groups of people in the church, such as older and younger men and women, and slaves.

Philemon was written by Paul to Philemon, a wealthy Christian leader in the Colossian church in Asia Minor. It was penned while he was in prison in Rome.

Hebrews The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ during the early days of the Gospel. The book’s main purpose was to encourage these believers to remain steadfast in their faith and not to return to Judaism or the Jewish law system to escape persecution. The book also teaches about the role of Christ as a mediator between God and humanity. The author has been left unnamed. Many scholars believe the letter was written by the apostle Paul but, there are just as many scholars that believe Paul is not the author.

James 1:1 ‘…This letter is from me, James. I am a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the 12 tribes of God’s people who live in many different parts of the world. I say ‘hello’ to all of you…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

1 Peter 1:1 ‘…This letter is from me, Peter. I am an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you, God’s own people that he has chosen. You are now living in many different places, in the regions called Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. You are living in these foreign places as strangers…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

Most scholars are convinced that the recipients of 1 Peter were primarily Gentiles. The reference to their ‘former ignorance’ (1:14) and the ‘futile ways inherited from your forefathers’ (1:18) suggests a pagan past that would not fit with Jewish readers.

2 Peter 1:1 ‘…This letter is from me, Simon Peter. I am Jesus Christ’s servant and his apostle. I am writing to you people who believe in Jesus Christ, as we do. That is a valuable gift that God has given to us all. He has done this because Jesus is completely good and right. Jesus is the one who saves us. He is the God that we serve…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

1 John The audience for 1 John is not explicitly stated, but it appears from his writings that John wrote to believers, perhaps those in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), where some historical sources say John may have lived and ministered in the late first century A.D.

2 John 1:1 ‘…This letter comes from me, the leader of the believers. I am writing to you, a special lady that God has chosen, and to your children. I love all of you, because you have believed God’s true message. And I am not the only one who loves you. Everyone who knows the true message about God really loves you…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

3 John was written by John to Gaius, a leader of one or more churches in Asia Minor. The letter is a personal letter of encouragement and strengthening, written to help Gaius deal with troubles in his area. John praises Gaius for his unselfish devotion to Christ, such as providing accommodations for God’s traveling servants.

Jude 1:1 ‘…This letter is from me, Jude. I am Jesus Christ’s servant, and I am James’s brother. I am writing to you people that God, the Father, loves. God has chosen you to be his own people. He is keeping you safe until the time when Jesus Christ returns…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

Revelation 1:1 ‘…This book describes the things that God showed to Jesus Christ. He wanted Jesus to show these things to his own servants. They are events that must happen soon. Jesus sent his angel to show them to me, his servant John…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)

Keep reading His Word and strengthen your mind the way that He desires it to be strengthened.

I love y’all.

InHIM. ><)))o>