💡 Questions about the Bible...

[ReverendRV]

Aroma ~ by Reverend RV * January 18

2nd Corinthians 2:16 NIV; To the one, we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?

We’ve all been to a Barbeque, right? That is one sweet smelling aroma! ~ The Old Testament tells us about a time that Israel would offer burnt sacrifices to make an Atonement for their Sin. The Priests would get to keep a portion for themselves but the rest of the Offering went up in smoke for God. Paul tells us here that the aroma has two different scents though; the sweet smell earlier mentioned, but the smell of death and demise to those who are perishing. ~ This reminds me of a Detective show I’ve seen; there was a hired Assassin who was poisoning people and nobody could find him. The shrewd Detective suspected a traveling perfume Salesman. The Detective started trying the Salesman’s samples, wanting to combine them. This is when the salesman got nervous; the mixture was toxic! ~ Do you know how to tell the difference between the aromas of Life and death? Here, take this test; and it won’t take long…

Have you stolen something? Some can say ‘no’; this is a sweet smell! But if you have stolen anything, suddenly you catch a waft of something bad. Have you ever Lied? I think that fewer can say ‘no’ to this but if you’re two for two, you’re smelling like roses. The Liars and Thieves though are beginning to stink. Next question—what was that? You don’t want any more questions?? I don’t blame you, but those who are doing good want to keep going. Have you ever had an Affair? Some are still smelling good but the others are getting pretty rank about right now; I won’t ask them another question. You who have not had an affair, have you ever looked upon another person with Lust? Jesus said that this is Adultery of the Heart from afar. ~ What you find out is that combining the fragrance of ‘not having an Affair’ with the fragrance of ‘Adultery inside the Heart’ has made a Toxic mixture! Now you are poisoned and are dying a slow death. Breaking the Ten Commandments is called Sin and we have only “Scratched and Sniffed” the surface of his Commandments. God casts guilty Sinners into Hell; does this bother you?

But remember the sweet smelling aroma? One person has lived his life and never broken even one of the Ten Commandments, and this person is Jesus Christ. God loves the world and gave his Unique Son to us so that all who believe on him will not perish but have everlasting Life. This is accomplished by Jesus having shed his blood and dying on a Cross as punishment for our Sin; the Righteous suffering for the Unrighteous. But Salvation wasn’t complete until he arose from the grave and conquered Death for us! We are Saved by God’s Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ Alone, without our trying to make ourselves smell good; we’d just re-poison ourselves. Repent of your Sins and Christ will wash you clean; he’ll give you his cologne and its sweet smell is eternal. Worship Christ and Join a Bible believing Church ASAP…

Ephesians 5:2 ESV; and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.

 

[ReverendRV]

Arranged marriages ~ by Reverend RV * January 19

Genesis 24:4 ESV; but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

A friend asked me ‘When does God give his People to his Son, and what is being given?’ I said God gives his People to Jesus in the Past, in the Present and in the Future; and what he is giving his Son is a Bride. ~ Arranged Marriages are foreign to us these days but don’t we wish we could have chosen our daughter’s husband for her; Lol? The Bible tells us about a time that father Abraham sent a servant to his homeland for the purpose of getting his son a wife. The servant prayed that God would send a special young lady who would treat him kindly in a certain way, as a Sign that she is the right one. He met Rebekah at a well and she was the answer to his prayer. The servant adorned her with gold and gave her family a dowry, and Rebekah agreed to go be the bride of Isaac. They traveled home and Isaac took her to be his wife…

When it comes to Salvation there are Signs God looks for in us. ~ What would you call someone who told you a Lie? Have you ever told someone a Lie? Hmm; would the servant have chosen you? Have you ever Stolen? What would you call someone who stole your Identity? Why should the servant choose you to receive a new name? Have you committed Adultery? Jesus said that if you’ve looked upon another and Lusted for him, you’ve committed Adultery with him in your Heart. How can the servant ever choose somebody as boy crazy as you?? ~ These were just three of the Ten Commandments, if God judged you by them would you be innocent or guilty? Would you go to Heaven or Hell? Shouldn’t this bother you? God destroys Sin and Sinners in an eternal Hell; and all have Sinned and fallen short of the Gory of God…

Abraham’s servant looked for something in Rebekah and it was a Kind Heart, one that only God could have given us. ~ For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting Life! God the Father sent God the Holy Spirit to gain a Bride for God the Son; the LORD Jesus Christ. But since we Fall short as Sinners, we must be Born Again. This is only possible because Jesus Christ never Sinned, and gave his life as the sacrifice for the Sins of his Bride. He shed his blood and died on a Cross, was buried for three days but arose from the dead! We’re Saved by the Grace of God through Faith in the Resurrected Savior Jesus Christ, without Works lest we should boast. Repent of your Sins, Confess Jesus Christ as your Lord God and Join his Bride; the Church. ~ There was a Betrothal in the Past, there is an Engagement Now, and there will be the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in the Future. Salvation was Arranged for us, but like Rebekah we must agree to the Union. If not, then God isn’t obliged to Save you! Everything else can be done for you; except making up your Mind…

Genesis 24:5-8 NET; The servant asked him, "What if the woman is not willing to come back with me to this land? Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?" "Be careful never to take my son back there!" Abraham told him. But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, you will be free from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!"

 

[ReverendRV]

NT

 

[e v e 21]

i thought a gospel tract was actual lines from scripture He gave to us...

 

[ReverendRV]

As a deer pants for rivers of water ~ by ReverendRV *January 20

Psalm 42:1 ESV; As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.

I study the Doctrines of the Protestant Reformation and there are two main camps within this discipline, Arminianism and Calvinism; I choose a side but I’m very eclectic. I saw an Arminian present an argument much like one of mine; Irresistible Grace is Prevenient (preliminary), and Prevenient Grace is Irresistible (effectual). It’s rare to hear an Arminian refer to God’s Grace as Irresistible; but it’s because they believe in Total Depravity. This means our Depravity has to be thwarted against our free Will; since we’d never agree with God otherwise. ~ I told this man I agree with his premise since I’ve been teaching the same thing; except I say the only difference is that Irresistible Grace always leaves us as a deer panting for flowing streams; it always leaves us thirsty for God. Prevenient Grace says we may never thirst for God…

Hunters know what makes a deer thirsty; like a salt lick. ~ Have you ever told a Lie? What do you call people who tell Lies? You’ve told many a Lie, right? In the spiritual realm, this is like licking a salt block every time you told a Lie; and Lying is only one of the Ten Commandments. Have you stolen anything? What do you call people who steal? Be honest with yourself; Lying and Stealing is something everyone has done, even you. You hear footsteps in the forest; and start running. Being honest with yourself is your only hope to find rivers of water; have you ever thought of God as anything other than how the Bible describes him? This is Idolatry; the hound of heaven is on your trail! These were only three of the Ten Commandments, are you thirsty for Forgiveness yet? The remaining Commandments can’t help you but can only make you more thirsty. If God judged you by his standard, would you be innocent or guilty?

The Bible says the Ten Commandments can’t save you but are meant to show that you’re a Sinner. Either you will thirst in the fires of Hell for all eternity; or you’ll let the Commandments steer you toward Jesus Christ; the fountain of Living Water. ~ For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting Life. Jesus Christ never Sinned and is like a spiritual oasis. He shed his blood and died on the Cross for the Remission of Sin, and to slake our thirst for Forgiveness; once and for all. Jesus arose from the dead for all who believe. We’re Saved by the Grace of God through Faith in the risen Savior Jesus Christ, without Works lest we should boast in ourselves instead of the flowing stream. Repent of your Sins, Confess Jesus Christ as your Lord God; and read your Bible for all it’s worth. ~ Arminianism and Calvinism has been a hot topic in Church history but that shouldn’t be the case, we have more in common than people think; or than some want to allow. I for one want to be a unifying factor for the greater Church. Imagine how strong we would be unified?

1 Corinthians 1:12+13 NASB; Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I of Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and "I of Christ." Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

 

[ReverendRV]

Ashteroth ~ by ReverendRV * January 21

1 Kings 11:5-8 (NASB) For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

I wrote a Gospel Tract titled “Golden Calf” which was about a Spouse at home cheating while the other Spouse was gone; so I thought we need to explore the flip side of the coin. We talked about a spouse who travels for business, and an unfaithful spouse finding comfort in another while he or she was away; and how hurtful this can be. We compared this to how God must feel when we stray and worship other gods. This time I want to look at an example from the other side of the fence. ~ There are other times when a spouse travels out of town and they are the ones who are unfaithful; this may even be a more common occurrence. We see that King Solomon did something similar to what Aaron did. ~ God Commanded Israel not to intermarry with people from the other Countries and/or cultures, because they would tempt Israel to worship their foreign gods. But, this is exactly what Solomon did! He married Pharaohs daughter as a political strategy. He also had a total of 700 wives, and 300 concubines! Solomon built high places of worship for their Idols on a mountain east of Jerusalem. He did this outside of Jerusalem; far away from the Temple of God. Did Solomon think that if Ashtoreth worship took place elsewhere away from Gods house, maybe God wouldn’t know?

But, God knew. Notice that this was evil in the sight of the Lord. It broke Gods heart that Solomon had a ‘Side Chick’. ~ "As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David saying, 'You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.' ~ Since God is all knowing, and he knew that Solomon played the Harlot with other gods while he was away at the high places, what happens when there is proof of your unfaithfulness? A divorce decree can be granted! God made it clear that if Solomon didn’t keep his Commands, the Kingdom will be ripped away from him. However, for the sake of David, God let the Tribe of Judah remain, eventually leading to the King of Kings, Jesus; the Hope of Israel. Only he kept God’s Ten Commandments…

For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not descend into Hell for their Sins and forever Die but ascend to Heaven and Live forever. We’re Saved by Grace through Faith without Works so we can’t boast. Jesus Christ is God’s Son and he is Perfect; you can be Perfect when you Confess your Sins for him to Bear, in exchange for his Righteousness for you to Bear. Jesus died for Sinners on a Cross, was buried but arose from the Grave; the Hope of us All. Repent of your Sins, Confess Jesus as your Lord and God; then go to your local Church to Worship God in Spirit and in Truth. ~ Be Faithful to God by being Faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ…

Revelation 19:7 (NASB) "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready

 

[ReverendRV]

At the Cross ~ by ReverendRV * January 22

Colossians 2:14 KJV; by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Ah, the Cross! The altar of Reconciliation, a pendant worn around the neck, resting near and dear to our hearts. But you object, “The Cross?? Why would anyone want to wear a symbol of execution and torture around their necks?” ~ To many, the Cross is offensive; just as the Ten Commandments are. People want them out of sight in society; wanting the words ‘under God’ stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance and off our currency. They say the Cross is a sadistic form of punishment, like a torture rack; and it’s more terrifying a form of execution than an electric chair. But the Cross of Jesus Christ became like a tree that birds can find safety in its boughs. ~ I see why people don’t want reminders of the Ten Commandments, because as the Verse says; it's legal demands stand against us as a record of Debt which we owe to God…

God made a Covenant with Mankind in the Garden of Eden, a Covenant of Works. This is why God looks at Sin as Debt; a Worker is worth his wages. ~ Have you ever had another god other than the God of the Bible? This violates the first and fourth Commandments; “Thou shall have no other God before me”, and “Thou shall not take the LORD’s name in vain”. But you object, “I thought that saying G.D. and the like, is Blasphemy?” Well; have you ever said it? Taking the LORD’s name in vain also means that to you, his name is ‘meaningless’; this is the epitome of Atheism. We can’t Omnisciently know there is no God; do a study and really look this time. If God judged you by his standard of Righteousness, would you be guilty or innocent? Being guilty, would you go to Heaven or to Hell? Does this bother you? I care about you!

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life! Jesus Christ is the Son of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit in a virgin’s womb. This allowed him to not be stained by the Sin of the world, and gave him the advantage he needed to remain Sinless all of his life. Jesus was tortured and executed on the Cross by bleeding to death for the Sin of the world. He was buried but rose to new life in three days, conquering death and Hell for all who believe. We’re Saved by the Grace of God through Faith in the Risen Jesus Christ, without Working for Merit that can't be earned. Repent of your Sins, Confess Jesus Christ as your Lord God, and join a good Church which always preaches this Gospel which is taught in the Bible. ~ Cherish the old rugged Cross! Pontius Pilate nailed the charge against Jesus to the top of his Cross, that’s where any charges against him belong. The charges against Jesus were invalid, because he is the King of Israel. Our charges are valid, but when you Believe; God diverts your Sins and Nails them to the Cross of Jesus…

Mark 15:26+ John 19:20 NIV; The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the Jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.

 

[ReverendRV]

Atheism ~ by ReverendRV * January 23

Psalm 14:1 KJV; To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.


In Bible days, it was the Atheist who was thought to be a fool; but these days it seems the shoe is on the other foot. Atheists say that the fool says in his heart, "There is a God". You ask, ‘Doesn’t Science show us there is no God?’ That’s debatable; but the point I want to stress is that King David believed the Atheist is the fool. I was reminded of this early in the week. I went through my neighborhood to be a witness for Jesus Christ, and to invite people to our Church. I ran across some preteens and struck up a conversation with them; one of them said that she is an Atheist. ~ As we walked down the street I asked her, "What is an Atheist?" She said, "A person who doesn’t believe there is a God". I told her that when a person says they know there isn’t a God, they're claiming to have ‘all knowledge’. I asked her if she knew how many planets orbited around the middle star in Orion’s Belt? She said that she didn’t know. I told her we aren’t Omniscient and because of this, there just may actually be a God. She quickly understood this and continued to follow, saying that she’d like to go to a Church that could answer her questions. On this day she realized it is a foolish thing to say that we know without a doubt ‘there is no God!’. ~ Amen…

Most of the population of the world is made up of people who believe that there is a God; these people are Theists, as opposed to Atheists. The Bible tells us that the evidence for God is clearly seen by all, but there are some who suppress the truth of God and exchange it for a Lie. Here is an example how some suppress a truth. Our world is practically a Garden of Eden; and this is a Miracle itself! In an article from Science Daily, Professor Watson from the University of East Anglia says the odds that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the Universe is less than 0.01 per cent over a four billion year period. Couple this with the Rare Earth Hypothesis and we can clearly see the ‘miracle’ of life on Earth; especially the miracle of ‘teeming’ life on Earth…

The young Atheist I spoke with became a young Agnostic that day, and I hope she becomes a young Christian Theist soon. My reason for this hope is because the Bible tells us that the God who created the world hates Sin and calls it ‘vile’. All of us have fallen short of the Glory of God by Lying, Stealing, and by forming an image of God in our Hearts that suits ourselves; even if it is the vacant image of “there is no God”. But God loved this rare Earth so much that he gave his only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our Sins. This Sacrifice appeased the Wrath of a Holy and Just God because Jesus lived a life in which he never Sinned. During his lifetime Jesus Christ accrued a Righteousness, which he gives to us when we place our Faith in him as our risen Lord and Savior! By God’s Grace we are forgiven. Repent of your evil ways and find a Church where you can love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your ‘Mind’ and with all your strength. ~ Now let me ask you this; how much more Faith does it take to believe the Gospel, when compared to the faith it takes to believe there is no God? Remember; it takes faith to believe in Atheism too when you don’t have ‘all knowledge’. The Atheist Christopher Hitchens agreed we can’t Omnisciently rule out God’s existence; if he couldn’t, neither can you…

Psalm 147:4; He determines the number of the stars; he calls them all by their names.

 

[ReverendRV]

Atlas ~ by ReverendRV * January 24

Isaiah 53:4 AKJV; Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Often we find that critics of the Bible assert it's writers Stole their ideas from Mystery Religions. This assertion is baseless due to the existence of Oral Traditions. Just because there are earlier writings from Mystery Religions older than Judaism, it doesn’t mean that those Mystery Religions didn’t borrow from the 'older' Oral Traditions of Adam. ~ In Greek Mythology, Atlas was on the wrong side of the “Titanomachy”; the war between the Titans and the gods of Olympus. For his sin, Atlas was subjected to bear the burden of carrying the Sky on his shoulders for all eternity. This burden would later be characterized as carrying the weight of the whole world. One day while searching for some golden apples, Heracles found Atlas. Heracles offered to bear the burden of the Sky so that Atlas could go and get the apples for him. Atlas returned with the apples but didn’t want to bear the burden again, so Heracles had to trick Atlas in order to escape with the golden apples. ~ Surely it would take a God to bear the burden of the world…

Our burdens in life cannot compare to this; but it’s true that at times, they’re almost too much to bear. The Bible tells us that we have a Sin burden, and that it can be weighed; do you want to see how heavy yours is? Have you ever told a Lie? Come on, you haven’t even told a little white Lie? You can barely feel its weight in your backpack but you can tell it’s there; so far so good. Have you ever stolen anything, even if it was not very much? Now put these small Stolen items in your back pack; it’s getting a little lumpy and uncomfortable, isn’t it? Have you ever committed Adultery? These days many people have, imagine if you had to carry each one of your Lovers; how heavy is a backpack full of people?? What’s that, you say "It wasn't THAT many people!"? Are you sure? Jesus said that when we look upon a woman with Lust, we’ve committed Adultery with them inside our heart. ~ These are just three of the Ten Commandments, If God Judged you by his Laws, would you be guilty? What; are you really saying NO?? Then add everything you’ve ever Coveted into your backpack; how can you even stand up right now? God sends Condemned Sinners to an everlasting Hell and Lake of fire as their punishment…

The good news is that you are like Atlas, and Heracles is like Jesus Christ. You were on the wrong side with Adam when the Serpent attacked the Kingdom of God. For this, you bear a Sin burden as big as the sky. But God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son Jesus Christ, that whosoever Believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting Life. As God’s Scapegoat, Jesus bore the Confessed Sins of every believer on a Cross; where he bled to death to pay the penalty for Sins he never committed. Within three days of this, he arose from the dead and had carried those Sins away to never be seen again. We’re Saved by God’s Grace through Faith in the risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, without our trying to carry our Sins again; like Atlas did. Repent of your Sins, Confess Jesus as Lord, and find a Bible believing Church. ~ Some versions of Atlas have Heracles freeing Atlas forever by building pillars to bear the Sky. Christ’s pillar is the Cross and he who is freed is free indeed! Go and Sin no more…

1st Peter 2:24 NASB; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.