Bible Discussion Replies PAGE 1320

John This is where we see things differently I believe the Word of God is true and God Told the men to write what He wanted the way He wanted it, 2 Peter 1:20+21. I'll stay with the word.

John look up the word to know or knew his wife is to bare a child, Genesis 4:17, Genesis 4:25, it is an eastern saying, in what I explained there are two genealogies shown in the Gospels for a reason Mathew and Luke. I never stated that joseph genetically had anything to do with Jesus Christ conception that was a Miracle. Mathew says the book of the generation of Jesus Christ why does it say generation in Luke 3:23 it starts out in parenthesis, being [as was supposed] the son of joseph he was not He was the Son of God.

Thank you for your response. I am here to learn so I will go look at the passage in Deuteronomy.

However, you seem to want to put me on the defensive (was I "munching on an apple", "You must have some idea . . .", "you did go look that up . . . right?"). This borders on an ad hominem logical fallacy. My motivations are not the issue; what matters is the text and what it means. So no need to be on the offensive.

But let me offer you my other cheek. One person responded to my question that it was a matter of faith, that as finite beings, we can not understand the motives of an infinite being. You however responded:

"The temptation seemed to be for Christ to exercise his miraculous power merely to meet his own personal bodily needs, and his refusal to do so in the most dire of personal circumstances would presumably steel him for similar though less onerous circumstances in his subsequent ministry. It proved he would not abuse his miraculous power. "

I find that to be an interesting interpretation. I can't say whether it is the correct interpretation or not, but it is an interpretation beyond the simple words in this passage. (Actually I like it.) That this is an interpretation--and not gospel--is revealed by your own words: "The temptation seemed to be for Christ . . ." The key word there is "seemed".

So now permit me a personal observation. The first person who responded won't speculate on the meaning of this passage; Jesus's response is beyond human comprehension. You on the other hand will engage in such activity. That is not a criticism. Just two different people reading the same passage.

I am reading Matthew for the first time. I want to know what people think. You have told me. So please drop trying to put me on the defensive; there's no need to.

John The first thing the tempter said was If thou be the son of God, trying to make jesus Christ question who he was also after 40 days he was hungry so he Hit him with self preservation, Jesus Christ response every time was what ours needs to be it is written. Our adversary knows the word of God and always uses it to His advantage. Thank God Jesus Christ never took the bait so to speak.

Adam: I accept part of your answer, that it's a matter of faith. I don't accept that it's"odd" to ask such questions. Your response, if you will permit me, should be directed towards the meaning of the text, not me or my behavior. What does the text mean, that's my question. Your response is that it is a matter of faith. I can go along with that.

I believe that Mary was descended from king David through his son Nathan and that the genealogy in Luke is Mary's .

Hi John , I too have read Moby Dick , it was hard work and I shan't read it again , you are so right , I read a lot , mostly older classics and the human stories in the Bible have influenced many good writers and helped them to write some awesome books .

Glen , I don't know where you are getting your info from but it's not the Bible , please remember that there are babes on this site , at the begining of their walk to the Kingdom , I can't believe that you wish to lead them astray .

Whoever you are , this was a fab answer , thank you .

Hi to you , in this instance I think that the fig tree was a metaphor for Israel , I could be wrong , that's just my interpretation .

no not really God is just so awesome.

Hi Lighton. You've brought up a few issues concerning God's Word & I assume you did so in the light of the supposed difficulty in finding that verse you suggested.

In each of the matters you raised, there is an answer that can be given. Without sharing much detail here, the Apocrypha (I think you're referring to the OT Apocrypha written in those 'silent years' between the testaments), was not recognized by Jews in general, & if it has been omitted from Bibles, it was because those books failed certain tests that were applied to them; tests of authorship, doctrine, reliability, etc.

And then we have the NT Apocrypha (in the post-Apostolic years), which for the most part are error-ridden with very wrong teaching (Gospels of Thomas, Barnabas, etc.).

I think you're thinking of 1 John 5:7 as an example of a verse included in the KJV. Other Bible versions that have this verse omitted have done so because it doesn't appear in some older manuscripts. Whereas the KJV is translated from a later manuscript (Textus Receptus) as it was overall much more reliable, even though the view was "the older the better". And indeed, this verse is clearly in full agreement with John's Gospel concerning the Word of God.

Scriptures such as 2 Timothy 3:10 & Acts 2:42 which speak of the 'apostles' doctrine', can be clearly understood & appreciated as not a special or new doctrine by the apostles, but simply their 'teaching' which they received from Jesus & His Spirit. And this doctrine (teaching) they faithfully passed on to the new Church so that they would be well founded. Sadly, many entered the Church not confirming this doctrine, bringing their own deformed teaching, thus leading many astray. Hence the pressure on the epistle writers to alert the believers & bring them back onto the true doctrine of Christ.

So, if we have such doubts over the Scriptures, you can be assured that there are well-researched answers given to allay any fears & to strengthen our belief & stand on the Word.

If we're tiny ants, then so was Jesus of Nazareth. He took on our nature to save us. Remember that incident where Jesus got mad and cursed the fig tree because it didn't have figs on it. The passage explains it wasn't even the season for figs. And interesting study is how Jesus own understanding of the world directly reflected the knowledge of that age. It's not like he was a superhuman genius while on earth (like that Jeopardy champion). (Actually there was a Far Side cartoon of God racking up millions on Jeopardy.)

It seems a bit odd to question Jesus's character. He was perfect and we aren't. His emotional, spiritual, mental intelligence is so many light years beyond us it seems silly suggesting that we tiny ants could possibly know something better than God. God bless...

Hi GRACE_ambassador {ChrisE},

Thanks so much for the advise, I will follow what you said and complete the bible in one year.

Many Thanks

Naresh

You must have some idea what constitutes an appropriate response, since you question Jesus in this regard. You imply he just should have said "Yes" or "No". Do you mean he should not have referenced scripture? The temptation seemed to be for Christ to exercise his miraculous power merely to meet his own personal bodily needs, and his refusal to do so in the most dire of personal circumstances would presumably steel him for similar though less onerous circumstances in his subsequent ministry. It proved he would not abuse his miraculous power. Interestingly though he did subsequently perform directly analogous acts, *for the benefit of others*, e.g. the feeding of the five thousand, also him causing a coin to materialize in the mouth of a fish to pay the temple tax for him and the apostles, etc.

But regarding the scripture he referenced, Deuteronomy 8:3 (you did go look that up for yourself before posting, right?) it is God telling the Children of Israel that he humbled them by making them hungry so he could then miraculously provide them manna from Heaven, so that they would learn that, "Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

In the same passage God references the Hebrews being in the wilderness 40 years, during which he miraculously sustained them. So clearly Jesus being 40 days in the wilderness is an intentional metaphor for that -- he was reliving the 40 years in the wilderness in microcosm. Incidentally, he had this temptation regarding bread at the very end of the forty days, at which point your stomach starts to digest itself, i.e. he was in agonizing pain. (Were you perhaps munching on an apple as you speculated that Christ's response didn't seem appropriate?) So he knew he was effectively at the end of his own ordeal, and perhaps tempted to jump the gun a little. Then the very next temptation to jump off the tower was Satan's perverse spin on the whole point of the fast -- relying on God.

Read John ch 14 v 13 , 14

Jesus answers your prayers , you have his word on it .

All authority is his given to him from the father God .

You can pray to the father , but in Jesus name do so .

They already know what's on your heart , but delight to hear from you .

Read about a man called George Muller of Bristol he mastered prayer and give great advise .

Thank you Lord for your Word. In our present situation- Afghanistan, co-vid 19, economic woes, political, social unrest- we are going through you; You have given us an "Elim" to rest and recover in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are surrounded by "bitter waters", but the Lord Jesus sweetens our situation by giving us strength and courage to continue on and lean on You. Isaiah 40: 31

Help us to have the wisdom and courage to call on you to bless our leadership and give protection to our people still in harms way. Blind the eyes of the Taliban, and open doors for our citizenship, allies, and our armed forces.

May President Biden find salvation in Jesus and thereby have the mind of Christ and courage to lead. Thank you Lord for hearing our cries.

This verse was mentioned in "Stones of Rememberance" by Fuchsia Pickett.....i have read and studied this book many times....her narratives of her visions and visits from and with God feel like I'm with her......i spent a half day with him about 8 years ago and praying believing and waiting on my next one! Hallelujah!!!!! I love you Lord! Honor to have your goft of discernment. I pray for more understanding. I want people to know Your word is life and life is your word. We follow your word consistently in the order we should then we will have balance. "Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is Lord"

MJ Read about sodom and gomorrah its a pretty good hint. Its in Genesis chapter 19.

Michael God never said fruit he just said not to eat.

She's correct,.. the serpent beguiled eve ,.. then God's very first prophecy, Genesis chapter 3 , vs 15 -17 ,.. mother eve had twins, with 2 very different Fathers,..

Michael may CHRIST IN US grace us with HIS truth and His understanding.

Genesis 2:8 ..... the tree of THE KNOWLEDGE of good and evil

The fruit would have to be; knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3:21 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man has become like one of us (gods), to know good and evil .....

Since we will eventually be the FULLNESS of Christ (gods) ( Ephesians 4:13), it was necessary that man eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 19:4-26 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

Romans 1:24-32 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being filled with all unrighteousness,

Colossians 3:5 "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:"

I hope someone might be able to help me with verses three and four. I understand Jesus was hungry after fasting, but that's irrelevant to what the tempter demands Jesus to do, namely turn stones into bread. The answer to that question is either yes or no; anything else is an evasion. I agree with the statement that we do not live by bread alone--I'm good with that. But has Jesus really responded appropriately. I'd like to hear what others think.

Verse 18 mentions Rachel and that she wept because her children were killed. Melville referenced this in the last chapter of Moby Dick. The Pequod was sunk and Ishmael is clinging to Quequeeg's coffin. Along comes another whaler, The Rachel, whose captain is criss-crossing the ocean because his son was lost in pursuit of a whale. Matthew has had such a profound impact on literature.

Respectfully, I don't think you answered Denise's question. I have no desire to challenge your faith. But the last line of the first chapter of Matthew is that Joseph did not "know" Mary until after she gave birth to Jesus. He is simply not the father of Jesus, not in any biological sense, and it would be erroneous to trace Jesus's descent through Joseph's lineage. Now if you want to go on faith because it is so written, please be my guest. Here's a thought: maybe Jesus's lineage doesn't really matter. Do you like the beatitudes in Chapter 4? well, maybe that's sufficient regardless of who spoke them.

Lidia.

You said Cain and Abel were twins with different fathers. And you gathered this information out of Gen. 4:1-2.

Here is what the scripture says PLAINLY as we seek.

Genesis 4:1-2. AND ADAM KNEW EVE HIS WIFE; AND SHE CONCEIVED, AND BARE CAIN, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. ( So there's the birth of Cain by Adam and Eve. "His parents" )

( AND SHE AGAIN ) BARE HIS BROTHER ABEL. "This emphasizes a separate birth."

Sorry Lidia. These are dangerous views that we have had infect the site a little to often.

I Hope my Brothers and Sisters don't take much interest in this. I would advise you to take scripture as it is and not doctor scripture to paint a view. you can end up way off course.

Again please let this one pass us by!

God bless.

Denise: Your question is a good one. The only logical answer is, this document--Matthew-- is a product of a patrilineal society, that is, descent is traced through the male line. Nothing then was known of DNA, and for the writer it would have been natural to trace Jesus's lineage through the male line and never think twice. Matthew, if he is the writer, is a product of his own time. And just as nothing was known of DNA, nothing was known of the basis of physical or mental disease back then. In fact we had to wait until the latter part of the 19th C for science to understand how diseases were transported by various vectors. At the time Matthew was written, we find Jesus and his disciples traveling about expelling demons because demons were thought to be the cause of all sorts of illnesses. The book Matthew is very much a product of its day.

Jerome.

Part 2

Matthew 12:46-50. While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.

Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.