Bible Study Articles
Bible Study Articles
One of the great debates among Christians, philosophers, agnostics, atheists, and other believers in religion is the validity of the Bible. Many Christians would argue that the Bible is the inspired word of God. But even among Christians, there is disagreement. This is a deep subject, but I don't have time to fully develop it here. I just want to provide a little information to support the Church of God International's contention that the Bible is the inspired word of God.
In December 2023, two major Christian church groups began officially blessing same-sex couples.
The Church of England began their practice on December 17, 2023. In February the Church voted to allow clergy to bless the unions of same-sex couples who have had civil weddings or partnerships. The words used for the blessings, known as prayers of love and faith, were approved by the church's House of Bishops on December 12, 2023.
Not to be outdone, the Vatican announced on December 18, 2023, that Catholic priests may bless same-sex couples. The announcement states that the blessings in question must not be tied to any specific Catholic celebration or religious service and should not be done at the same time as a civil union ceremony.
Throughout my years in the Church of God, I have heard different ideas about the following scripture (Matthew 28:19):
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (KJV)
“Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: (ASV)
“having gone, then, disciple all the nations, (baptizing them -- to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, (YLT)
The Greek word used here for “in,” “into,” and “to” is eis. The word is a primary preposition and indicates the point reached or entered of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose.
As we enter another election cycle next year in the United States (US) European nations are taking note. There is some concern in Europe over a possible new Trump presidency. This is due to the fact unlike previous presidents, Trump has made statements about pulling out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“It would be extremely stressful if America pivoted away from Europe, and that’s the worry with Trump,” a top European diplomat stated. “Every foreign ministry is thinking about this.”
You have probably heard the famous refrain from the story The Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….” This phrase fits perfectly into the use of technology in our world today. Technology has done great good for society. One obvious example is more ways to communicate with people. Facebook is one example where people can keep track of their friends’ and relatives’ lives in a greater degree. But we could also argue that the time used to put up and read content on Facebook could be better utilized.
One of our primary concerns for having issues with worldly holidays like Halloween is the belief that these days are used to obfuscate and hide the true holy days of God. Halloween is a great example of this with its timing right after the time of the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day.
Many argue about what is the harm in letting kids go out and gather candy from neighbors. On its face this does not seem like a problem since we are not worshipping God on this day and obviously most of those who celebrate are not worshipping any false gods consciously. But by putting so much money and energy into days like Halloween our culture makes it easy for people to miss God’s plan and holy days.
On the Last Great Day Palestinian Hamas forces struck Israel with a devastating terrorist attack. Over 1,300 Israelis lost their lives during this surprise attack. Indications are a wider war will now ensue between Israel and Hamas. Israel has pounded sites in Gaza over the past week killing even more Palestinians. As with any war, what this will lead to is anyone’s guess. But let us take a closer look at what we can learn from the latest significant flare up in the Middle East.
Was it God's idea to spy out the land of Canaan or the people's? This alleged discrepancy relates to the two scriptures provided below:
Numbers 13:1-2: And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them (KJV).
Deuteronomy 1:21-23: Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come. And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe (KJV).
Did the Edomites refuse supplies to Israel when they passed through their land, or did they furnish them? This apparent discrepancy revolves around two scriptures provided below:
Numbers 20:19-20: "And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet. And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand" (KJV).
Deuteronomy 2:28-29: "You will sell me food for money so that I may eat, and give me water for money so that I may drink, only let me pass through on foot, just as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I cross over the Jordan into the land which the Lord our God is giving to us" (KJV).
How many wives did Esau have? This is yet another seeming discrepancy in the Bible. A closer look and research will reveal the Bible is not creating a discrepancy.
First, let's look at the scriptures that address the various wives of Esau.
Genesis 26:34: And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite (KJV).
Genesis 28:9: Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife (KJV).
Haa! Who would have ever imagined this is where the truth would be in the year 2023?! We no longer can, or should I say, refuse to say what the truth is. The facts used to matter if we disagreed. We would say let me show you the scientific or biblical facts. Not today! Our society says the truth is subjective; it is whatever my truth, your truth, their truth, or anybody else's truth is. Everyone has their own "truth" based on their personal feelings/experiences.
A recent news item caught my eye, and I want to bring it to your attention. It relates to a shoplifter who was beaten by two 7-11 clerks in Stockton, California, on July 29, 2023. The shoplifter has now been arrested and charged with other crimes. Apparently, he has done this before.
If you watch the video of this incident, you see the shoplifter going behind the counter of the store and dumping cigarettes into a lined trash container. It appears he is trying to fill up the trash container with cigarettes and then make his way out the door. Another customer is getting video of things as they happen.
In the past, I have written blogs pertaining to survey data about Christian belief in the United States (U.S.) and the world. Much of the data has shown a decline in belief over the years.
I recently learned of another survey with an interesting question. Rather than just addressing belief in general, this question dealt with the depth of belief The recent survey data pertains to research conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. NORC is one of the largest independent social research organizations in the U.S.
In a 2022 survey, NORC reported that not quite 50 percent of Americans say they have no doubt about the existence of God. In 2008, this same survey topped out at just over 60 percent, having no doubt in the existence of God. A 12 percent drop-off is quite significant in only twelve years.
I have recently been made aware of some vestiges of “Seed of Satan” theology within Church of God circles. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this thinking—adherents of this belief think the different races came to us through different original parents. “Seedline” believers think Cain was begotten by illicit sexual activities between Eve and Satan the devil. Cain then became the father of the Jewish people. Some also believe “colored people” were around prior to Adam and Eve. There are some other similar ideas out there.
I read an interesting fruit fly study that got me thinking about how stress may impact humans. The study was conducted by Christi Gendron, a neurobiologist at the University of Michigan.
Gendron conducted a study on how living fruit flies respond to the sight of dead fruit flies. The research was published in the journal PLOS Biology. Apparently, neurons in the flies' brains make them age faster after seeing dead flies. Scientists believe this relates to perceptions within the brains of animals causing physical reactions in their bodies.
David Grusch, a former member of the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), has come forward with extraordinary claims. The AARO is a Department of Defense organization tasked with studying unidentified aerial phenomena that are more commonly known as UFOs. David recently stated that while working at AARO, others in the government refused the agency access to a top-secret military program that possessed alien spacecraft. They “are retrieving non-human origin technical vehicles, call it space-craft if you will. Non-human exotic origin vehicles that have either landed or crashed,” Grusch told a reporter at News Nation. Although he did not personally see these vehicles, he said he was told about them by high-level government officials. He also asserted that the government was in possession of alien bodies and that some alien species may be hostile.
Recently, Geoffrey Hinton, known by some as the godfather of AI, announced his retirement from Google. Hinton, 75 years old, pioneered research on neural networks and deep learning. Neural networks are computer systems that attempt to mimic the neural networks that our brains use. It is a type of machine learning process known as deep learning that uses interconnected nodes like human neurons in a layered structure that attempts to mimic our brains.
There is an interesting scripture in 1 Kings 22:19-23 that says the following: "And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee."
Once again, another false Christian leader has led his flock astray. Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, a former taxi driver turned pastor, allegedly taught the world would end soon, and starvation would get his followers to heaven. Presently 103 of his followers bought into the idea and are now dead in Kenya. Hundreds of others involved with the group are still missing.
Police launched an investigation into the Good News International Church after being tipped off. Nthenge was preaching to his followers in a forest near the town of Shakahola. Fifteen starving people were found alive, four of whom later died.
Many Christians today believe you are a Christian if you believe that Jesus lived and died for us and rose from the dead. Scriptures cited for this idea are Romans 10:9, 1 Corinthians 2:2, and John 3:16. Now let me be clear, I agree with these scriptures, but what does it mean to believe in someone or something?
Some seem to be concerned by the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in late March, but some may have missed something that was said during that meeting. Describing their discussions, Putin said, “We are in favor of using the Chinese yuan for settlements between Russia and the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.” So, what’s the big deal?
Soon after reporting a $1.8 billion loss to shareholders Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the 16th largest bank in the United States (U.S.), experienced a run on its deposits. SVB became the largest bank to fail in the U.S. since the 2008 financial crisis. A couple days after the failure the Biden Administration promised that all depositors would have access to their money after the weekend of the collapse.
About two days after SVB collapsed a second bank, Signature Bank of New York, also collapsed and was afforded the same protection for their depositors.
According to recent federal research, nearly one in three high school girls said they had considered suicide. This is a 60 percent increase from stats only ten years ago. This same research found 15 percent of these girls had been raped. Another six out of ten girls were so sad or hopeless that it caused them to stop regular activities.
This data comes from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They surveyed a nationally representative sample of public and private high school students.
In a new memo dated January 26, 2023, current U.S. Strategic Command leader General Anthony Cotton, acknowledged that China had surpassed the United States in the number of its Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) launchers but not in the number of its actual ICBMs nor the number of nuclear warheads equipped to them.
"The number of land-based fixed and mobile ICBM launchers in China exceeds the number of ICBM launchers in the United States," Cotton said in the memo.
In a few of my blogs over the past three years, I have addressed the decline in church attendance and the percentage of Christians in the United States and the United Kingdom. After reading a recent article, I think it is important to continue to address this subject moving forward. I think it is important because I believe the decline of Christianity anywhere will impact society.
The recent article I read focused primarily on the increase in the closure of churches in the United States. According to Lifeway Research, 4,500 Protestant churches closed in 2019, and only 3,000 new ones opened. This information is from 2019, the last year data was available to draw from, and this is the first year church numbers have not grown since Lifeway began doing this type of research.
With the rise of Christian nationalism in the United States today, there is an ongoing debate in various forms of media as to whether the United States originated as a Christian nation. Many of the early settlers who came to America came from states (nations) that were known as confessional states. This means that the monarch of those nations decided the religion of their people. The early leaders of our country were aware of the problems this caused in Europe with many conflicts that arose over religious differences.
What if I told you that the church is full of atheists?! Atheists do attend church, but they profess and believe that they are Christians. According to the Lutheran historian Martin Marty, in the book The Marketing of Evil by David Kupelian, too many pews are filled on the Sabbath and Sunday with practical atheists—disguised nonbelievers who live their lives during the week as if God does not exist, meaning they never touch their Bible, pray, have Bible studies, fast, and/or actively participate in other Bible-related studies outside of church services. God does say many are called—I mean, more than 75 percent of Americans claim to be Christians—but few will be chosen (Matthew 22:14). Many Christians choose to worship God how they desire, built on passed-down traditions and not based on the instructions given to us by God our Father in His Bible.
As promised—more alleged biblical discrepancies to address.Let us begin by taking a look at 1 Chronicles 10:6. This scripture tells us that Saul, his sons, and his house died all together. Compare that with 2 Samuel 2:8, which mentions another son of Saul, Ishbosheth, after Saul and his sons, and his house had all died. How could there be any one remaining from Saul’s house in 2 Samuel?
Back in October 2022, a study was published by Stanford researchers reporting that scientists had transplanted clusters of human neurons into the brains of newborn rats. The cells even grew and formed connections. The purpose of the study was to learn about human brain development and diseases affecting the brain.
The clumps of human cells, known as "organoids," grew into millions of new neurons and wired themselves into their new rat nervous systems. Once the organoids had plugged into the brains of the rats, the animals could receive sensory signals from their whiskers and help create command signals to guide their movement.
90 Facts About God...
God reveals Himself in His Word. But do we believe what He says?
Are You a Tolerant Christian?
Down through time, man has been hell-bent to create gods after his own image. Today, Jesus is commonly portrayed as a pacifist, a well-meaning but docile teacher, striking a fickle—even a pathetic— pose in people’s minds. But is this really the Jesus of your Bible?
Twelve Things God Cannot Do
Your Bible says that “with God, all things are possible.” And yet, there are some things God cannot do. Do you know what they are… and how they affect you?
Let’s Talk About Doctrine
There is one subject most of Christendom shies away from. Most hesitate to even discuss it. In fact, in many circles it is a “taboo” subject. “Don’t talk about that,” many protest, “because it will upset and divide people! Mercy! You’ll get into arguments and offend someone! Tell us smooth things! Prophesy deceits.” Oh, really? Let’s take the dare. Let’s talk about doctrine.
Who Was Cain’s Wife?
In today’s world, many have become overly dependent on scientists and scientific theories for an understanding of the origins of man
The Kingdom of God— What Will It REALLY Be Like?
What is the Kingdom of God? What with it be like? Where will it be?—in heaven or on earth? What is the Millennium? Is it the same as the Kingdom of God? Millions scoff; others are in total ignorance of it. Only Bible prophecy reveals the plain truth about the wonderful world of tomorrow!
Tradition vs: Truth - What Do You Really Believe
History tells us that the Soviet government, as it ruled Russia for over 60 years, did everything in its power to repress religion. And while it is almost universally agreed that this state-imposed attempt at national atheism epitomized all the wrongs of government oppression, few are aware of how unbiblically pathetic the state of religion was in Russia before the Communists took over that country.
One area of supposed Bible discrepancies pertains to numbers. We will investigate one today.
Look at these two scriptures pertaining to the same event.
2 Samuel 8:4: "And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for an hundred chariots" (KJV).
1 Chronicles 18:4: "And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: David also houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them an hundred chariots" (KJV).
Both of these scriptures pertain to David defeating Hadarezer and then taking booty from him.